Marina Bay Floating Stadium
Encyclopedia
Malay language
Malay is a major language of the Austronesian family. It is the official language of Malaysia , Indonesia , Brunei and Singapore...
: Pentas Terapung Teluk Marina, Tamil
Tamil language
Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore...
: மரீனா பே மிதக்கும் மேடை), is the world's largest floating stage
Stage (theatre)
In theatre or performance arts, the stage is a designated space for the performance productions. The stage serves as a space for actors or performers and a focal point for the members of the audience...
. It is located on the waters of the Marina Reservoir
Marina Reservoir
The Marina Reservoir is a reservoir in Marina Bay, Singapore formed in 2008 from the damming of the mouth of the Kallang Basin. With the completion of the Marina Barrage on October 30 2008, the reservoir, which contained mainly salt water, became freshwater and started operations at 7 pm on...
, in Marina Bay, Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
.
Made entirely of steel
Steel
Steel is an alloy that consists mostly of iron and has a carbon content between 0.2% and 2.1% by weight, depending on the grade. Carbon is the most common alloying material for iron, but various other alloying elements are used, such as manganese, chromium, vanadium, and tungsten...
, the floating platform on Marina Bay measures 120 metre
Metre
The metre , symbol m, is the base unit of length in the International System of Units . Originally intended to be one ten-millionth of the distance from the Earth's equator to the North Pole , its definition has been periodically refined to reflect growing knowledge of metrology...
s long and 83 metres wide, which is 5% larger than the soccer field at the National Stadium
National Stadium, Singapore
The Singapore National Stadium was located in Kallang. Opened in July 1973, the National Stadium was officially closed on 30 June 2007 and has demolished to make way for the Singapore Sports Hub and New Singapore National Stadium which is expected to open in 2014.The stadium has played host to...
. The platform can bear up to 1,070 tonne
Tonne
The tonne, known as the metric ton in the US , often put pleonastically as "metric tonne" to avoid confusion with ton, is a metric system unit of mass equal to 1000 kilograms. The tonne is not an International System of Units unit, but is accepted for use with the SI...
s, equivalent to the total weight of 9,000 people, 200 tonnes of stage props and three 30-tonne military vehicle
Military vehicle
A military vehicle is a vehicle that includes all land combat and transportation vehicles, which are designed for or are in significant use by military forces throughout the world. Vehicles that are armored or intended for combat are often referred to as armoured fighting vehicles....
s. The gallery at the stadium has a seating capacity
Seating capacity
Seating capacity refers to the number of people who can be seated in a specific space, both in terms of the physical space available, and in terms of limitations set by law. Seating capacity can be used in the description of anything ranging from an automobile that seats two to a stadium that seats...
of 30,000 people.
The floating stadium will be a venue for events on the waters of Marina Bay for five years from 2007. These events may include sport
Sport
A Sport is all forms of physical activity which, through casual or organised participation, aim to use, maintain or improve physical fitness and provide entertainment to participants. Sport may be competitive, where a winner or winners can be identified by objective means, and may require a degree...
s, concert
Concert
A concert is a live performance before an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, a choir, or a musical band...
s, exhibition
Convention (meeting)
A convention, in the sense of a meeting, is a gathering of individuals who meet at an arranged place and time in order to discuss or engage in some common interest. The most common conventions are based upon industry, profession, and fandom...
s, and the arts
The arts
The arts are a vast subdivision of culture, composed of many creative endeavors and disciplines. It is a broader term than "art", which as a description of a field usually means only the visual arts. The arts encompass visual arts, literary arts and the performing arts – music, theatre, dance and...
and cultural performance
Performance
A performance, in performing arts, generally comprises an event in which a performer or group of performers behave in a particular way for another group of people, the audience. Choral music and ballet are examples. Usually the performers participate in rehearsals beforehand. Afterwards audience...
s. The National Day Parade
National Day Parade
The Singapore National Day Parade is a national ceremony in Singapore that, as its name implies, includes a parade on Singapore's National Day on August 9, in commemoration of Singapore's independence that is usually held at the Padang , the National Stadium, various decentalized venues all over...
will also be held annually for five years at the stadium, which is meant to be an interim venue in place of the National Stadium until the Singapore Sports Hub
Singapore Sports Hub
The Singapore Sports Hub is a proposed sports complex located in Kallang, Singapore to be built on the present site of the National Stadium, which was officially closed on 30 June 2007 and demolition started on 29 September 2010...
at Kallang
Kallang
Kallang is an urban planning area and a subdivision located in the southeastern part of Singapore.It is probably best known for being the location of the Singapore Indoor Stadium & the old National Stadium, as well as the new Singapore Sports Hub...
is completed in 2014.
