Singapore Flyer

The Singapore Flyer
The Singapore Flyer
Information
Location	Singapore
Status	Complete
Groundbreaking	September 25, 2005
Constructed	2005-2008
Opening	11 February 2008 (limited spaces); 1 March 2008 (operational); 15 April 2008 (official)
Use	Observation wheel
Height
Roof	165 m (541 ft)
Technical details
Floor area	33,700 m2 (362,700 sq ft)
Cost	S$240 million (US$180 million) (GBP£90 million)
Companies
Architect	Kisho Kurokawa Architects & Associates, DP Architects
Structural Engineer	Arup
Contractor	Mitsubishi - Takenaka Consortium
Developer	Melchers Project Management
Owner	Singapore Flyer Pte Ltd

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Coordinates: 1°17′21.83″N 103°51′47.63″E / 1.2893972°N 103.8632306°E / 1.2893972; 103.8632306

The Singapore Flyer (Chinese: 新加坡摩天观景轮 Tamil:சிங்கப்பூர் ஃப்ளையர் Malay: Pelayang Singapura) is currently the largest Ferris wheel in the world. Described by its operators as an observation wheel^[1], it reaches 42 stories high, with a total height of 165 m (541 ft), and is 5 m (16 ft) taller than the Star of Nanchang and 30 m (98 ft) taller than the London Eye.

Located in Singapore, on the southeast tip of the Marina Centre reclaimed land, it comprises a 150 m (492 ft) diameter wheel, built over a three-story terminal building which houses shops, bars and restaurants, and offers broad views of the city centre and beyond to about 45 km (28 mi), including the Indonesian islands of Batam and Bintan, as well as Johor, Malaysia.

The final capsule was installed on 2 October 2007, the wheel started rotating on February 11, 2008 and it officially opened to the public on March 1, 2008.^[2] Tickets for rides on the first 3 nights were sold out for S$ 8,888 Singapore dollars (US$6,271)(£3,150.83GBP), an auspicious number in Chinese culture.^[1] The grand opening for the Flyer was held on 15 April 2008.^[3]

Each of the 28 air-conditioned capsules is capable of holding 28 passengers, and a complete rotation of the wheel takes approximately 30 minutes. Initially rotating in a counter-clockwise direction when viewed from Marina Centre, its direction was changed on 4 August 2008 under the advice of Feng shui masters^[4].

[edit] History

The Singapore Flyer was first conceived by Patrick MacMahon of Melchers Project Management (MPM), a subsidiary of German company Melchers, in the early 2000s. Formal planning commenced in 2002, MPM and Orient & Pacific Management (O&P) formed a new company, Singapore Flyer Pte Ltd (SFPL), as the developer with MPM holding a 75% stake and the rest by O&P. The project was formally announced and endorsed by the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding on 27 June 2003, formalising the understanding between the developer and STB with regard to the land-acquisition process. As stipulated in the MOU, the STB will purchase the plot of land in Marina Centre from the Singapore Land Authority, and lease it to Singapore Flyer Pte Ltd for 30 years with an option to extend the lease by another 15 years. In addition, the land will be rent-free during the construction phase of the project. In July 2003, Jones Lang LaSalle was appointed as the real estate advisor. Takenaka and Mitsubishi were selected as the main contractors, and Arup as the structural engineer.

Early designs showed a 169 m (554 ft) high wheel similar to the London Eye, drawing criticisms that it lacked originality. The developers pointed out that the design wasn't finalised and was merely for conceptualisation purposes though the final project changed little from the early designs. The project was to grind almost to a halt subsequently when the developers faced difficulties in sourcing for funds to build the wheel. Original plans to complete the wheel by the end of 2005 were thus postponed indefinitely, and there were reports (but denied by the STB) that the tourism board has set an ultimatum date on 31 March 2005 for the developer to iron out its financial issues and to keep the development going.

By September 2005, the project was revived when funds were successfully sourced from two German banks. Collin William Page, a subsidiary of ABN AMRO, will provide equity to a maximum of S$100 million, with a further S$140 million coming from Bayerische Hypo- und Vereinsbank. With the injection of S$240 million, the largest single foreign investment in the Singaporean entertainment industry, the wheel was slated to begin construction by the end of the month.The stakeholders then were AAA Equity Holdings, MPM and O&P.

