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By Donn Richard March 2009 Singapore

Donn realizes that ravenous IR fans are slavering for raw updates and raw pictures of the construction progress, especially now, with all the controversy surrounding said IRs and their capabilities to complete their projects on time now that Singapore has been hard hit by recession.

Arriving at the construction site of the Marina Bay Sands I was pleased to see that this was indeed the case. Construction had been put into fast gear at the end of 2008 with some 7,500 construction workers working around the clock, according to a friendly construction engineer with whom I had a constructive palaver.

Furthermore, construction on the world’s most unique bridge, New Bridge, by URA, is also ongoing. Gorgeous and very artistic - especially the roofing!

Even as we speak, South Korean construction giant Ssangyong is, according to its website, pioneering a new architectural technique to the three Marina Bay Sands hotel towers. Indeed, Ssangyong succeeded in linking a tilted building to a straight one at a height of 80 meters by using this rare architectural method called 'post-tension' technique with the first of the three hotel towers of the MBS.

This “post-tension?technique is used to install special 15mm-thick cables made of eight metal stands inside the tilted building then connect the cable to a shear wall under the building, and pull the cables up from the top to prevent the building from falling over. The amazing conclusion: three hotel towers sloping at a 26-degree angle. Tower of Pisa, eat your heart out!

Indeed the 3 towers are now standing at approximately 30 storeys. It appears that all tower structures average a floor per week and the three hotel towers have now officially passed half-way mark ?history made!

Inside the hotel towers, work on the interior fit-out has begun by DDS, a joint venture between Depa of the UAE and Design Studio Singapore.

LCL Corp Bhd of Malaysia are also involved in the interior fit-out of the MBS. The company has been awarded a contract for fit-out works on the pre-function rooms, the function rooms and the ballroom in Dome 3 [MICE building].

I didn’t see much activity in the construction of Dome 1, which will house the theatres and most entertainment for the young and old. However, I did see full-out construction work on Dome 2 which will house the casino and the restaurants, and full-steam construction on Dome 3. This will house most MICE facilities and the columnless ballroom. I counted at least five floors laid.

Vice-president of construction (Asia) Matthew Pryor said: “because now we can basically build vertically without obstacles, we’ll be able to progress more rapidly and construct 5 floors a month instead of the usual four??nice one Mr Pryor!

By the way, did you know that MBS's total floor area will be 15 per cent bigger than originally planned and that the hotel towers will be five storeys higher, and... that the casino will actually take up only 3% of the GFA? Interesting!

After my visit to the MBS, off to RWS for some more raw reportage.

As soon I got out of my taxi I decided on some shots from the Imbiah Lookout, above of what used to the entrance to Sijori Wondergolf, now closed. Tarzan-like, I literally had to cut through some thick jungle foliage to make my way up. NICE ? Resorts World at Sentosa pulled no punches when they said: “We will top out our first hotel by end of February? Hats off to you RWS!

RWS has awarded approximately S$5 billion in total construction projects to date, with five contracts inked not long ago.

Singapore’s Kingsmen Creatives, inked two contracts: one for the design and fit-out work of the food and beverage outlets in and around Universal Studios Singapore and one for the design and works on an
awe-inspiring façade for this great theme park.

Additional fit-out contracts went to the world’s leading fit-out company: Depa of the UAE and DDS Contracts & Interior Solutions Pte Ltd of Singapore.

RWS didn’t stop there. A contract was inked with Singapore Technologies Electronics (ST Electronics). ST have been trusted with the all important installation and implementation of the state-of-the-art security system for real-time surveillance for the entire resort, including the car park.

Another contract was signed with NEC of Japan to implement a reliable ticketing and admission system.

The most recent contract was inked with computer giant Dell to provide server solutions for the entire resort.

Back to my reportage of construction progress for Resorts World at Sentosa. Work on all four hotels is progressing well. Again, Maxims Tower is leading the pack. This 11-storey hotel which will house the casino in its basement has now officially been completed; it is being closely followed by Hotel Michael, Hotel Festive, and Singapore’s first Hard Rock Hotel.

A new monorail station will be built next to world’s first Hotel Michael; named after super-star architect Michael Graves.

