Marina Bay Sands Bets Big on Costly Singapore Expansion

The Marina Bay Sands is said to be one of Singapore’s most iconic architectural landmarks, but ground has just been broken on a fourth tower, separate and distinct from the other three, at an exorbitant cost to the parent company, the Sands.

Expensive Annex

The Marina Bay Sands’ three connected towers have dominated Singapore’s skyline since 2011, but now there will be a fourth, stand-alone tower that will complement the structures, albeit at a reported $8 billion price tag. The fourth structure is a stand-alone tower, and the architect was given strict instructions by the government not to impeach the integrity of the existing three.

Israeli architect Moshe Safdie was chiefly responsible for the original towers, and despite his advanced age of 87, he was again tasked with creating a similar but distinct fourth tower that would be unconnected to the others but close in proximity.

“The (Urban Redevelopment) Authority repeatedly said, ‘This is our icon; our people of Singapore love this, and we cannot do anything that’s going to compromise it,” Safdie said, referencing the country’s urban planning agency. “And that was very much on our minds as well: how to make something that has its own identity but is very complementary.”

Connecting the three towers to the fourth would have “really compromised the existing scheme, and spanning across just seemed unwise,” Safdie said. “It would be just more of the same, whereas we really wanted to create something.”

Adelson’s Vision

The Marina Bay Sands has been known for its extraordinarily luxurious accommodations, and that theme will be carried over to the addition.

Although artists’ renderings of the project have gotten mixed reviews, with some believing it is an unnecessary accoutrement to the national treasure that is the three existing towers, others have taken a more objective approach, stating they believe it will eventually become part of the natural landscape.

The Sands has divested itself of all American gaming properties to focus on Macau and Singapore. The gaming magnate, Sheldon Adelson, was the founder of the Sands until he passed away in 2021, and had a vision for the Marina Bay Sands that has come to fruition.

“Marina Bay Sands is the world’s most successful integrated resort in history and the gold standard in the industry. It has been truly incredible to witness Mr. Adelson’s vision come to life, and we are proud to carry his legacy forward with today’s groundbreaking ceremony for our new development here. We have every intention of delivering a product that will be the envy of the hospitality industry and usher in a new era of luxury tourism in Singapore,” added Sands’ CEO, Goldstein.

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