Insight: Resorts World Sentosa, Singapore

Yes, again, I remembered I have written a post about it quite a long time ago, even before it is completed. Even until now, the whole resorts is not fully completed yet, with construction going on at the Maritime Museum and Marine Life Park that holds the world largest oceanarium. The opening of the resorts was on 20th January 2010, over a year ago. However, for the full completion date, it should be by 2012.

The ride of Battlestar Galactica roller coaster in the Universal Studio Theme Park has reopened after a year of closure due to technical problem. The total area of the resorts is approximately 500 000 square metres. The S$6.59 billion (US$4.93 billion) resort is developed by Genting Singapore. It is one of the world’s most expensive casino properties, after Marina Bay Sands. The resort occupies over 49 hectares (121 acres) of land and, when fully open, will employ more than 10,000 people directly.

The construction of this mega resorts began in 2007 after Resorts World Sentosa won the bid, lead by the Chairman, Tan Sri Lim Kok Thay in 2006. There is six hotels alone in the resorts; Crockfords Tower, Equarius Hotel, Festive Hotel, Hard Rock Hotel, Hotel Michael and Spa Villas, providing a total of over 1840 rooms. The resorts was designed primarily by American architect, Michael Graves.

Each hotel is designed with a different theme, catering to both the leisure and business visitors. The resort is split into west, central and east zones. The central zone consists of Crockfords Tower, Hotel Michael, Festive Hotel, Hard Rock Hotel, casino, restaurants, galleria or known as the Forum (shopping outlets). The west zone consists of Equarius Hotel, Spa Villas, Marine Life Park, Maritime Xperimental Museum, waterfront and spas. The east zone consists of the most popular attraction, Universal Studios Theme Park (first in South East Asia) that further subdivides into 7 zones; Sci-Fi City, Ancient Egypt, New York, The Lost World, Far Far Away, Madagascar and Hollywood.

Near the Forum is the Festive Walk, where visitors can enjoy the walk around the resorts, accompanied by shops, Lake of Dreams, gardens, fountains, etc. Another famous attraction is the Crane Dance, a night performance of brilliant colours at the waterfront. The resorts is also linked to the Imbiah Lookout where all the previous attractions of Sentosa Hill are located including a Merlion, Tiger Sky Tower, SkyRide, Luge Ride, beach, forest walk, etc.

The natural beauty of Sentosa, which includes lush forests, inspired the design and drove the architects to make sure Resorts World did not overpower the landscape and would fit in seamlessly, Burke said. To do so, green-colored, curved roofs constructed from lightweight ETFE plastic decorate the tops of the resort’s two tallest building, the Hotel Michael and Crocksford Hotel. Each is imprinted with a foliage-like pattern to help the buildings blend into the natural landscape, as well as increase energy-efficiency by allowing control over the amount of light that enters inside to reduce the need for air conditioning. Throughout the site are a series of eco-cooling pedestrian pathways that link he resort’s areas like a “yellow brick road,” according to Graves.

Of course it is impossible for me to describe on each attractions and hotels available in the resort complex. It is just too much in this large-scale project. As a summary of its architecture, it is a tropical design approach to the resorts, well suited in Singapore, a tropical country.

To read more, click on this link below:

http://www.worldarchitecturenews.com/index.php?fuseaction=wanappln.projectview&upload_id=13922

For the official website of Resorts World Sentosa, here is the link:

http://www.rwsentosa.com/language/en-US/Main/RWS

All the pictures in this post are not mine and the information from this post is obtained from research throughout the internet.