Designed by renowned Israeli-born architect Moshe Safdie, Singapore’s ArtScience Museum embodies a unique yet delicate form inspired by the lotus flower — considered a “masterpiece” among the architectural community. When Safdie designed Marina Bay Sands, he viewed the ArtScience Museum as the climax of the complex.
The ten “fingers” , each housing a gallery space, creates the building’s form of the ArtScience Museum with the tallest “finger” standing 60 meters above ground. The museum features 21 gallery spaces totalling 50,000 sq-feet of exhibition area.
Early sketches of the ArtScience Museum by Moshe Safdie:
Moreover, there is a theme of environmental sustainability with the curved roof collecting and channelling rainwater through the central atrium of the building and into a renewable water supply for the restrooms. This bodes with the overall theme of the Marina Bay Sands Casino and Resort being that of a green building that embraces energy consumption, water conservation, waste management, ensuring air quality, among other green features.
The iconic structure is surrounded by a 40,000-sq foot lily pond reflecting pool and floats over a dynamic new urban terrace with commanding views of the Marina Bay area.
Beneath the floating museum is the Marina boulevard offering stunning view of the central business district:
The spacious lobby of this unique complex is the museum box office is impressive with glass windows allowing visitors to absorb the surrounding Marina Bay area. The main galleries are in the basement however, at the time of visiting this section was closed as it was preparing for the: Titanic – The Artifact Exhibition from 29 October – 29 April 2012.
The Upper Gallery currently features The Dali Exhibition – Mind of a Genius. The circular floor-plan, with 10 gallery spaces, allows for natural light to come in from the fingertips of the building.
The Top Gallery is the smallest of the galleries and houses the permanent exhibition which invites vistors into the power of creativity as it is manifested in the world of ArtScience. It’s basically a white room with a projected video taking visitors on a journey inside the creative process across three unique spaces: curiosity, inspiration and expression.
The permanent exhibition:
It’s definitely worthwhile to pay the museum a visit, especially with the great exhibitions on.
There are the exhibitions coming soon:
Titanic – The Artifact Exhibition
29 October 2011 – 29 April 2012
Cartier Time Art – Mechanics of Passion
14 December 2011 – 12 February 2012