SINGAPORE - Visitors to the new lifestyle and retail building at Changi Airport can take in an indoor 40m-high waterfall, walk along a bridge that is suspended 23m from the ground and walk among simulated clouds..
The attractions are part of the 14,000 sq m Canopy Park, or the size of 11 Olympic-size swimming pools, located on the top floor of Jewel Changi Airport. Jewel will open in early 2019.
Designed by world renowned architect Moshe Safdie and being built in front of Terminal 1, Jewel will feature a distinctive dome-shaped facade made of glass and steel. At approximately 134,000 sq m in size, it will offer a range of facilities including airport services, indoor gardens and leisure attractions, retail and dining offerings as well as a hotel, all under one roof.
Jewel will boast of one of the largest indoor collections of plants in Singapore. About half of the total landscaping and greenery in Jewel will be housed at Canopy Park, which will have 1,400 trees and palms.
Part of the lush offerings will comprise two specially created gardens - the Topiary Walk and Petal Garden. Nestled among winding walkways, the Topiary Walk will feature animal-shaped topiaries at every corner, while the Petal Garden will have seasonal floral displays.
Giving a glimpse of what visitors can expect, Jewel Changi Airport (Jewel) - a joint venture between Changi Airport Group (CAG) and CapitaLand Mall Asia - said on Wednesday (June 7) that visitors will be able to stroll through lush greenery and dine at restaurants.
The suspended bridge is 50m long and boasts of a glass flooring which will allow visitors to look down at the greenery below.
Children and the young at heart can jump on a 250m-long bouncing net, which at its highest point, will be suspended 8m or three storeys above ground.
There will also be other play attractions such as mazes and slides that have been designed by consultants from Britain, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Singapore.
One maze features hedge walls that stand 1.8m high and a mirror maze promises to create illusions to challenge and confuse visitors. The two mazes cover an area of over 500 sq m.
There will be open areas to allow young children to wander amid the greenery in the park. One play area targeted at children, known as Foggy Bowls, will have four gentle concave bowls with depths ranging from 30cm to 65cm. They will be covered by mists to create the experience of playing among clouds.
Ms Hung Jean, chief executive officer of Jewel Changi Airport Development, said: "When we conceptualised Canopy Park, we envisaged an area that is not only relaxing because of the lush greenery but also one that is filled with activities and interactions for visitors of all ages. It is our vision to pitch Jewel at the highest level and to position it as a world-class attraction for Changi Airport and Singapore."
The aim is to create a place that will attract visitors from all over the world, she said.
The development of Jewel comes as Changi Airport faces tough competition from airports in the region for transit and destination traffic. The airport handled 58.7 million visitors last year, out of which 30 per cent was transit traffic. Jewel is expected to enhance Singapore's attractiveness as a tourist and business destination.
