Why Singapore Built a $2BN Dome Over Its Airport

Singapore's Changi Airport is held up by some remarkable engineering.

Additional footage and images courtesy of BuroHappold, Safdie Architects, Jewel Changi Airport, Neoscape, Heatherwick Studio and Warner Bros.

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[VisitSingapore]

We absolutely love our Changi Airport! 😍🫶

[janmascarina]

Singapore is a living engineering marvel.

[TechenZz]

I just went to singapore for the first time last month. It lives up to the hype, gave me such a crazy vivid vision of the future.

[jakobrebeki]

The internal waterfall. That's what impressed me the most out all the other impressive achievements. Never seen anything like that before, not even in nature. Thanks for posting this. What an Engineering marvel....

[Skandoro]

Whilst The Jewel is located at Changi Airport, it is positioned entirely outside of the airport terminals. You cannot access The Jewel on foot unless you transit through immigration and enter Singapore OR use the T2-T4 terminal train which passes the waterfall inside The Jewel.

Access to The Jewel is also FREE, but there is a ticket required to visit the sky garden and attractions on the top floor.

I know this as I visited The Jewel on Saturday whilst travelling through Changi!

[dabhand]

My connection with Changi goes back to 1962. My family lived in the RAF accommodation overlooking the airfield, which was a real joy for a, then, 9 yo boy. We lived there, Old Sarum Road, for 3 years. The expansion to a world class international airport has been quite amazing. Well done Singapore.

[Bakedcakeyyy]

I went there a couple of years back and honestly did not want to leave the airport. It’s just STUNNING and the food court is also very reasonably priced for an airport area. I want to go back soon!

[yamikirin]

Thank you for pronouncing Changi properly. Its not that difficult to look up how others say it but many don't and end up butchering it

[lesterlam]

Thanks for featuring Changi Airport, the pride of our country. Our first Prime Minister did not want it to be just a utilitarian infrastructure; he wanted it to be a gateway to showcase our country. The original Terminal One was impressive then. It had a 4-storey high waterfall greeting visitors, the architecture finishes were also grand, and visitors travelling along the main highway into the city will pass through a 16km tree-lined boulevard, finally breaking through the canopy onto a bridge offering panoramic views of the city centre. Such is the vision of our first Prime Minister and the team of bureaucrats, architects and engineers.

Over the years, the airport has also stayed ahead of the game by always adopting the latest technologies. We are now one of the few airports in the world where one can exit the aircraft and exit the airport in less than 15min. Clearing immigration is already super fast; it takes less than 1 minute.

[tbillington]

Visited for the first time this year. I've never been happier to spend 8+ hours in an airport. They've done an excellent job with the whole thing.

[konadora]

Yet another video of my home country, Singapore! Thanks for featuring us 😄

[talamioros]

It's a measure of how successful the airport is that us locals consider it a place to go for leisure and hang out. It's not just a functional location like most airports around the world, it's also a lifestyle (and even dating) destination.

[anthony]

Got to experience Singapore & Jewel for the first time last month. Absolutely amazing

[ronduncan]

My cousin and aunt live in Singapore and we visited last year. That airport is truly amazing! The mall there is gigantic.

[willienelsongonzalez]

Absolutely gorgeous! It’s a brilliant welcome to Singapore! The whole airport is packed with some amazing places to dine and relax.

[cederian]

Man... Singapore is such a beatiful place, and Changi is AMAZING I have never thought that an Airport could be this delightful and pleasing to the eye. Not for nothing has it won "Best Airport" in the world for like 10 years in a row before Doha took it in 2022 and 2024.

[elid]

Jewel works as a destination for non-passengers because Singapore is so small some people just staying 10 mins drive away from the airport so it's just a nearby shopping mall for them

[allantankl]

Incidentally I was there yesterday. Not my first visit, but still in awe every time!

[setho]

I'm a civil engineer from Singapore and I knew/heard of many many people who quit this project because of how difficult it was to design and construct. Truly the saying of "an achitect's dream is an engineer's nightmare" rings true here.

[sevrantw]

This strategy has worked for us. To keep us visiting Singapore. My family stops over for 12-18hrs in Singapore 4 times a year to spend time at jewel and shop at marina bay. There is a hotel in jewel on the top floor for a quick nap and refresh too it’s a lot of fun for a long day out.