Sunday, 21 August 2011

The ArtScience Museum

Designed as a symbolic gesture of welcome to guests from across the globe, the lotus-inspired ArtScience Museum at Marina Bay Sands is the premier museum destination in Singapore for major international touring exhibitions from the most renowned collections in the world.

The Museum features 10 “fingers” anchored by a unique round base in the middle. The design of each finger reveals different gallery spaces featuring skylights at the “fingertips” that illuminate the dramatically curved interior walls.

The Museum’s dish-like roof channels rainwater through the central atrium of the building creating a 35-meter water drop into a small, reflecting pool. The rainwater is then recycled for use in the building’s restrooms.

Material such as Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer (GFRP), typically used in high-performance racing yachts, which has never been used in a project in Singapore, was used for the construction of this architectural wonder.

The iconic ArtScience Museum hosts marquee international exhibits as well as permanent exhibits on three floors of gallery space across over 50,000 square feet. There are 21 galleries in total.

The roof of ArtScience Museum allows rainwater to be harvested and channeled down a 35-meter water drop through the center of the structure to the reflecting pond at the lowest level of the building.

Rainwater is recycled and redirected through the water feature to create a continuous cylindrical waterfall. The rainwater is also recycled for use in the Museum’s bathrooms as part of Singapore’s Green Mark program.


Surrounded by a 40,000-square foot lily pond reflecting pool, ArtScience Museum floats over a dynamic new urban terrace with commanding views of Singapore and Marina Bay Sands.

A total of 10 “fingers” make up the building form plus two bay windows with special views of Singapore and Marina Bay Sands. The tallest “finger” stands 60 meters above ground.

The interiors of the “fingers” are unique gallery spaces with natural lighting from the fingertips illuminating the sculptural interior wall forms.

Designed by world-renowned architect Moshe Safdie, the lotus-inspired building can house 21 galleries within the 50,000 sq ft (4,600 sq m) space. Due to the varying geometry of the building, the galleries have different layouts.

We have watched the 'Lotus' grow since birth and have taken images at various stages:

 
 
 
With a form reminiscent of the lotus flower, ArtScience Museum designed by renowned architect Moshe Safdie has been called “The Welcoming Hand of Singapore” by Mr. Sheldon Adelson, the visionary chairman of Las Vegas Sands Corp.

This weekend we saw two of the exhibitions at the ArtScience Museum:

Shipwrecked: Tang Treasures and Monsoon Winds 

Van Gogh - Alive

click on the above for the appropriate blog post.

 

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