The Float at Marina Bay
 Marina Bay Float Stadium hosting Singapore's 42nd National Day Parade on 9 August 2007. | |
| Location | Marina Bay, Singapore |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 1°17′18″N 103°51′32″E / 1.28833°N 103.85889°ECoordinates: 1°17′18″N 103°51′32″E / 1.28833°N 103.85889°E |
| Owner | Singapore Sports Council |
| Operator | Singapore Sports Council |
| Capacity | 30,000 |
| Surface | Steel |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | March 2006 |
| Opened | 20 May 2007 |
| Architect | Defence Science and Technology Agency |
| Tenants | |
|
Singapore Sports Council 2010 Summer Youth Olympics | |
The Float at Marina Bay, stylised as The Float@Marina Bay and also known as the Marina Bay Floating Platform, is the world's largest floating stage.[1] It is located on the waters of the Marina Reservoir, in Marina Bay, Singapore.
Made entirely of steel, the floating platform on Marina Bay measures 120 by 83 metres (394 by 272 ft), which is 5% larger than the soccer field at the National Stadium.[1] The platform can bear up to 1,070 tonnes, equivalent to the total weight of 9,000 people, 200 tonnes of stage props and three 30-tonne military vehicles. The gallery at the stadium has a seating capacity of 30,000 people.[2][3]
The floating stadium will be a venue for events on the waters of Marina Bay for five years from 2007. These events may include sports, concerts, exhibitions, and the arts and cultural performances. The National Day Parade was held there annually for five years, as a temporary venue in place of the National Stadium in Kallang which was demolished to be rebuilt as part of the Singapore Sports Hub.[1]
This stadium is part of the Marina Bay Street Circuit Turns 17 and 18, which hosted the Formula One Singapore Grand Prix. More famously, it was where Nelson Piquet, Jr. crashed his car which led to the Renault Formula One crash controversy.
Following Singapore's successful bid to host the inaugural 2010 Summer Youth Olympics, the floating stadium was under the spotlight during the Games, as the venue for the Games' opening and closing ceremonies.[4]
History
The idea of a floating platform was conceived by the organising committee of the National Day Parade, 2007. In 2004, Colonel 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 to make way for the new Singapore Sports Hub. Teo had considered Jalan Besar Stadium, the Singapore Turf Club and Marina South before settling on Marina Bay, partly because of the city skyline 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 that is under renovation for 8 years.[1][5]
In 2005, Teo's committee worked with the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) and the Singapore Sports Council on the design of the floating platform, which could also be used to host other major events.[5]
After the design was finalised, the contractor, SembCorp Marine,[3][6] 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 and officially opened by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.[5]
Construction
Many considerations were taken into account during the design 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 can be relocated and reconfigured to meet the requirements of different events.[3]
As a result, the platform is made of smaller platforms of pontoons, 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. These took one month to assemble. The connectors were designed to be light but robust.[3]
Six pylons fixed into the seabed act as the structure's foundation. Heavy-duty rubber rollers were used to gently guide the stage vertically to keep it from being rocked by tides and currents. Three linkways, which connect the floating platform to the land, have special integrated joints to keep them steady.[3]
The floating platform also had to be aesthetically pleasing to fit the scenic backdrop of the belt of hotels in Marina Centre. 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.[3]
The platform has been equipped with numerous innovative features, like an internal drainage system, cabling structures and lightning rods.[3]
Events
The first major event that was held at the floating stadium is the National Day Parade of 2007.[7] This was followed by the Singapore Fireworks Celebrations held on 17 and 18 August 2007.[8]
On 25 August 2007, the stadium was used to launch the six-week-long Waterfest Singapore 2007, which showcases stunts and performances by a water ski team and wakeboard professionals.[9] On 2 September 2007, the platform was the start and finish point for the Aviva Ironman 70.3 Singapore triathlon.[1][10]
From 15 September 2007 to 16 April 2008, the floating stadium was closed for Formula One works in preparation for the Singapore Grand Prix in September 2008. The stadium was not available for rental until after the race.[1] 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 during the New Year's Eve countdown at Marina Bay in December 2007. The general public can access the platform when it is not booked for events.[1] The Marina Bay Singapore Countdown also used this stadium in each of 31 December 2008 to 2013.