This stadium is part of the Marina Bay Street Circuit Turns 17 and 18, which hosted the Formula One
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
Singapore Grand Prix
Singapore Grand Prix
The Singapore Grand Prix is a motor race, currently in the calendar of the FIA Formula One World Championship. It is currently held in the Marina Bay area of Singapore...
. More famously, it was where Nelson Piquet, Jr. crashed his car which led to the Renault Formula One crash controversy
Renault Formula One crash controversy
The Renault Formula One crash controversy, dubbed Crashgate by some in the media, is a sporting scandal perpetrated by the Renault F1 team who ordered Nelson Piquet, Jr...
.
Following Singapore's successful bid to host the inaugural 2010 Summer Youth Olympics
2010 Summer Youth Olympics
The 2010 Summer Youth Olympics, officially known as the Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games , were an international multi-sport event for youths that took place in the city-state of Singapore from 14 to 26 August 2010, in the XXIX Olympiad. They were the inaugural Summer Youth Olympics, a major...
, the floating stadium was under the spotlight during the Games, as the venue for the Games' opening and closing ceremonies.
History
The idea of a floating platform was conceived by the organising committee of the National Day Parade, 2007National Day Parade, 2007
The National Day Parade 2007 ' was a national ceremony held on 9 August 2007 at the Marina Bay Floating Stadium to commemorate Singapore's 42nd year of independence. For the first time, the event was held in the Marina Bay area.- Venue :...
. In 2004, Colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
Teo Jing Siong, the chairman of the committee, was asked to source for a new venue for the National Day Parade as the National Stadium would be demolished. Teo had considered Jalan Besar Stadium
Jalan Besar Stadium
Jalan Besar Stadium is a football stadium located along Jalan Besar, in the Kallang area of Singapore and is the current home stadium of Young Lions, a S.League football team. The stadium can also be used for any Singapore national football team matches as the National Stadium, Singapore is being...
, the Singapore Turf Club
Singapore Turf Club
The Singapore Turf Club was founded in 1842 as the Singapore Sporting Club to operate the Serangoon Road Race Course at Farrer Park.It is today the only horse-racing club in Singapore and is part of the Malayan Racing Association, which also regulates the three Turf Clubs in Malaysia, the Selangor...
and Marina South
Marina South
Marina South is a peninsula adjacent to the Central Business District in Singapore, and also the name of an urban planning area in the Central Area of Singapore's Central Region.-History:...
before settling on Marina Bay, partly because of the city skyline
Skyline
A skyline is the overall or partial view of a city's tall buildings and structures consisting of many skyscrapers in front of the sky in the background. It can also be described as the artificial horizon that a city's overall structure creates. Skylines serve as a kind of fingerprint of a city, as...
that would form a backdrop for the parade. The Singapore Government evaluated that the temporary stadium is a cost effective solution in lieu of the closure of the National Stadium.
In 2005, Teo's committee worked with the Urban Redevelopment Authority
Urban Redevelopment Authority
The Urban Redevelopment Authority is the national urban planning authority of Singapore, and a statutory board under the Ministry of National Development of the Singapore Government.-Mission:The authority was established on 1 April 1974, and is of especially critical importance to the city-state,...
(URA) and the Singapore Sports Council
Singapore Sports Council
The Singapore Sports Council is a statutory board under the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports of the Singapore Government...
on the design of the floating platform, which could also be used to host other major events.
After the design was finalised, the contractor
General contractor
A general contractor is responsible for the day-to-day oversight of a construction site, management of vendors and trades, and communication of information to involved parties throughout the course of a building project.-Description:...
, SembCorp Marine
SembCorp Marine
Sembcorp Marine Limited is part of SembCorp Industries, an Asian company based in Singapore. It is listed on the Singapore stock exchange or SGX and is part of the Straits Times Index there...
, started construction of the floating platform in March 2006. The stage took 13 months to build, and by April 2007, the platform and seating gallery were completed.
