Revamped Float@Marina Bay to feature sports facilities, waterfront promenade and NS-themed gallery by end-2025

SINGAPORE — By the end of 2025, the area where The Float@Marina Bay now sits will feature sports facilities, a new public waterfront promenade and a National Service-themed gallery.

The Ministry of National Development (MND) and Ministry of Defence (Mindef) announced on Wednesday (July 15) that they have awarded a design tender to homegrown architectural firm Woha Architects to revamp the floating platform by Marina Bay. 

Work is set to start in March 2022 and finish by the end of 2025, although the scope and schedule of the project may change because of the Covid-19 pandemic.  

The new development — called NS Square — will feature: 

• Community sports facilities, such as a swimming pool and water sports centre

• A new public waterfront promenade, forming part of a continuous loop around Marina Bay and boosting the area’s pedestrian connectivity 

• A gallery featuring information on National Service (NS) and Singapore’s defence through multimedia platforms and hardware displays. It will comprise open and enclosed spaces, and display stories of servicemen from the Singapore Armed Forces and Home Team 

• Food-and-beverage and retail outlets are also being considered to amplify the attractiveness of the development 

MND and Mindef said that Woha Architects will be the principal consultant for the project after a tender process that lasted more than a year from May 2019 to July 2020.  

The firm will lead a consultancy team to develop and roll out the design for the redevelopment. Its proposal was selected out of 25 submissions. 

The ministries said that an evaluation panel had assessed Woha Architects’ proposal to have “best fulfilled the objectives of creating an exciting and accessible community space in the heart of the city”. 

The firm’s proposal, which was submitted in collaboration with architectural design company Populous, also responded appropriately to the context of Marina Bay with a compelling vision and narrative, they said.

“The design will leverage the site’s unique waterfront location to create a distinctive, fit-for-purpose and flexible events venue for different scales and types of events,” MND and Mindef said. 

Mr Wong Mun Summ, founding director of Woha Architects, said that his team was honoured to be given the opportunity to reimagine The Float@Marina Bay as a permanent distinctive venue by the Marina Bay waterfront. 

The Float@Marina Bay — the largest of its kind in the world — was built as a temporary stage in 2007 with a seating capacity of 30,000.

In 2017, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced plans to redevelop the floating platform into a permanent space called NS Square. 

It will house large-scale events, such as the National Day Parade, River Hongbao carnival during Chinese New Year and the Marina Bay Singapore Countdown on New Year's Eve, as well as provide spaces within Marina Bay for the public to take part in community and recreational activities.