moshe safdie: artscience museum, singapore

‘artscience museum’ by moshe safdie in singapore image courtesy kevin lim

‘artscience museum‘ by internationally renowned architect moshe safdie welcomed visitors for the first time to its 6,000 square meter cultural center on 19 february 2011. located adjacent to the marina bay sands – also designed by safdie – the project is the first museum dedicated to the dynamic interplay between art and science. the circular design features ten finger-like structures that extend out to create a lotus flower form.

view from the water at night image courtesy chantelle

‘from the inside out, every element in the design of the artscience museum reinforces the institution’s philosophy of creating a bridge between the arts and sciences,’ said safdie. ‘the building combines the aesthetic and functional, the visual and the technological, and for me, really represents the forward looking spirit of singapore.’

lobby image courtesy chantelle

the sculptural museum houses 21 naturally lit galleries in total. each ‘petal’ form is capped off with an expansive skylight which draws in daylight into the interior. wrapped in a double-curved fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) skin, the vertical sides of each petal are sheathed in bead-blasted stainless steel panels. this specific application of FRP has made joint-less construction possible, resulting in a seamless and continuous surface.

construction shot image courtesy choo yut shing

rainwater is collected through the bowl-like form and drained through an oculus, creating an interior waterfall through the center of the museum that feeds into a reflecting pond. the asymmetrical structure of the museum was conceived by arup and consists of an assembly of ten columns that are anchored to its center by a basket diagrid. the tallest petal structure reaches as high as 60 meters into the skyline.

image courtesy horvath bence