tay suan chiang, Straits Times Life 30 Jan 10;
In the works: The local projects the international architectural practice Aedas is currently involved in include the Integrated Civic, Cultural, Retail and Entertainment Hub at one-north and the 620m-long Sentosa boardwalk, which will feature retail outlets, shelters and greenery on its 16,400 sq m space. -- PHOTO: AEDAS
Come January next year, Resorts World Sentosa will just be a stroll away from VivoCity.
A $70-million, 620m-long boardwalk is now under construction.
When it is completed, visitors can walk to Sentosa again, after an old bridge from VivoCity to the island was closed in 2007 to build the new one.
The 16,400 sq m Sentosa boardwalk is designed by Aedas, a prominent global architectural practice in Singapore.
It will have travellators, shelters and greenery for natural shade. There will also be retail outlets on the 25m- to 40m-wide bridge.
Walking the full length of it will take about 15 minutes.
Mr Tony Ang, 56, managing director of Aedas' Singapore office, says it will be a 'people-mover' as it will encourage people to walk, rather than drive, to Sentosa.
It is designed to take 8,000 guests an hour in each direction.
The boardwalk is part of Sentosa's $300-million plan to overhaul transport links on the island.
The Hong Kong-based Aedas set up the Singapore office in 1995.
Last November, together with international architectural firm Group8asia, it won a design competition to build Singapore's first waterfront public housing project in Punggol, which will offer 1,200 flats featuring sky terraces, roof gardens and panoramic views of the Punggol Waterway.
This is Aedas' first public housing project. Its other local projects include the Marina Bay Sands Integrated Resort, 313@Somerset shopping mall and the upcoming Integrated Civic, Cultural, Retail and Entertainment Hub at Vista Xchange, one-north, which opens in 2012.
The 25-year-old firm now has 42 offices in Asia, Middle East, Europe and the Americas.
With the newest branch opening in Turin, Italy, three months ago, the firm inked a collaboration with Italian design firm Pininfarina Extra - part of the Pininfarina company known for designing luxury cars for brands such as Ferrari and Maserati.
The partnership will work on projects worldwide.
According to Mr Ang, Aedas will provide the architecture and interior design of a project, while Pininfarina will put the finishing touches on interiors and furnishings - or, as Mr Matteo De Lise, 34, sales and marketing director at Pininfarina Extra puts it, 'the small details'.
Although no projects have been confirmed for the new collaboration for now, Mr Ang says: 'Our alliance means that we can brand our projects with the Pininfarina mark.'