A reminder: there are in actual fact six hotels at Resorts World at Sentosa.
We’re currently witnessing fast-paced construction work at Hard Rock, Michael, Maxims and Festive hotels, and somewhat less activity at the Equarius hotel, Experiential Maritime Museum and Marine Life Park and Spa Villas?construction sites. There is a reason for this. The Equarius Hotel, the Equarius Waterpark and Spa villas will be opened last after the soft launching of parts of the resort in Spring 2010.

Confirmed for the soft launch are: the Strip (Festive Walk), Hotel Michael, Festive Hotel, Maxims Tower, Hard Rock Hotel, Universal Studios and the Casino.

After opening the RWS’s main crowd puller, Universal, project engineers carefully planned a new entrance. This new entrance, purposely built to carry in construction equipment out-of-sight from visitors to the park will be in the West of the 49 hectare, north of the Equarius Hotel, to allow construction to continue unnoticed while guests enjoy the fun at South-East Asia’s first and only Universal Studios as well as the Strip.

Facing near-gale force winds, our intrepid reporter decided nevertheless to walk around the perimeter of Universal Studios Singapore for more info.

Allow me to impart. Eye-balled the 3500-seat amphitheatre for the Waterworld stunt show ?the 7-meter deep pool is nearly complete ?hard hat-wearing construction workers could be seen working on the roof of this great amphitheatre, which by the way, can be booked for special occasions by emailing RWS ?could Hollywood mega stars, Kevin Costner and Dennis Hopper also be bookable?

The entire structure for Revenge of the Mummy ride at a height of 21 meters appears nearly complete. Some of the tracks are visibly in place, and construction workers are busily piecing the “Mummy?together for you, RWS fans!

Also visible were the foundations for what has been touted by RWS as one of the most thrilling coaster rides in the world as well as the foundations of the Jurassic water coaster ride. The total number of themed attractions will be 24, 18 of which will be exclusively designed for Singapore. And?interestingly, most of Universal's 24 attractions will be imported pre-designed and pre-fabricated from major theme park ride manufacturers around the globe.

And did you know that a new cooling plant for all of RWS’s air-conditioning needs throughout many of its buildings is currently being built on Sentosa itself through a joint venture between RWS and the Sentosa Leisure Management Group?

Frankly, it’s not surprising to see such progress thanks to the involvement of some of the world’s largest construction consortiums in this mammoth project e.g. China Jingye, Kajima Tiong Seng, Low Keng Huat, Bintai Kindenko to name a few.

It is also worth mentioning that Resorts World at Sentosa has been gaining much respect for its care of its migrant workers ? from new year parties, to zoo outings, many activities are regularly organized. Now, that is what we call a “responsible employer?

Rumours abound that the management of Sentosa by Sentosa Leisure Group (SLG) have determined that a more green way to travel around the island has become necessary with the projection of thousands of additional visitors with the opening of Resorts World at Sentosa.

SLG is planning to give this beautiful island a fresh transportation overhaul by introducing a cable car system that will take visitors around the island at high speeds.

Personally, I am of mixed opinion about putting visitors into air-conditioned cubicles. What about the tropical feel of the island? Feeling closer to nature? Is taking shots through tinted glass possible? Do tourists really want this “ultra modern?type of transportation? Do tourists really care about speed? And what about the ones who have a fear of heights; e.g. Donn Richard?

SLG should ask themselves this one question: “why is it that before the discontinuation of the monorail some five years ago, many tourists just stayed on for an extra ride???the answer is simple: “because they loved it so much? Reintroducing the monorail with a new improved system that actually works, may well be the way to go.

Other Sentosa news: the expected completion of the second bridge linking Sentosa with the mainland 710m-long bridge that will lay parallel to the exiting one is forecast for sometime this year. Interestingly, this new bridge will have a dual purpose in that it will also carry power and telecommunications lines as well as water.

Both IRs have officially asked the STB for permission for a progressive opening of their resorts as both have had to revise costs for the second time due to cost overruns.

It is now believed that the Marina Bay Sands will open the casino, the building housing the conference halls (Dome 3) and parts of their mall and the hotel in November or December 2009.

However, good news, after a management shake up at the parent company of the Marina Bay Sands headquarters in Las Vegas, shares are on the rise again and analysts believe that the company will pull out of the recession sooner than expected and even stronger.

