Jewel Changi and the garden beneath a glass roof
Published on 09/22/2026 at 22:22 | Editorial responsibility: Rafael Müller, Editor-in-Chief AD HOC NEWS
Jewel Changi is a glass-and-steel complex at Singapore’s Changi Airport, arranged around a waterfall that descends through an indoor garden. The building opened in 2019 and places transport services, shops, restaurants, accommodation and leisure spaces beneath one sweeping roof.
Jewel Changi’s roof forms a vast enclosed landscape
The building has a toroidal form, with a long glazed roof spanning roughly 200 metres and a width of about 150 metres. Its glass façade and steel framework create a continuous enclosure around the central garden and water feature.
Moshe Safdie led the design consortium, with RSP Architects Planners & Engineers serving as executive architect and structural engineer. Safdie is also associated with Marina Bay Sands in Singapore and Habitat 67 in Montreal. Jewel’s architectural language belongs to the twenty-first century, but its arrangement joins familiar civic elements: a covered public hall, planted landscape, retail streets and transport facilities.
The roof contains more than 9,000 glass panels, supported by a steel gridshell. The structure’s scale is legible from inside, where terraces, bridges and planted routes occupy several levels around the central void. Safdie Architects’ project page identifies Jewel as a Singapore project completed in 2019.
The Rain Vortex falls through the centre
The HSBC Rain Vortex is a 40 m (131 ft) indoor waterfall. Water drops from the roof through an opening and continues towards a pool in the basement levels, creating the building’s central vertical feature.
The waterfall is recorded as the tallest indoor waterfall in the world. Its full height links the roof, garden and lower levels in one visible line, while the surrounding terraces provide several viewpoints across the enclosed landscape.
Rainwater is collected from the roof and used in the water feature. The waterfall passes through the planted interior before reaching the lower basin. At night, the Rain Vortex also forms the setting for a light and sound presentation.
The waterfall’s position gives Jewel a clear internal geography. Forest Valley surrounds the falling water, while the shopping galleries and public circulation spaces occupy the wider perimeter. the 40-metre Rain Vortex is listed with Jewel’s glass roof and toroidal building form.
Forest Valley connects airport life with public space
Shiseido Forest Valley is an indoor garden extending around the Rain Vortex. It contains trees, palms and other tropical planting arranged across several levels, with paths, terraces and stairways passing through the vegetation.
Jewel combines this planted interior with airport operations, retail galleries, restaurants, a hotel and entertainment attractions. The result is not a terminal concourse alone, but a mixed-use complex whose public spaces remain connected to Changi’s transport infrastructure.
The complex opened on 17 April 2019. Its position at Changi places it between airport terminals and the wider arrival landscape of eastern Singapore. the Forest Valley garden and the Rain Vortex are central parts of the building’s public interior.
Jewel’s identity comes from the relationship between roof, water and planting. The glass enclosure reveals the garden’s vertical arrangement, while the waterfall supplies a fixed centre for the surrounding levels. The building is therefore read as an indoor landscape as much as an airport-linked commercial complex.
Visiting Jewel Changi: what travellers from Western Europe should know
- Jewel Changi is at 78 Airport Boulevard, beside Singapore’s Changi Airport. It connects with the airport’s terminal network and is reached through airport roads, pedestrian links and Singapore’s rail and taxi systems.
- The building contains several levels around Forest Valley, with stairs, escalators, bridges and sloping routes between the garden, shops and lower floors.
- The central Rain Vortex drops through the building towards a basement-level pool. Forest Valley occupies the interior around the waterfall, beneath the glazed roof.
- The official language is English and the currency is the Singapore dollar.
- Entry requirements depend on your nationality; UK travellers can check the FCDO travel advice at gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice, Irish travellers the Department of Foreign Affairs at ireland.ie.
Searching for Jewel Changi on social platforms
These links open searches for Jewel Changi on each platform.Frequently asked questions about Jewel Changi
Where is Jewel Changi?
Jewel Changi is at Singapore’s Changi Airport, at 78 Airport Boulevard. It sits beside the airport’s terminal network and contains airport-linked public facilities.
What can visitors see inside Jewel Changi?
Visitors find the Rain Vortex, Forest Valley, glazed terraces, bridges, retail galleries, restaurants and entertainment spaces. The building’s interior is arranged around the waterfall and planted garden.
What makes Jewel Changi distinctive?
Its defining combination is a toroidal glass-and-steel roof, a multi-level indoor forest and a 40 m (131 ft) waterfall. These elements occupy one enclosed complex beside Singapore’s airport.
