Downtown Singapore

A Bit of History:  

From the early 1800s, Singapore's Marina Bay waterfront served as the entry point for visitors and immigrants looking for a better life in Singapore. Post-independence (1965) the country saw a rapid growth as a financial centre, leading to the building of new public and private landmarks along the waterfront.

To meet this growth, there was an ambitious land reclamation project in 1971 and in 1994 the final 38 hectares of land were reclaimed at Bayfront to create the shore profile of Marina Bay that we see today. 

The two contrasting File photographs - 1977 versus 2011 - show the before-and-after changes. The buildings in the File Photo at right have been all constructed on reclaimed land and currently form the downtown Central Business District (CBD) area, known as the Marina Bay. At its core is the Marina Bay Financial Centre (MBFC), a mixed-use development. This consists of three office towers, two residential towers and retail space, occupying a 3.55-hectare (8.8-acre) site.  

The world's highest urban microbrewery and pub (LeVeL33) is on the top of Tower 1 and from personal experience I can vouch for it is a great place to unwind and relax in the evenings!

Apart from the detail behind the broader then-and-now contrast, the photos below try to capture the time around pre-dawn blue light to early morning. As my office was located in one of the MBFC Towers, I was very familiar with the area by day and at night, when the bustle of the corporate and financial world was humming either at work or play. 

Seeing this area before it awoke was quite a difference. 

Clockwise from Below Left:

The two photos below try to capture this pre-awakening time from pre-dawn blue light to early morning. 

The third photo is of the Marina Bay Sands hotel which includes three towers. The towers are topped by the distinctive Sands Skypark, a 340 meter long skyway connecting the three towers and that also has an infinity swimming pool. You can read more about this amazing structure at: https://www.engineering.com/story/marina-bay-sands-unique-design-an-engineering-marvel 

Photos taken with a Canon TS-E 17mm L lens