Resorts World has also had to make some project planning decisions and they too will do just fine and will open in stages.

The IR projects still have to open as “integrated? meaning visitors can enjoy many attractions, not just one or two. And despite the Global economic turndown, these IR professionals are making that happen. Talk about “Grace under pressure?

Pictures on this page as well as other construction pics can be viewed in postcard size in the IR picture links

By Donn Richard August 2008 Singapore

As part of my continuing reportage of the construction progress, I decided to take an early-bird outing on Sunday, August the 3rd around the perimeters of the construction sites of the IRs.

And Wow! What can I say and what can I tell. My sunglasses virtually popped off my nose as I came closer to the Marina Bay Sands construction site. At long last we can now see the three mighty hotel towers rising. What a sight! Although I claim to be no construction expert, it appeared to this observer that said tower 1 was the equivalent of an 8-storey high building and towers 2 & 3 either 3 or 4 storey high.

With hotel towers 1, 2 and 3 now clearly rising above ground level; piling works on Dome 3 seems completed, and piling works on Dome 1 & 2 is nearing completion. Sub-structure and superstructure works on Dome 3 are progressing at enormous speeds and excavation, reinforcement and general sub-structure works on Dome 1 & Dome 2 are also gaining momentum.

Additional "must know" info for you, MBS fans: Dome 1, on the far left and also closest to MBS's ArtScience Museum, will house the theatres;  Dome 2 is where the casino will be, and Dome 3 on the far right is where most MICE facilities will be based and which will be linked to Bayfront station.  

What an achievement! All of this in just over 16 months after construction began in October 2006 and, let us not forget, that work on clay soil on reclaimed land can be extremely painstaking and then of course there was the additional problem of removing the old sea wall. Remember also that around 40% of the MBS actually lies underneath ground level. Amazing engineering work!

The sun was still shining nicely, so I hopped into a passing taxi and made my way to Imbiah Outlook on Sentosa. I wished to see for myself the construction progress made at Resorts World at Sentosa. I opted for a taxi rather than taking the Sky train as I was keen on seeing and experiencing the traffic flow on the new road leading into Sentosa and the three newly installed admission booths as well as the new entrances and exits to RWS’s underground car park. I was able to convince my friendly driver to make a few stops for some shots, for you, the fans of what promises to be Asia’s ULTIMATE family destination.

The traffic flow on the new Gateway Avenue on Sentosa was indeed excellent at the time of my visit. This road has definitely been made much wider than its predecessor. I was especially delighted to see that the entrances and exits of the two-lane, 5.4m in height tunnels of the 4100-lot basement car park of Resorts World at Sentosa, have now been completed. This is simply unprecedented. Difficult work undertaken in both a beautiful and timely manner.

With the floor and ceiling of the car park gaining momentum, it's almost guaranteed that from now on we will see lots more rising and rising... remember, most of IR RWS's attractions will in actual fact be based on top of this car park!

It appears that construction of the new Sentosa bridge (which will run parallel to the existing one), has begun from the Sentosa side. Seems a bit strange as one would have expected the said bridge to begin from the mainland and then onwards to the island. This would arguably make it easier for trucks transporting construction material but anyway as I mentioned earlier, Donn is no construction expert. If you can figure this one out let me know!

Curious as always, I wanted to find out how long it would actually take future RWS visitors, I mean, the "sporty" RWS visitor types, to make it from the resort all the way to the beach on the other side of the island on foot. Well... I walked it in less than 3 minutes. Nice!

And, have you ever wondered how, with all the construction work around its pillars, the sky train or as some call it "monorail" is still shuttling visitors to and from Sentosa safely? Well, the answer is simple; engineers in charge of the project have attached steel braces around the foundations to give them extra support. Isn't that amazing?

Please remember that the Sentosa bridge has been closed to pedestrians since August 27, 2007. Therefore, the only way for the pubic to access the island is by Sky train, Cable Car, or Car/Taxi.

Additional good news for fans of what will be Asia’s number 1 family destination is that construction of Universal Studios Singapore is well underway. Riding the Sky Train back to Vivo, and seeing to my right dozens of free standing columns, there was no doubt that awarding the SG $705 million contract for infrastructural work for Universal Studios to China Jingye Engineering was a very well-thought out decision by RWS’s senior executives in charge of this mammoth construction project!

