Jewel Changi in Singapur: a ring of glass, garden and falling water
Published on 09/17/2026 at 20:32 | Editorial responsibility: Rafael Müller, Editor-in-Chief AD HOC NEWS
Jewel Changi in Singapur is a nature-themed entertainment and retail complex at Changi Airport, where a toroidal glass-and-steel hall encircles the HSBC Rain Vortex, a towering indoor waterfall.
A toroidal hall between the terminals
Jewel Changi stands landside at Changi Airport, integrated with the public areas serving Terminals 1, 2 and 3 and forming a shared concourse between them.landside at Changi Airport From the outside, the building reads as a low, ring-shaped glass volume, its steel and glass envelope rising above the older terminal structures and connecting directly to them at multiple levels.toroidal form
The project opened in 2019 as a mixed-use addition to the airport, combining transport-related functions with leisure and commercial spaces in a single climate-controlled enclosure.opened in 2019 The design was led by Safdie Architects under Moshe Safdie, working with local practice RSP Architects Planners & Engineers as executive architect and structural engineer, and international engineering firm Buro Happold for the roof structure.consortium led by Safdie Architects Within this envelope, the programme combines airport operations, retail galleries, restaurants, hotel accommodation and entertainment attractions.
Glass, steel and the gridshell roof
The main volume of Jewel Changi is defined by a steel-and-glass roof that forms a toroidal dome, spanning a footprint of about 135,700 m² (1,461,000 sq ft) over ten storeys, five above ground and five below.135,700 m² floor areaten storeys The roof structure is conceived as a gridshell, with thousands of individual steel members and nodes forming a faceted lattice that supports glass panels over the entire ring.gridshell concept At its apex, an opening in the roof frames the start of the waterfall that drops into the central void.
The façade and roof geometry create long diagonal views across the interior and out to the airport surroundings, while the toroidal plan leaves a large, open courtyard at the centre around the Rain Vortex.multi-faceted steel and glass dome The building’s height and span allow multi-level bridges, terraces and circulation routes to rise through the volume, connecting retail floors with garden paths and attraction decks near the roof.
HSBC Rain Vortex and Shiseido Forest Valley
At the centre of Jewel Changi is the HSBC Rain Vortex, a 40 m (131 ft) indoor waterfall that drops from the roof into the basement levels and is recorded as the tallest indoor waterfall in the world.HSBC Rain Vortex40-metre tall indoor waterfall Water descends through the open roof into the circular basin below, visible from every level and forming the visual focus of the entire hall. The waterfall space is encircled by terraces, bridges and viewing platforms, where visitors can stand close to the falling water or look down from higher levels.
Around this centrepiece, the Shiseido Forest Valley fills the lower levels with dense planting, garden paths and small cascades, creating the sense of an indoor valley carved into the ring-shaped base building.Shiseido Forest Valley The garden design was developed by PWP Landscape Architecture of Berkeley, California, and uses hundreds of trees and shrubs to build terraced slopes, clearings and tucked-away seating areas beneath the glass roof.gardens designed by PWP Landscape Architecture Elevated walking trails thread up through the plantings, giving changing perspectives of the waterfall and the surrounding shops.
Retail, attractions and airport life
Beyond the forest valley, Jewel Changi houses extensive retail galleries that follow the ring form, with shops, cafés and restaurants lining both the inner edge facing the waterfall and the outer edge facing the airport.indoor garden with retail A hotel occupies part of the complex, while upper-level attractions in the Canopy Park area include suspended walkways, viewing decks and play structures near the roof, set among further planting.
The building serves air travellers passing through Changi Airport and residents of Singapur alike, as it is accessible from the landside concourse without the need to enter a secure terminal zone.nature-themed entertainment and retail complex It has also been recognised in the design community, receiving the President’s Design Award Singapore “Design of the Year” for 2020, with Safdie Architects and RSP Architects Planners & Engineers named together for the project.President’s Design Award Singapore
Visiting Jewel Changi: what travellers from Western Europe should know
- Jewel Changi is located at Changi Airport on the eastern side of Singapur and is linked directly to Terminals 1, 2 and 3 by enclosed walkways and concourses.
- The main public spaces are spread across multiple levels, with long escalators and staircases connecting the forest valley at the lower levels to the attractions and viewing areas near the roof.
- Singapur’s official language policy recognises English alongside other languages, and the national 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.
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Frequently asked questions about Jewel Changi
Where is Jewel Changi and how does it relate to the airport?
Jewel Changi is a landside complex at Changi Airport in Singapur, directly connected to Terminals 1, 2 and 3 by shared public concourses and walkways.
What should visitors expect when entering Jewel Changi?
Visitors enter a large, ring-shaped glass hall with multi-level retail galleries, garden terraces and the central HSBC Rain Vortex waterfall dropping through the open roof.
What makes Jewel Changi distinctive among airport complexes?
Its combination of a toroidal glass-and-steel dome, the tall indoor HSBC Rain Vortex waterfall and the Shiseido Forest Valley garden gives Jewel Changi a character closer to a civic greenhouse than a conventional terminal.