In August 2007, Mr. Florian Bollen, Chairman SFPL, raised his stake in the Singapore Flyer from 60% to 90% through acquisition of MPM’s 30% stake. The deal was done via AAA Equity Holdings, a private investment vehicle headed by Mr Bollen. O&P, which spearheaded the project development management, owns the remaining 10%.

The attraction was expected to draw about 2.5 million visitors in its first year of operation, giving investors a net yield of about 13.4%. About 50% of visitors were expected to be foreign tourists, helping to generate about S$94 million in tourism receipts in its opening year. The expected visitorship figure was deemed ambitious by some however, but the STB and the wheel's investors were upbeat over its long-term prospects.

Adval Brand Group, its master ticketing distributor, guaranteed a minimum of 8 million euros in ticket receipts per year for its investors, which was based on an annual visitorship of 600,000.

[edit] Design

Inside one of the capsules

The development has a gross building area of approximately 16,000 m² (172,000 sq ft), built on a 33,700 m² (362,700 sq ft) site along the Marina Promenade. Designed by Arup and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries with a capacity of up to 7.3 million passengers a year, the normally constant rotation of the wheel means that a complete trip lasts approximately 30 minutes.

The wheel features 28 air-conditioned capsules which, like those of the London Eye, are exo-capsules attached outward of the wheel structure. These offer the advantage of a continuously unobstructed view when the capsule is at the peak, unlike the more common endo-capsule design of most wheels (e.g. Star of Nanchang).

Each capsule has a floor area of 26 m² (280 sq ft) and is capable of holding 28 passengers, or up to 5 wheelchairs and 15 other visitors when booked in advance for use by disabled guests. Wheelchair ramps and lifts, handicapped toilets, and a dedicated parking lot for the disabled are also provided.^[5]

The terminal building on which the wheel sits on comprises three floors of commercial space, with an adjacent open air Greek-inspired theatre along the waterfront and complimented by a jetty. The site is beautified by luxurious landscaping, including roof gardens and a recreated rainforest in the terminal's atrium. An open bus park for 40 buses is located behind the building, and connected by an underpass to a covered multi-storey carpark for 300 vehicles. This carpark in turn has direct links to the underground Promenade MRT Station which is slated to be opened by 2010.

Visitors can take a free shuttle bus which operates on a half-hour basis to and from the Singapore Flyer to the City Hall MRT Station everyday.

[edit] Breakdowns

In less than a year since opening, the flyer suffered three breakdowns:

In July 2008 the Flyer was stopped because of a minor fault in the braking system.^[6]
On 4 December 2008, the wheel was stuck for nearly five hours due to bad weather and some 70 people were stranded.^[6]
On 23 December 2008, the wheel stopped moving and trapped 173 passengers for about six hours.^[7] The breakdown was caused by a short circuit and fire in the Flyer's wheel control room, which cut off the air-conditioning in the wheel. Eleven passengers were evacuated via a sling-like device from a few of the capsules, and those stranded were given food and drink. The wheel restarted nearly seven hours after it stopped and two people had to be hospitalised. The Flyer was closed indefinitely at that moment pending investigation.^[6] As of 1 January 2009 test runs are being carried out.^[8] The wheel re-opened on 26 January 2009 after the Singapore Police received the final safety certification report from the Comformity Assessment Board.^[9] Following this breakdown, additional back-up systems costing about S$3 million were installed. These included a generator, winches, and three anti-fire and smoke systems, and heat detection devices.^[10]

[edit] Competition

The Beijing Great Wheel is a 208 m (682 ft) wheel under construction in Beijing, China. It will carry up to 1,920 passengers and is due to be completed in 2009.^[11]

The Great Berlin Wheel is a 185 m (607 ft) wheel under construction near the Zoologischer Garten Berlin in Berlin, Germany.^[12] It is due to be completed in 2011.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Gallery

During construction, before all 28 capsules were installed	From across CBD in May 2007	From The Float at Marina Bay on 18 August 2007	From East Coast Parkway
Singapore Flyer and terminal building	From the terminal building's outer walkway	One of the capsules	From atop the Singapore Flyer at night
From one of the capsules at night, overlooking the Ayer Rajah Expressway	From one of the capsules	From one of the capsules	Frontal view of the boarding and alighting platform
Pillar base	Pillar base side view	Yakult Rainforest Discovery Garden