The Float @ Marina Bay

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 located on the waters of the Marina Reservoir in Marina Bay, Singapore.[1]

The Float at Marina Bay
The Float at Marina Bay hosting Singapore's 42nd National Day Parade on 9 August 2007.
Location20 Raffles Avenue, Singapore 039805
Coordinates1°17′18″N 103°51′32″E
OwnerSingapore Sports Council
OperatorSingapore Sports Council
Capacity27,000
SurfaceSteel
Construction
Broke groundMarch 2006 (2006-03)
Opened20 May 2007 (2007-05-20)
ArchitectDefence Science and Technology Agency
Tenants
Singapore Sports Council

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 football pitch 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 27,000 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 infamously, 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]

The Marina Bay Floating Platform will continue to hold National Day Parade 2020 and 2021, together with River Hongbao and F1, before it will be demolished in 2022 for the construction of "NS Square".[5].

The new "NS Square" is slated to hold a 30,000 to 35,000 seating capacity. In the second quarter of 2020, it is estimated a design proposal will be chosen for implementation.[6] The proposal is expected to include a field that can be converted into a performance area, waterfront sports facility and a space for common exercise consisting of an unenclosed hall and studio spaces.[6]


History
The Float@Marina Bay is the dark quadrilateral at foreground right of this view of Marina Bay from the Singapore Flyer.

The idea of a floating platform was conceived by the organising committee of the 2007 National Day Parade. 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][7]

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.[7]

After the design was finalised, the contractor, Sembcorp Marine,[3][8] 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.[7]

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]

The 30,000-capacity grandstand and floating platform of The Float@Marina Bay, with the Singapore Flyer in the background.

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 27,000.[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 in 2007.[9] This was followed by the Singapore Fireworks Celebrations held on 17 and 18 August 2007.[10]

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.[11] On 2 September 2007, the platform was the start and finish point for the Aviva Ironman 70.3 Singapore triathlon.[1][12]

The Float@Marina Bay viewed from the Helix Bridge.

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 National Day Parade continues to be held at the floating platform from 2007 to 2018, excluding 2010, 2015 and 2016 where it was held at Padang and Sports Hub respectively.[13][14]

The Urban Redevelopment Authority had explored the area 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, and following that it also used this stadium in each of the countdown parties till 2015 and shifted to Suntec City, before being shifted to The Promontory @ Marina Bay, as well as Stars Avenue.

In November 2008, The Singapore Cup final between SAFFC and Woodlands Wellington FC was supposed to take place at the stadium. However, problems 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.[15]

In August 2010, the stadium was the main stadium for the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics. 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, SM 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 SM Town Live World Tour III concert.[16]

The Float@Marina Bay's grandstand

See also

References
  1. Tay Suan Chiang (19 August 2007). "Staying afloat". The Sunday Times. p. L7.
  2. Liaw Wy-Cin (21 June 2007). "All parade tickets given out". The Straits Times. p. H3.
  3. Brenda Goh (2007). "New stage for the bay". Voices@Central Singapore (36, September/October 2007): 24–25. ISSN 0219-6344.
  4. "Singapore bests Moscow, will host 2010 Youth Olympics". ESPN. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 27 March 2008.
  5. NS Square planned for completion in 2025
  6. hermesauto (9 September 2019). "NS Square, to replace Marina Bay floating platform, slated for 2025 completion; platform to host NDP in 2020, 2021". The Straits Times. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
  7. Melissa Sim (12 August 2007). "He took NDP from land to water". The Sunday Times. p. 8.
  8. "Many firsts this time". The Straits Times. 12 July 2007. p. H6.
  9. Liaw Wy-Cin (24 May 2007). "National Day will bring all things S'porean". The Straits Times. p. H5.
  10. "Fireworks festival at Marina Bay floating platform from August 17–18". Channel NewsAsia. Archived from the original on 1 October 2007. Retrieved 14 August 2007.
  11. "A splashing start to WaterFest". The Sunday Times. 26 August 2007. p. 34.
  12. "WaterFest targets 33,000 this year". The Straits Times. 19 July 2007. p. H16.
  13. "NDP 2017 to be held at Marina Bay Floating Platform: Ng Eng Hen". Channel News Asia. Archived from the original on 19 August 2016. Retrieved 18 August 2016.
  14. "NDP 2015 to be held at Padang and Marina Bay floating platform". TODAY Online. Archived from the original on 8 March 2015. Retrieved 5 March 2015.
  15. "ESPZEN fixture information for first floating football match". ESPZEN. Archived from the original on 13 March 2009. Retrieved 6 February 2009.
  16. "Biggest K-Pop music event to be held in November". Archived from the original on 13 September 2012. Retrieved 13 September 2012.
None Summer Youth Olympics
Opening and Closing Ceremonies
2010		 Succeeded by
Nanjing Olympic Sports Centre
Nanjing
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