Work Starts on Changi Airport’s Jewel

Developers have broken ground on Jewel Changi Airport, a mixed-use complex in front of Terminal 1 which will feature attractions, retail offerings, a hotel and facilities for airport operations.

Expansion works for T1 will be carried out alongside the construction of the Jewel complex.

The redevelopment of the 3.5 hectare (ha) site at T1, formerly an open-air car park, allows Changi Airport to expand the terminal’s footprint, thus increasing T1’s passenger handling capacity to 24 million passengers per annum.

The complex – scheduled for completion by end of 2018 – will have five storeys above ground and five basement storeys, covering a total gross floor area of about 134,000 square metres (sqm). It is being designed by a consortium of consultants comprising Safdie Architects led by Moshe Safdie, as well as Benoy and local architects RSP.

In line with Singapore’s reputation as a garden city, Jewel will house one of the largest indoor collections of plants in Singapore – with about 22,000sqm of space dedicated to landscaping throughout the complex. One of Jewel’s centrepiece attractions will be the Forest Valley, a huge five-storey garden filled with thousands of trees, plants, ferns and shrubs.

There will be four different Gateway Gardens located at the complex, where every garden will feature unique landscaping elements. For instance, the North Gateway Garden, which will be seamlessly connected to the T1 Arrival Hall, will retain a nostalgic piece of T1’s heritage through landscaping features made from the recycled trunks of raintrees from the former open-air car park.

The other centrepiece of Jewel will be the 40-metre high Rain Vortex, expected to be the world’s tallest indoor waterfall. Come night fall, the Rain Vortex will transform into an enchanting light and sound show with special lighting effects.

The top level of Jewel, Canopy Park, will feature park space of approximately 13,000sqm in size, comprising gardens, walking trails, playgrounds and dining outlets. 

To strengthen Changi Airport’s appeal as a transit hub, there will be facilities in Jewel to enhance passengers’ journey. The complex will house an integrated multi-modal transport lounge offering dedicated services for fly-cruise and fly-coach passengers, such as ticketing, issuance of boarding passes and baggage transfer services. These will allow Changi to leverage new opportunities such as the growth of Singapore as a regional cruise centre. In addition, early check-in facilities in Jewel will enable passengers to check-in for their flights and deposit their luggage ahead of the regular check-in timings - providing them with added convenience.

To widen the range of accommodation options available at the airport, Jewel will offer its own hotel with approximately 130 rooms, operated by YOTEL – an international hotel brand with an established presence in Europe and the United States of America. This adds to the range of lifestyle offerings at Jewel, and provides an additional choice of accommodation for transiting travellers.

T1 Expansion

With the redevelopment of the open-air car park, CAG will extend the footprint of the terminal building into the space of the site, adding more than 70% to the floor area of the arrival and baggage claim halls.

The expanded T1 Arrival Hall will be seamlessly integrated with Level 1 of Jewel while the Baggage Claim Hall will also see more circulation space and the installation of additional baggage belts, operated by an upgraded baggage handling system. At the T1 Departure Hall, a revamp of the check-in counters will take place, with the incorporation of self-service kiosks.

In addition, a second departure drop-off bay will be constructed, doubling the number of vehicular lanes for drivers to drop off passengers. The length of the arrival pick-up bay will also be extended by 50%.

A much larger basement car park – spanning five levels with 2,500 parking spaces – will be built as part of the Jewel complex, providing T1 users with sheltered parking directly connected to the terminal. Facilities for taxis and coaches, such as the taxi waiting area, taxi pick-up bays and coach stand, will also be expanded.

Currently, only Terminals 2 and 3 are directly linked to the Changi Airport Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) station. New pedestrian linkages will be constructed connecting T1 and Jewel to the MRT station, improving inter-terminal connectivity and accessibility.

“An important hallmark of Changi Airport’s growth over the past thirty-odd years has been continual change and innovation. In charting the airport’s future, this spirit continues to underpin our strategy. Faced with intensifying competition, we challenged ourselves to rethink what an airport can be – not just as a gateway for flights, but as a tourism destination on its own,” said Mr Lee Seow Hiang, CAG’s Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of Jewel Changi Airport Devt Pte. Ltd. “Today’s groundbreaking ceremony marks only the beginning of this exciting journey. Over the next few years, we will work hard with our designers and contractors to execute our vision and realise our aspirations for Jewel. We look forward to presenting, in four year’s time, an iconic, world-class destination that both Singaporeans and our passengers from all over the world will enjoy, bringing Changi Airport to its next level of growth.”

The construction of Jewel and the expansion of T1 will be undertaken by a construction joint venture formed by Woh Hup and Obayashi Singapore.