Jewel Changi Airport

Overview

status	completed
architectural style	Neofuturistic
building type	Retail · entertainment · observation
material	Steel and glass
cost	S$1.7 billion
location	Changi, Singapore
address	78 Airport Boulevard, Singapore 819666
location country	Singapore
coordinates	1.3644°N, 103.9915°W
construction start date	December 5, 2014
opened date	April 17, 2019 (soft opening)‡R1R‡ October 18, 2019 (official opening)‡R2R‡
owner	Changi Airport Group CapitaLand Jewel Changi Airport Trustee Pte. Ltd.
size	3.5 ha
floor count	12 – 5 above-ground storeys and 7 basement levels (Levels B5 — B2, B2M, B1, B1M, L1-L5)
floor area	135,700 m2
architect	Moshe Safdie RSP Architects Planners & Engineers Private Limited
structural engineer	RSP Architects Planners & Engineers
other designers	PWP Landscape Architecture ICN Design International Pte Ltd Ove Arup Benoy Lighting Planners Associates‡R3R‡
main contractor	Obayashi Corporation‡R4R‡ Woh Hup Pte. Ltd.
website	jewelchangiairport.com

Jewel Changi Airport (also known as Jewel) is a nature-themed entertainment and retail complex surrounded by and linked to Terminals 1, 2, and 3 of Changi Airport in Singapore. Its centrepiece is the world's tallest indoor waterfall, the Rain Vortex, which is surrounded by a terraced forest setting.[5] Jewel includes gardens, attractions, a hotel, about 300 retail and dining outlets, as well as early baggage check-in facilities. It covers a total floor area of 135,700 m2, spanning ten storeys—five above-ground and five basement levels.[6]

Attractions include the Forest Valley, an indoor garden spanning five storeys; and the Canopy Park at the topmost level, featuring gardens and leisure facilities.[7] Jewel receives about 300,000 visitors per day. In October 2019, six months after its soft opening, it welcomed 50 million visitors, exceeding its initial target for the whole year.[2] In 2024, it achieved a record footfall of more than 80 million, the highest since its opening.[8]

Attractions

Forest Valley

The Forest Valley is one of Asia's largest indoor gardens, spanning five stories and approximately 22,000 m2, located in the heart of Jewel Changi Airport. It houses around 3,000 trees and 60,000 shrubs of 120 species that live in high-altitude tropical forests around the world.[26][27] It was conceived and designed by PWP Landscape Architecture.

Rain Vortex

The Rain Vortex is the world's largest and tallest indoor waterfall, standing at 40 m high.[28] Recirculating rain water is pumped to the roof to freefall through a round hole at up to 37850 liters per minute to a basement-level pool.[29] An acrylic funnel at the bottom prevents splashing and insulates the sound of the cascade. The toroid-shaped roof has more than 9,000 pieces of glass spanning 200 by,[29] with a sloped oculus as the mouth of the waterfall acting as "a continuation of the building... completed in a liquid form".[30] At night, the circular walls of the waterfall become a 360-degree stage for a light-and-sound show.[31]

To prevent excess humidity in the Jewel, the waterfall's flow alternates between cascades and trickles that reduce air turbulence. The design process, by WET Design engineers, included testing a one-fifth-scale model and a full-size partial prototype.[32]

The Changi Airport Skytrain connecting the terminals passes above ground near the waterfall, allowing passengers remaining airside to see the Vortex and Jewel itself.[33]

Canopy Park

At the topmost level of Jewel, the 14,000 m2 Canopy Park houses recreation and leisure attractions.[34] About half of the total landscaping is hosted at Canopy Park, including two gardens: Topiary Walk and Petal Garden. The Topiary Walk features animal-shaped topiaries at every corner, while the Petal Garden has seasonal floral displays. The park includes a suspension bridge called the Mastercard Canopy Bridge,[35] located 23 metres above the ground and offering a panoramic view of the Rain Vortex. At 50 metres long, the bridge also has a glass-panel floor at the centre section that offers a view down to level 1 of Jewel.

The park also consists of two mazes, situated at the eastern end of the Jewel, called the Hedge Maze and Mirror Maze.[29][36] The Hedge Maze is Singapore's largest, with hedge walls standing at 1.8 m high. The maze features gates that can be pushed inward and thus change the path of the maze. It ends at an elevated watchtower that offers a bird's-eye view of the entire maze.

Changi Experience Studio

The Changi Experience Studio is a 3,000 m2 space with interactive games and displays relating to the airport's history that allows visitors a behind-the-scenes look at how the facility is run.[31]

Jewel Changi Airport

Conception

Design and development

Attractions

Forest Valley

Rain Vortex

Canopy Park

Changi Experience Studio

Facilities

Hotel

Aviation facilities

Retail

Awards

In popular culture

See also

External links

References