Overview
The new Marina Bay Sands, Singapore, is a $5 billion, high-density, mixed-use integrated resort that brings together a 2560 room hotel, convention center, shopping and dining, theaters, museum, and a casino across the water from Singapore's Central Business District. Designed by Boston-based, internationally renowned architect Moshe Safdie for the Las Vegas Sands Corporation, the 929,000 meter (10 million square-foot) urban district anchors the Singapore waterfront, creates a gateway to Singapore, and provides a dynamic setting for a vibrant public life. This new urban place integrates the waterfront promenade, a 74,000 square meter (800,000 square-foot), multi level arcade, and the iconic Museum of Art Science on the promontory. Located along the network of Public paths are also two theaters with a combined 4000 seats, a casino, a 9000 square metre (96,000 square-foot) convention center, and a hydraulically adjustable public event plaza of 5000 square metres (54,000 square-foot). Combining indoor and outdoor spaces and providing a platform for a wide array of activities, this vibrant, 21st century cardo maximus, or grand arcade, also connects to the subway and other transportation. AUTHOR: Moshe Safdie is a leading architect, urban planner, educator, theorist, and author. Embracing a comprehensive and humane design philosophy, Safdie has been a visionary force in architecture, urban planning and design for over forty years. Safdie is committed to architecture that supports and enhances a project's program; that is informed by the geographical, social and cultural elements that define a place; and that responds to human needs and aspirations. Completing a wide range of projects, such as cultural, educational, and civic institutions; neighborhoods and public parks; mixed-use urban centers and airports; and master plans for existing communities and entirely new cities, Safdie has made lasting contributions to the quality of life in cities and neighborhoods around the world. Gary Hack, professor of City and Regional Planning teaches the University of Pennsylvania School of Design, is also the former Dean of the School, stepping down in 2008. Prior to coming to Penn, he was a professor of urban design at MIT, and a partner in the professional firm of Carr Lynch Hack and Sandell in Cambridge. Earlier in his career, Professor Hack was head of planning for Gruen Associates in New York and directed the Canadian government's housing and urban development research and demonstration programs. He has served on the board of the Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning and the Planning Accreditation Board, is a former chair of the Philadelphia City Planning Commission, and a member of the board of the William Penn Foundation. ILLUSTRATIONS: 300 photographs and 40 illustrations
Author Information
Moshe Safdie is a leading architect, urban planner, educator, theorist, and author. Embracing a comprehensive and humane design philosophy, Safdie has been a visionary force in architecture, urban planning and design for over forty years. His work continues to evolve and grow, guided by a strong set of values and without succumbing to current trends. He served as Director of the Urban Design Program at Harvard University Graduate School of Design from 1978 to 1984, and Ian Woodner Professor of Architecture and Urban Design from 1984 to 1989. In the following decade, he was responsible for the design of six of Canada's principal public institutions, including the Quebec Museum of Civilization, the National Gallery of Canada, and Vancouver Library Square. Safdie has been the recipient of numerous awards, honorary degrees, and civil honours, including the Companion Order of Canada and the Gold Medal of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada.