In November 2008, The Singapore Cup final between SAFFC and Woodlands Wellington FC 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 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.[11]
In August 2010, the stadium was the main stadium for the 2010 Summer Youth Olympic Games. On 2 October 2010, the stadium became the venue for the graduation parade of the recruits from the Singapore Armed Forces Basic Military Training Centre. Previously, the pass out parade was held on Pulau Tekong itself.
On 23 November 2012, S.M. Entertainment artists including Kangta, BoA, TVXQ, Super Junior, Girls' Generation, Shinee, f(x), and EXO performed to a crowd of 18,000 fans as part of their SMTown Live World Tour III concert.[12]
In lieu of the Sports Hub not being ready for the rehearsals for the National Day Parade for 2014 since the venue for preparations need to be confirmed up to a year ahead and hence the Floating Platform will host its seventh parade here. Hence, this will be the last time that the NDP will be held here before it will be held in 2016 at the new National Stadium. The stadium will therefore be retained for New Year's Eve, River Hongbao and the upcoming Singapore F1 Race.[13]
As the 2015 National Day would be held on both the Padang and the Floating Platform, the Floating Platform would hence be involved in the eighth NDP.[13] With the F1 held at least till 2017, the Floating Platform would be maintained till then at the minimum for the events earlier mentioned as well as for the BMTC Passing Out Parade.
On August 18 2016, Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen announced that the National Day Parade 2017 will return to the Marina Bay Floating Platform, marking the ninth parade to be held there. As the life span of the floating platform is for 10 years, this could mark the final NDP to be held at the site.[14]
See also
- List of stadiums in Singapore
- National Day Parade
- 2010 Summer Youth Olympics
- Singapore Grand Prix
- Marina Bay Street Circuit
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Tay Suan Chiang (19 August 2007). "Staying afloat". The Sunday Times. p. L7.
- ↑ Liaw Wy-Cin (21 June 2007). "All parade tickets given out". The Straits Times. p. H3.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Brenda Goh (2007). "New stage for the bay". Voices@Central Singapore (36, September/October 2007): 24–25. ISSN 0219-6344.
- ↑ "Singapore bests Moscow, will host 2010 Youth Olympics". ESPN. Retrieved 27 March 2008.
- 1 2 3 Melissa Sim (12 August 2007). "He took NDP from land to water". The Sunday Times. p. 8.
- ↑ "Many firsts this time". The Straits Times. 12 July 2007. p. H6.
- ↑ Liaw Wy-Cin (24 May 2007). "National Day will bring all things S'porean". The Straits Times. p. H5.
- ↑ "Fireworks festival at Marina Bay floating platform from August 17–18". Channel NewsAsia. Retrieved 14 August 2007.
- ↑ "A splashing start to WaterFest". The Sunday Times. 26 August 2007. p. 34.
- ↑ "WaterFest targets 33,000 this year". The Straits Times. 19 July 2007. p. H16.
- ↑ "ESPZEN fixture information for first floating football match". ESPZEN. Retrieved 6 February 2009.
- ↑ "http://www.straitstimes.com/breaking-news/singapore/story/biggest-k-pop-music-event-be-held-november-20120913". Retrieved 13 September 2012. External link in
|title=(help) - 1 2 "NDP 2014 to be held at Marina Bay, not at new stadium". TODAY Online. Retrieved 25 November 2013.
- ↑ "NDP 2017 to be held at Marina Bay Floating Platform: Ng Eng Hen". Channel News Asia. Retrieved 18 August 2016.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to The Float@Marina Bay. |
| None | Summer Youth Olympics Opening and Closing Ceremonies 2010 |
Succeeded by Nanjing Olympic Sports Centre Nanjing |
