Marina Bay Sands, Singapore’s newest, brightest icon, is one of Asia’s leading destinations for leisure, entertainment and business. Even though the spectacular design is inspired by a house of cards, each building is strong and safe. The secret to that strength lies beneath the luxurious façade.
Working from a brief that outlined ambitious goals for Singapore’s tourism and economic development, Boston-based architecture firm Moshe Safdie Architects delivered much more than a luxurious playground; they created a monumental gateway, positioning the city as a centre for innovation, culture and entertainment. With the bar set so high, only the best would do when it came to specifying climate control, acoustic comfort and fire safety. And that’s where the Rockwool Group, working closely with the contractors responsible for partition walls and curtain walls, and HVAC systems, comes into the picture.
The most difficult task in the world
The Marina Bay Sand’s spectacular design brought some unique challenges to the project. In fact, the project’s engineers, Arup, Parsons and Brinkerhoff, famous for solving the structural conundrum of the Sidney Opera House in
the 1960s, described the integration of the site’s diverse technologies as the “most difficult [task] to carry out in the whole world.”
However, with the help of the project’s principal building contractors, including JRP International, Pacific Interiors Supply, Benson Wall Systems and the Rockwool Group, the design teams arrived at solutions early on in the planning stages to create spaces that are durable, acoustically comfortable and safe from fire. “The pressure was on to make sure we met all the standards, specifications and the tight delivery schedule,” says Richard Chia, Managing Director of JRP International Pte Ltd. “Fortunately, we had strong back up from Rockwool, who were with us from the start right through to the completion of the roof.”
Inspired by a house of cards
Take two playing cards and lean them against each other so they form a triangle. Now place the flat of your hand on top and exert a little pressure. The cards bend inwards, not much, but just enough to produce some irregular – and highly expressive – curves.
Now, imagine the playing cards transforming into three 57-storey, 191-metre towers, with your hand acting as a 340-metre-long roof terrace. Buildings of this structural complexity call for meticulous detailing and a deep understanding of modern materials and advanced construction techniques.
The solutions for parti-walls, curtain walls and ceilings encompass irregular geometries while integrating advanced HVAC services into every space. To achieve this, the Rockwool Group were among the contractors involved at the earliest stage of planning to deliver acoustic, fire-rated systems for ceilings, walls and roofing.