La Vegas Sands
my first post.... shall start with something regarding the new IR design....
It fills me with disgust and I am appalled at the decisions made by La Vegas Sands to include kitsch elements into their IR proposal for the Marina site.
Let’s not forget for a small country like Singapore, we do not have the spare land as in America where certain cities can be wholly dedicated to theme parks. We are a country on its own and there are Singaporeans who each have a stake in our land. The site chosen for building the IR is not exclusive to tourists only. It is sited on prime land in the heart of Singapore city. Locals should be able to enjoy the space equally if not more. From the remarks made by Las Vegas Sands president and chief operating officer, William Weidner, it seems that the paramount design consideration is to provide a shallow experience of Singapore easily digested by tourists. Singapore is much more than William Farquhar or Sir Stamford Raffles. We have evolved since then. We do have a culture that is unique and we are proud of it.
The design chosen for IR should include the sentiments of locals, how are we going to view and use the space. Architecture is not a temporal act. It has a permanence effect on the surroundings. Such design if implemented will send a strong signal to the international community that Singapore is just a collection of themed spaces with no culture of its own. Furthermore, it will send a signal that Singaporeans themselves are easily led by others by allowing her prime land to such acts of vandalism.
With the new botanical garden situated next to the site proposed for the IR and the East Coast Parkway (ECP) separating the two, one of the design considerations should be how to bridge the two and allowing the community to travel seamlessly from work to the waterfront areas, to the IR, to the botanical gardens. This journey offers an experience that cannot be found elsewhere in Singapore.
IR bidder offers S'pore redux
Published April 28, 2005 in BT
Las Vegas Sands plans colonial-era theme, fireworks and Guggenheim for US$2b-plus Marina resort
By DANIEL BUENAS
An iconic project that encapsulates Singapore's culture, heritage and history - that's what US-based Las Vegas Sands has in mind for the integrated resort (IR) site at Marina Bayfront.
Ending months of speculation, the company has given BT the first details of what Singaporeans can expect to see if it gets to build an IR. Singapore has opened up sites at Marina and Sentosa for the resorts.
Las Vegas Sands intends to recreate a colonial-era Singapore River theme at Marina, where characters from those days - such as William Farquhar, the right-hand man of modern Singapore's founder Sir Stamford Raffles before they fell out - will be brought to life by actors who will entertain visitors.
'Our early colonial Singapore River will have Malay-style kampungs, maybe an overlay of a Johor sultanate, Indian styles, ancient Chinese styles, showing the confluence of all the different cultures,' said Las Vegas Sands president and chief operating officer William Weidner. 'It's a way of being able to teach people what Singapore is.'
Las Vegas Sands is no stranger to such concepts. Its Venetian on the Las Vegas Strip - a dazzling project with more than 4,000 suites, restaurants and high-end shops - has its own version of Venice's Grand Canal, complete with gondolas rowed by singing boatmen who ferry guests.
In Singapore, the gondolas will give way to traditional Malay boats. And instead of gondoliers singing Italian opera, local boatmen from days gone by will croon best-loved Malay songs.
'The idea is to create a tourist attraction that has real content, that popularises history and culture and gets visitors interested enough to stay longer, plan another visit or talk about it,' Mr Weidner said.
Another feature will be a Farquhar Theatre - so named because William Farquhar, Singapore's first governor and colonial commandant, was also Singapore's first gaming magnate, according to Mr Weidner. After Raffles initially left Farquhar in charge of Singapore, Farquhar approved gambling to raise money for development, Mr Weidner explained. The theatre will detail the history an shape of a flower - meant to represent Singapore's garden city image - with a suggested 40-storey high Guggenheim Museum towering over the development.
Huge images of the Vanda Miss Joaquim orchid - Singapore's national flower - will be projected onto nearby skyscrapers and the building housing the resort's one million sq ft of exhibition space.
Renowned contemporary artist Cai Guo Qiang, acclaimed for his spectacular use of fireworks, has also been engaged to create a 'pyrotechnic bridge' using fireworks that explode in the shape of an orchid.
Las Vegas Sands has also proposed a cruise ship centre - to help capture the regional cruise market - and a monorail as part of its project.
'The idea is to present Singapore as a resort, and to figure out ways to make it exciting and interesting, with some artistic content,' Mr Weidner said. 'We've done all this before, we've had relationships with people like the Guggenheim for a decade, and we want to bring these things to bear.'
On working with a local partner, Mr Weidner said he is in discussions with property tycoon Ong Beng Seng, but there are no concrete plans to join forces yet.
'We're talking, but he's been a friend for 20 years,' Mr Weidner said of Mr Ong. 'We are open to figure out how to have participation. We don't need a partner, but we believe it's appropriate to have Singaporeans involved with what we are doing.'
He pointed out, however, that Las Vegas Sands plans a 'very aggressive' bid that local players may find too risky.
'If you put up a couple billion dollars, there is always risk in it,' he said. 'We don't want to be in a situation where we have, let's say, an equal partner who may not necessarily share our return analysis.'
Asked about the similarities and differences between the company's Singapore proposal and its existing Sands Macau casino, Mr Weidner said the latter will serve as a 'conduit' to channel those looking for more 'mature markets' to visit.'Macau is primarily a day-trip market. The average stay in Macau is 1.1 days,' he said. 'It's an immature destination with only 1,500 branded rooms and an export-driven primary economy. Singapore is a tertiary economy with higher added value that can draw more mature customers from the region.'
I am being polite. I am being nice. My command of language cannot express my displeasure. What are they doing to my country?
