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



aerial view during construction
image courtesy ben sowell



image courtesy horst kiechle



image courtesy horst kiechle



(left) construction of window
image courtesy horst kiechle
(right) profile view
image courtesy jason ting



image courtesy dee dee lim



physical model
image courtesy m.m.j.