If you’re the rare few who still haven’t been to Jewel Changi Airport yet, you can satiate your wanderlust with a short film featuring the beauty of the airport.
Safdie Architects has documented their architectural masterpiece in a short cinematic film together with Helen Han Creative, which was recently released in celebration of Jewel’s first year anniversary. The building has become such a recognisable icon of Singapore and its airport that it’s hard to believe that Jewel has only been around for a year.
An architectural wonder
Centered on the world’s tallest indoor waterfall, the four minute short film draws viewers into the heart of the airport to the beat of calming, therapeutic music. Having recently retained its title as the ‘World’s Best Airport’ for the eighth year in the row, Jewel more than lives up to its shining reputation.
Wide-angle views and the lush greenery of the entire interior makes you feel like you’re actually there – you can almost hear the rushing sounds of the waterfall and feel the spray of the water. Whether you’re a tourist going through, a visitor dropping by for a meal, or a local resident who just wants to check out the indoor garden, the airport has become a place where people can build connections to each other, nature, and aviation.
Jewel also doubles as a physical connection between the different terminals of Changi Airport, with a direct connection to Terminal 1, and pedestrian walkways to Terminal 2 and 3. Gateway gardens placed at the four different directions of north, south, east, and west as a visual motif to link Jewel and the other buildings.
Experience the vibrant and uplifting nature from anywhere
Going to the airport can be very taxing emotionally and physically. But Jewel manages to seamlessly weave the idea of nature and a marketplace, with a forest valley that spans four storeys and filled with thousands of plants and trees. Recreational facilities such as climbable sky nets, a hedge maze, and a series of slides provides entertainment for families and couples.
They don’t call Singapore the city in the garden for nothing!
Aesthetics appreciation
Han, who’s also an architectural designer and instructor at the Harvard Graduate School of Design, explains how she hopes to reach those who watch her film, “I recognize the privilege to be able to study and be exposed to the profession of architecture. I offer my work as a shared lens, to expose and expand people’s critical comprehension to the role of architecture in shaping the global environment.”
And even if you can’t travel to Singapore just yet, the video feature will trigger the #wanderlust to make you look forward to the reopening of the skies.
Watch the Garden of Wonder now:
Garden of Wonder from Safdie Architects on Vimeo.
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