When it comes to airports, some of the first things that usually come to mind are the interminable queues, the dull hours before take-off, the boring shopping or the long walks to the departure gate. But step inside Jewel Changi Airport in Singapore and those negative connotations that come with the word ‘airport’ fizzle out. Following four years of construction and nonstop media coverage, the architectural gem is officially open. Featuring a dramatic doughnut-shaped exterior framed in steel and glass, the 135,700-square-meter building, named the Jewel, serves as a new centerpiece to what was previously called Changi Airport in Singapore, and is designed to connect three out of its four terminals. Apart from its state-of-the-art ceiling that’s bound to blow you away, the multi-complex has an indoor forest with more than 2,000 trees and palms and over 100,000 shrubs from all over the world. And in the middle of it all – the building’s most notable feature – a 131 feet-tall waterfall, which channels rainwater through a central oculus on the roof at up to 10,000 gallons per minute during heavy rain.
Singapore just built an airport with an indoor jungle and a wonderful waterfall
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