Construction
Many considerations were taken into account during the designDesign
Design as a noun informally refers to a plan or convention for the construction of an object or a system while “to design” refers to making this plan...
phase for the construction of the floating platform. The Defence Science and Technology Agency, the platform's chief planner and developer, had to keep in mind not just its size and the load it could bear, but also make sure the structure
Structure
Structure is a fundamental, tangible or intangible notion referring to the recognition, observation, nature, and permanence of patterns and relationships of entities. This notion may itself be an object, such as a built structure, or an attribute, such as the structure of society...
can be relocated and reconfigured to meet the requirements of different events.
As a result, the platform is made of smaller platforms of pontoons
Pontoon (boat)
A pontoon is a flotation device with buoyancy sufficient to float itself as well as a heavy load. A pontoon boat is a flattish boat that relies on pontoons to float. Pontoons may be used on boats, rafts, barges, docks, floatplanes or seaplanes. Pontoons may support a platform, creating a raft. A...
, each comprising hundreds of parts. 200 pontoons were envisioned, but a unique system of connectors allowed this number to be reduced to 15, which interlock like a jigsaw puzzle
Jigsaw puzzle
A jigsaw puzzle is a tiling puzzle that requires the assembly of numerous small, often oddly shaped, interlocking and tessellating pieces.Each piece usually has a small part of a picture on it; when complete, a jigsaw puzzle produces a complete picture...
. These took one month to assemble. The connectors were designed to be light but robust.
Six pylon
Tower
A tower is a tall structure, usually taller than it is wide, often by a significant margin. Towers are distinguished from masts by their lack of guy-wires....
s fixed into the seabed
Seabed
The seabed is the bottom of the ocean.- Ocean structure :Most of the oceans have a common structure, created by common physical phenomena, mainly from tectonic movement, and sediment from various sources...
act as the structure's foundation. Heavy-duty rubber
Rubber
Natural rubber, also called India rubber or caoutchouc, is an elastomer that was originally derived from latex, a milky colloid produced by some plants. The plants would be ‘tapped’, that is, an incision made into the bark of the tree and the sticky, milk colored latex sap collected and refined...
rollers were used to gently guide the stage vertically to keep it from being rocked by tide
Tide
Tides are the rise and fall of sea levels caused by the combined effects of the gravitational forces exerted by the moon and the sun and the rotation of the Earth....
s and current
Ocean current
An ocean current is a continuous, directed movement of ocean water generated by the forces acting upon this mean flow, such as breaking waves, wind, Coriolis effect, cabbeling, temperature and salinity differences and tides caused by the gravitational pull of the Moon and the Sun...
s. Three linkways, which connect the floating platform to the land, have special integrated joints to keep them steady.
The floating platform also had to be aesthetically
Aesthetics
Aesthetics is a branch of philosophy dealing with the nature of beauty, art, and taste, and with the creation and appreciation of beauty. It is more scientifically defined as the study of sensory or sensori-emotional values, sometimes called judgments of sentiment and taste...
pleasing to fit the scenic backdrop of the belt of hotels in Marina Centre
Marina Centre
Marina Centre is a zone of reclaimed land within the Downtown Core in the southern part of Singapore. Together with the Marina South area, it encloses the sheltered Marina Bay....
. This limited the height of the seating gallery. The existing structures and the area's development plans capped the number of seats at 30,000.
The platform has been equipped with numerous innovative features, like an internal drainage
Drainage
Drainage is the natural or artificial removal of surface and sub-surface water from an area. Many agricultural soils need drainage to improve production or to manage water supplies.-Early history:...
system, cabling structures and lightning rod
Lightning rod
A lightning rod or lightning conductor is a metal rod or conductor mounted on top of a building and electrically connected to the ground through a wire, to protect the building in the event of lightning...
s.
Events
The first major event that was held at the floating stadium is the National Day Parade of 2007National Day Parade, 2007
The National Day Parade 2007 ' was a national ceremony held on 9 August 2007 at the Marina Bay Floating Stadium to commemorate Singapore's 42nd year of independence. For the first time, the event was held in the Marina Bay area.- Venue :...
. This was followed by the Singapore Fireworks Celebrations held on 17 and 18 August 2007.
On 25 August 2007, the stadium was used to launch the six-week-long Waterfest Singapore 2007, which showcases stunt
Stunt
A stunt is an unusual and difficult physical feat, or any act requiring a special skill, performed for artistic purposes in TV, theatre, or cinema...
s and performances by a water ski team and wakeboard professionals. On 2 September 2007, the platform was the start and finish point for the Aviva
Aviva
Aviva plc is a global insurance company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the sixth-largest insurance company in the world measured by net premium income and has 53 million customers in 28 countries...