This also illustrates the phenomenal speed in which this great family resort is being built. One month, empty wilderness, the next, 21rst-century engineering in full motion. Awe inspiring!

And you thought the shortage of construction workers and the never ending increase of the costs of construction could stop if not hinder Resorts World at Sentosa’s plan to build the region’s number 1 family destination. No Way!

Construction costs have increased an estimated 35% since 2007. With both the Marina Bay Sands and Resorts World at Sentosa construction budgets spiraling above planned original budgets, they are doing a fantastic job keeping the cranes craning and the dust dusting to meet their opening targets.

With an anticipated 12,000 motorists lining up at the entrance of Sentosa and near Vivo with the opening of THE region’s family destination, Resorts World at Sentosa, smooth traffic flow must be ensured. To this end, the government has recently announced that it plans the construction of a 1.3 km underground tunnel starting along Vivo and St James and terminating at Kampong Bahru and Keppel roads, thus bypassing Gateway and Telok Blangah intersection.

Excavation of this two-lane tunnel will begin sometime in 2011 and is expected to be completed around 2015. The tunnel will be exclusively for one way motorists leaving Sentosa.

Currently road works are in progress to provide extra lanes on Telok Blangah and to widen Kampong Bahru. These road works should be ready in time for the official launching of IR RWS around May 2010.

In conclusion, I can assure you, the IR fans, that with this phenomenal speed, a la Formula 1, both IRs will race to the finish line on 2009 and 2010 respectively. See you there!

Pictures on this page as well as other construction pics can be viewed in postcard size in the IR picture links

By Donn Richard August 2007 Singapore

Standing opposite the Marina Bay Sands construction sight, I shot off a few pictures. To this trained eye, something definitely seemed not quite right. Turned out not to be a problem of change but a problem of omission. The cranes appeared to be in the exact same position as in my last visit to the sight in April. This was a cause for some definitive sleuthing?sweated my way through Singapore afternoon heat to the construction sight.

Arrived a bit weary but decidedly curious; took a few shots of the entrance. There was a nice banner hanging across the entrance welcoming tourists. This was indeed very welcoming as there was no gate, no security guard and no sign warning against trespassing. Never one to turn down an invitation, I decided to risk life and limb to get the best pictures for my readers and give them an accurate portrayal of what progress has been made since my last visit here in April 2007.

Construction was in full swing. Steel lay everywhere and the cranes were busy working. There was water drilling and specialized equipment being used to construct foundations; very busy and professionally run job. Man and machine in motion.

I got some nice close ups until the foreman asked me to keep some distance from the machines. That was the sign that it was time to go.

Once awarded the contract to build the first IR in Singapore, Las Vegas Sands Corporation lost no time in showing what they could do. An intense marketing program was implemented to familiarize and integrate Singaporeans with the project. In addition, Marina Bay Sands made a pact promising to continue contributing to Singapore’s community programs and to recruit middle-aged Singaporeans as employees at IR. It is also closely coordinating with the Urban Development Authority of Singapore (URA) in various events in order to build awareness of the Integrated Resorts.

The Marina Bay area itself has seen some interesting changes this year including what may well be one of the tallest Ferris Wheels in the world, the aptly named Singapore Flyer. Furthermore, several upscale condominium projects are now under construction in the area.

Park enthusiasts need to keep in mind that the Marina Bay Park has remained closed since June 1rst to allow for the Bay site’s preparatory works. Marina South Promenade facing the Marina Channel, the playing fields and the waterfront promenade are also temporarily closed to the public.

After the edifying visit to The Marina Bay Sands?construction site, I grabbed a passing taxi to view the progress of Resorts World at Sentosa up close and personal. Well, what can I say? When I think construction, I think building. As in things rising upwards. Or foundations going downwards. Apart from heavy machinery clearing terrain, big trucks unloading lots of sand, (both near and on the old ferry pier) I didn’t see much else. If you can figure this out, let me know.

As opposed to the Marina Bay Sands construction site, Resorts World had a very visible
‘NO TRESSPASSING?sign. A security guard at the gate also gave me a moment of pause. Deciding that caution was the better part of valor, I opted for a leisurely stroll around the site’s perimeter. A good decision. Plenty of small holes in the fence allowed for some good shots.