Singapore’s Changi Airport won a prominent Best Airport award earlier this year, and that was even before it unveiled its dramatic revamp of Terminal 2.
The all-new facility opened a few days ago and offers a striking mix of nature, technology, and stylish good looks.
Of particular interest are the new digital installations for passengers to marvel at while they wait for their flights.
The Wonderfall, for example, is a four-story digital waterfall located between two lush gardens. Nearly 900 individual tiles were used to create the LED wall, which is seamlessly joined together into three large and flat segments. The video on the enormous display, which reaches the top of the departure hall, is set to instrumentals composed by Canadian artist Jean-Michel Blais.
A neat touch is the way that it frames the entrance to the elevator lobby, so it feels like you’re walking straight through it (don’t worry, no umbrella needed).
Those pausing to watch the display are encouraged to look out for little surprises such as a rainbow, butterflies, and a Kingfisher flying across the digital landscape.
The video below offers a look at The Wonderfall in action:
The transit area at Changi Airport’s all-new Terminal 2 also features a stunning new Dreamscape feature that comprises an immersive garden elevated over a pond, all of it laid out beneath a dynamic digital sky.
“Integrated with the airport’s weather system, it mimics daylight and weather conditions in real time,” Changi Airport says on its website, adding that occasionally the sky transforms into an underwater portal where fish, otters, and even a sampan boat — a type of small wooden vessel used along the rivers and coasts of Asia — float by.
The Dreamscape also includes more than 20,000 plants from more than 100 species, with special lighting designed to enhance their texture and structures.
Here’s a closer look at The Dreamscape:
The Terminal 2 project at Singapore’s main international airport has taken nearly four years to complete, with much of the work done during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic when the city-state closed its borders. Like many other places, Singapore is starting to see inbound tourism numbers recover, with Terminal 2 and the rest of the airport ready to welcome travelers from around the world.
Changi Airport is also known for its gorgeous Jewel complex, a shopping, dining, entertainment, and accommodation complex that opened in 2019 and is also home to the world’s tallest indoor waterfall.