Ironman
Ironman Triathlon
An Ironman Triathlon is one of a series of long-distance triathlon races organized by the World Triathlon Corporation consisting of a swim, a bike and a marathon run, raced in that order and without a break...
70.3 Singapore triathlon
Triathlon
A triathlon is a multi-sport event involving the completion of three continuous and sequential endurance events. While many variations of the sport exist, triathlon, in its most popular form, involves swimming, cycling, and running in immediate succession over various distances...
.
From 15 September 2007 to 16 April 2008, the floating stadium was closed for Formula One
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
works in preparation for the Singapore Grand Prix
Singapore Grand Prix
The Singapore Grand Prix is a motor race, currently in the calendar of the FIA Formula One World Championship. It is currently held in the Marina Bay area of Singapore...
in September 2008. The stadium was not available for rental until after the race. In August 2008, the National Day Parade was held at the stadium.
The Urban Redevelopment Authority is exploring the idea of making the 30,000-seat gallery available for the public to view fireworks
Fireworks
Fireworks are a class of explosive pyrotechnic devices used for aesthetic and entertainment purposes. The most common use of a firework is as part of a fireworks display. A fireworks event is a display of the effects produced by firework devices...
during the New Year's Eve
New Year's Eve
New Year's Eve is observed annually on December 31, the final day of any given year in the Gregorian calendar. In modern societies, New Year's Eve is often celebrated at social gatherings, during which participants dance, eat, consume alcoholic beverages, and watch or light fireworks to mark the...
countdown
Countdown
A countdown is a sequence of counting backward to indicate the seconds, days, or other time units remaining before an event occurs or a deadline expires. Typical events for which a countdown is used include the launch of a rocket or spacecraft, the detonation of a bomb, the start of a race, and the...
at Marina Bay in December 2007. The public
Public
In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individuals, and the public is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociological concept of the Öffentlichkeit or public sphere. The concept of a public has also been defined in political science,...
can access the platform when it is not booked
Hospitality industry
The hospitality industry consists of broad category of fields within the service industry that includes lodging, restaurants, event planning, theme parks, transportation, cruise line, and additional fields within the tourism industry. The hospitality industry is a several billion dollar industry...
for events.
In November 2008, The Singapore Cup
Singapore Cup
The Singapore Cup is an annual soccer competition in Singapore.The Singapore Cup is the major cup competition in Singapore football, and has existed since the 1997 ....
final between SAFFC and Woodlands Wellington FC
Woodlands Wellington FC
Woodlands Wellington Football Club is a professional football club that plays in Singapore's professional football league, the S.League.The team's home ground is the Woodlands Stadium, which is at the northern part of Singapore...
was supposed to take place at the stadium. However, problem relating to the metal beams casting a shadow on the pitch forced the match to be played at the Jalan Besar Stadium
Jalan Besar Stadium
Jalan Besar Stadium is a football stadium located along Jalan Besar, in the Kallang area of Singapore and is the current home stadium of Young Lions, a S.League football team. The stadium can also be used for any Singapore national football team matches as the National Stadium, Singapore is being...
instead. The first football match to be played on the platform was a Sunday League ESPZEN amateur match between Tuan Gemuk Athletic and VNNTU FC.
In 2010, the stadium was the main stadium for the 2010 Summer Youth Olympic Games. On the 2nd of October, the stadium became the venue for the graduation parade of the recruits from the Singapore Armed Forces Basic Military Training Schools
See also
- List of stadiums in Singapore
- National Day Parade, 2007National Day Parade, 2007The National Day Parade 2007 ' was a national ceremony held on 9 August 2007 at the Marina Bay Floating Stadium to commemorate Singapore's 42nd year of independence. For the first time, the event was held in the Marina Bay area.- Venue :...
- 2010 Summer Youth Olympics2010 Summer Youth OlympicsThe 2010 Summer Youth Olympics, officially known as the Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games , were an international multi-sport event for youths that took place in the city-state of Singapore from 14 to 26 August 2010, in the XXIX Olympiad. They were the inaugural Summer Youth Olympics, a major...
- National Day Parade, 2011National Day Parade, 2011National Day Parade 2011, also known as NDP 2011, was a military parade and accompanying creative show that was held on 9 August 2011 to commemorate Singapore's 46th year of independence.-Social media participation:...