The architect for the 1.3-million-sq-ft landside centerpiece of Singapore's Changi Airport—a combination mall and glass-covered public garden—decided to take advantage of the area's daily rainfall by designing a roof that will drain water into the center of the indoor garden, creating a 40-m-tall waterfall that will also help cool the voluminous space, says Safdie Architects.
The developer Jewel Changi Airport Trustee Pte Ltd, a joint venture of Changi Airport Group and CapitaMalls Asia, wanted both a shopping mall and an attraction, all open to the public. When vying for the commission, Moshe Safdie proposed "a paradise garden" for the public attraction, rather than "dinosaurs or mummies," said Safdie, at a Feb. 26 press briefing in New York City. "I wanted something timeless," adds the founder and lead designer of the 100-person Boston-based firm.