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 and football stadium located on the waters of the Marina Reservoir in Marina Bay, Singapore.
Made entirely of steel, the floating platform on Marina Bay measures, which is 5% larger than the football pitch at the National Stadium. 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.
Built in 2007, the floating platform was originally intended as a temporary stadium for events in place of the National Stadium in Kallang which was demolished to be rebuilt as part of the Singapore Sports Hub. These events includes the Singapore National Day Parade, sports, concerts, exhibitions, and the arts and cultural performances.
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. Since 2010, the stadium has also been the venue for the graduation parade of full-time national servicemen passing out from the Basic Military Training Centre upon completing their basic military training.
The Marina Bay Floating Platform has been the venue for several National Day Parades since 2007, although it supposed to be demolished in 2012, after the completion of the Singapore Sports Hub because it was not intended to be a permanent structure. It 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 a permanent structure, the NS Square, which is slated to be completed in 2025.
The NS Square will be a similar floating structure but with more facilities and a national service themed gallery. It 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. 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.
History
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.In 2005, Teo's committee worked with the Urban Redevelopment Authority and the Singapore Sports Council on the design of the floating platform, which could also be used to host other major events.
After the design was finalised, the contractor, Sembcorp Marine, 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.
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.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.
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.
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. The platform has also been equipped with numerous innovative features, like an internal drainage system, cabling structures and lightning rods.
Events
Since its completion in 2007, the Marina Bay Floating Platform has hosted several major events, such the annual National Day Parade, New Years Eve countdown event, 2010 Summer Youth Olympics and the Formula One. The first major event that was held at the floating stadium is the National Day Parade in 2007. This was followed by the Singapore Fireworks Celebrations held on 17 and 18 August 2007. 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. On 2 September 2007, the platform was the start and finish point for the Aviva Ironman 70.3 Singapore triathlon..
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. 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. 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 August 2010, the stadium was the main stadium for the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics. On 2 October 2010, the stadium became the first public venue for the graduation parade of the recruits from the Singapore Armed Forces Basic Military Training Centre. Previously, the graduation parade was held on Pulau Tekong itself. Since then, the stadium has been a venue for the graduation parade, alternating with the National Stadium.
On 23 November 2012, SM Entertainment artists including Kangta, BoA, TVXQ, Super Junior, Girls' Generation, Shinee, f, and EXO performed to a crowd of 18,000 fans as part of their SM Town Live World Tour III concert.
The National Day Parade has been held at the floating platform since 2007, excluding 2010, 2015 and 2016 where it was held at Padang and National Stadium respectively. In 2016, the National Day Parade was held at the National Stadium at the Singapore Sports Hub for the first time since its completion. The whole parade, however, costed a total about of S$39 million, while previous parades held at the floating platform costed about S$15 to S$18 million. Several segments of the annual parade such as the drive pass by the Singapore Army, parachute peformance by the Singapore Armed Forces Parachute Team and fly pass by the Republic of Singapore Air Force were also omitted due to the dome structure of the National Stadium. Since then, the floating stadium continues to be the preferred venue for the annual parade, together with the Padang. It will be part of the National Day celebrations for 2020 and 2021, before being demolished in 2022 for the NS Square.