Marina Bay Sands is the building that made Singapore's skyline recognisable from space — three 55-storey towers supporting a cantilevered SkyPark that extends further than the Eiffel Tower is tall, topped by the world's most photographed infinity pool. Designed by Moshe Safdie and completed in 2010 at a cost of $8 billion, it's the most expensive standalone casino property ever built and the building that turned Marina Bay from a business district into a global icon.
The SkyPark observation deck on the 57th floor is open to non-hotel guests and provides a 360-degree view of the city that makes Singapore's geography immediately comprehensible — the container port to the south, Sentosa Island to the southwest, the Strait of Malacca beyond, and the entire Marina Bay circuit with Gardens by the Bay, the Flyer, and the Merlion laid out below like a scale model. The infinity pool is hotel-guests only, but the observation deck gives you the same view without the swimsuit.
The building's interior is a shopping mall, casino, convention centre, two theatres, a museum, and a canal with actual gondolas — the kind of excessive programme that only makes sense when you remember that Singapore treats architecture as a form of national branding. The ArtScience Museum at the base, shaped like an opening lotus flower, hosts touring exhibitions from major international institutions. The nightly light show, Spectra, projects water, light, and music across the bay and is free to watch from the waterfront promenade.
Verified Facts
Marina Bay Sands cost approximately $8 billion to build
The hotel was designed by architect Moshe Safdie and completed in 2010
The SkyPark cantilevers 67 metres beyond the north tower
The ArtScience Museum is shaped like an opening lotus flower
Get walking directions
10 Bayfront Ave, Downtown Core, Singapore, 018956, Singapore
