Reflections on Visiting Jewel Changi Airport

Singapore Changi Airport's "Jewel Changi Airport" cost S$1.7 billion (RMB 8.5 billion), took 4 years to build, and officially opened to the public in April 2019. Due to the three-year COVID-19 pandemic, I never had a chance to visit it. This time, when I went to Singapore, I finally got to see it in person.

"Jewel Changi Airport" is located at the heart of Changi Airport. It is a glass circular building covering 135,700 square meters, with a total of ten floors—five above ground and five underground. It is a multi-functional complex integrating airport facilities, landscape gardens, shopping and leisure, hotels and dining, and more.

"Jewel Changi Airport" is also a transport hub, connecting to Terminals 1, 2, and 3 of Changi Airport, as well as directly linking to the city's public transport system.

"Jewel Changi Airport" also houses 280 retail stores and restaurants, as well as an airport hotel, adding further luster to the "world's best" airport.

Its architectural design was led by world-renowned architect Moshe Safdie. The highlight is the unique glass roof and steel exterior design, shaped like a giant doughnut, composed of over 9,000 glass panels, nearly 18,000 steel beams, and more than 6,000 cast steel nodes.

Each piece of glass is custom-sized and specially manufactured. The building's façade was designed in consultation with BuroHappold Engineering. The landscaping was designed by PWP Landscape Architecture, the water features by WET Design, and the lighting by LPA (Lighting Planners Associates).

What makes "Jewel Changi Airport" most distinctive is undoubtedly its pastoral and poetic landscape garden—Forest Valley—comprising over 200 plant species, more than 2,000 trees and over 100,000 shrubs, along with walking paths, rest areas, and more.

The crowning touch in Forest Valley is the magnificent Rain Vortex, standing 40 meters tall. It pierces through the slightly off-center doughnut-shaped structure, cascading seven stories down from the roof's oculus, like liquid silver pouring down with spectacular momentum. This is the world's tallest indoor waterfall. It is said that under peak conditions, the "Rain Vortex" can move over 10,000 gallons of water per minute, which helps cool the landscape environment and also collects a large amount of rainwater for reuse in projects around the building. Forest Valley and the Rain Vortex left a visually stunning and profound impression.

At the top level of "Jewel Changi Airport," there is also a Canopy Park covering 14,000 square meters, including a hedge maze, bouncing nets and walking nets, a 50-meter-long canopy bridge and discovery slides, topiary animals and fog gardens, along with various ingeniously designed recreational facilities.

The lighting effects at "Jewel Changi Airport" are also very unique. Seen from a distance, its façade sparkles with blue-white lights, constantly shifting among blue tones to show the passage of time, while creating a pleasant color contrast with the warm interior lighting. The lighting of the Rain Vortex is undoubtedly a highlight—colorful, bright, and dazzling. By day, birdsong and floral scents accompany the sound of gurgling water; at night, the giant waterfall transforms into a dreamy light show, flowing with brilliant colors and stunning beauty.

Indeed, "Jewel Changi Airport" is an innovative model integrating a transport hub, landscape garden, shopping mall, hotel dining, and more in one place. Although the pandemic was not completely over at the time, "Jewel Changi Airport" was already bustling with visitors. Once Chinese tourism, which supports half of Singapore's tourism industry, fully reopens, "Jewel Changi Airport" is sure to be packed. Another noteworthy aspect is that the prices of goods at "Jewel Changi Airport" are essentially the same as in the outside market. It even includes supermarkets, food streets, and other mass-consumption options, showing that despite its RMB 8.5 billion investment, it is not in a hurry to recoup costs. By benefiting businesses and the public, it ensures long-term sustainable development.