It fills me with disgust and I am appalled at the decisions made by La Vegas Sands to include kitsch elements into their IR proposal for the Marina site.
Let’s not forget for a small country like Singapore, we do not have the spare land as in America where certain cities can be wholly dedicated to theme parks. We are a country on its own and there are Singaporeans who each have a stake in our land. The site chosen for building the IR is not exclusive to tourists only. It is sited on prime land in the heart of Singapore city. Locals should be able to enjoy the space equally if not more. From the remarks made by Las Vegas Sands president and chief operating officer, William Weidner, it seems that the paramount design consideration is to provide a shallow experience of Singapore easily digested by tourists. Singapore is much more than William Farquhar or Sir Stamford Raffles. We have evolved since then. We do have a culture that is unique and we are proud of it.
The design chosen for IR should include the sentiments of locals, how are we going to view and use the space. Architecture is not a temporal act. It has a permanence effect on the surroundings. Such design if implemented will send a strong signal to the international community that Singapore is just a collection of themed spaces with no culture of its own. Furthermore, it will send a signal that Singaporeans themselves are easily led by others by allowing her prime land to such acts of vandalism.
With the new botanical garden situated next to the site proposed for the IR and the East Coast Parkway (ECP) separating the two, one of the design considerations should be how to bridge the two and allowing the community to travel seamlessly from work to the waterfront areas, to the IR, to the botanical gardens. This journey offers an experience that cannot be found elsewhere in Singapore.
IR bidder offers S'pore redux
Published April 28, 2005 in BT
Las Vegas Sands plans colonial-era theme, fireworks and Guggenheim for US$2b-plus Marina resort
By DANIEL BUENAS
An iconic project that encapsulates Singapore's culture, heritage and history - that's what US-based Las Vegas Sands has in mind for the integrated resort (IR) site at Marina Bayfront.
Ending months of speculation, the company has given BT the first details of what Singaporeans can expect to see if it gets to build an IR. Singapore has opened up sites at Marina and Sentosa for the resorts.
Las Vegas Sands intends to recreate a colonial-era Singapore River theme at Marina, where characters from those days - such as William Farquhar, the right-hand man of modern Singapore's founder Sir Stamford Raffles before they fell out - will be brought to life by actors who will entertain visitors.
'Our early colonial Singapore River will have Malay-style kampungs, maybe an overlay of a Johor sultanate, Indian styles, ancient Chinese styles, showing the confluence of all the different cultures,' said Las Vegas Sands president and chief operating officer William Weidner. 'It's a way of being able to teach people what Singapore is.'
Las Vegas Sands is no stranger to such concepts. Its Venetian on the Las Vegas Strip - a dazzling project with more than 4,000 suites, restaurants and high-end shops - has its own version of Venice's Grand Canal, complete with gondolas rowed by singing boatmen who ferry guests.
In Singapore, the gondolas will give way to traditional Malay boats. And instead of gondoliers singing Italian opera, local boatmen from days gone by will croon best-loved Malay songs.
'The idea is to create a tourist attraction that has real content, that popularises history and culture and gets visitors interested enough to stay longer, plan another visit or talk about it,' Mr Weidner said.
Another feature will be a Farquhar Theatre - so named because William Farquhar, Singapore's first governor and colonial commandant, was also Singapore's first gaming magnate, according to Mr Weidner. After Raffles initially left Farquhar in charge of Singapore, Farquhar approved gambling to raise money for development, Mr Weidner explained. The theatre will detail the history an shape of a flower - meant to represent Singapore's garden city image - with a suggested 40-storey high Guggenheim Museum towering over the development.
Huge images of the Vanda Miss Joaquim orchid - Singapore's national flower - will be projected onto nearby skyscrapers and the building housing the resort's one million sq ft of exhibition space.
Renowned contemporary artist Cai Guo Qiang, acclaimed for his spectacular use of fireworks, has also been engaged to create a 'pyrotechnic bridge' using fireworks that explode in the shape of an orchid.
Las Vegas Sands has also proposed a cruise ship centre - to help capture the regional cruise market - and a monorail as part of its project.
'The idea is to present Singapore as a resort, and to figure out ways to make it exciting and interesting, with some artistic content,' Mr Weidner said. 'We've done all this before, we've had relationships with people like the Guggenheim for a decade, and we want to bring these things to bear.'
On working with a local partner, Mr Weidner said he is in discussions with property tycoon Ong Beng Seng, but there are no concrete plans to join forces yet.
'We're talking, but he's been a friend for 20 years,' Mr Weidner said of Mr Ong. 'We are open to figure out how to have participation. We don't need a partner, but we believe it's appropriate to have Singaporeans involved with what we are doing.'
He pointed out, however, that Las Vegas Sands plans a 'very aggressive' bid that local players may find too risky.
'If you put up a couple billion dollars, there is always risk in it,' he said. 'We don't want to be in a situation where we have, let's say, an equal partner who may not necessarily share our return analysis.'
Asked about the similarities and differences between the company's Singapore proposal and its existing Sands Macau casino, Mr Weidner said the latter will serve as a 'conduit' to channel those looking for more 'mature markets' to visit.'Macau is primarily a day-trip market. The average stay in Macau is 1.1 days,' he said. 'It's an immature destination with only 1,500 branded rooms and an export-driven primary economy. Singapore is a tertiary economy with higher added value that can draw more mature customers from the region.'
I am being polite. I am being nice. My command of language cannot express my displeasure. What are they doing to my country?
posted by bluabov at 12:27 pm
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