Lesser-known facts you never knew about the ArtScience Museum

1. It was designed by Moshe Safdie - mastermind behind Jewel - and modelled after the lotus flower.

The ArtScience Museum, opened in 2011, was designed by Moshe Safdie. Sitting at 6,000 sq m along the Marina Bay area, the museum was designed after the lotus flower, symbolising the “Welcoming Hand of Singapore” - as it was aptly described by Sheldon Adelson, chairman of Las Vegas Sands.

Photo: Marina Bay Sands

2. It is first museum in the world to combine arts, science, technology and culture.

The world had never seen anything like it at the time. Pioneering the frontier delimiting arts and science, the ArtScience Museum heralded a new age of art that incorporated elements of the digital and technology. Many exhibits and artworks shown here eclipse those at other museums in terms of interactivity and experience, due to the nature of such technologies being ubiquitous, or even vital, in this present day and age.

Photo: Marina Bay Sands

3. A different experience every time.

Change truly is the only constant at the ArtScience Museum, where exhibits comes and go every few months. Thanks to this, the museum has welcomed renowned exhibitions the likes of DreamWorks Animation: The Exhibition, Marvel Studios: Ten Years of Heroes, Wind Walkers: Theo Jansen’s Strandbeests, to name a few. It also has an international advisory board that further develops and refines the content of the museum, while building relationships with potential partners and professionals in related disciplines.

Now showing, the Wonderland exhibition will run from 13 April to 22 September 2019.

Photo: Marina Bay Sands

4. It has a Rain Oculus and recycles rainwater.

With the impact of climate change, green technologies incorporated in architecture and design is commonplace nowadays - and the ArtScience Museum is by no means exempted from this. Taking into account Singapore’s tropical climate, rainfall is channeled through the roof of the museum and is collected through the Rain Oculus. The water is then reused for landscaping, water feature maintenance and toilet flushing.

Photo: Marina Bay Sands

5. It is the first museum in Asia Pacific to attain the LEED Gold sustainability achievement.

With its sustainability efforts, the museum has also been awarded the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification by the United States Green Building Council, making it the first museum in the Asia Pacific region to be awarded. The prestigious honour was given to recognise the museum’s efforts in the areas of water, energy and waste managements - in which it has set some of the highest environmental performance standards.

Photo: Marina Bay Sands

6. Future World and Into the Wild are on permanent display at the museum.

The iconic museum houses one permanent exhibition, Future World, and one permanent development, Into the Wild.

Future World is a permanent exhibition featuring 19 digital artworks from teamLab - a multi-award winning Japanese art collective that works with technologists to develop innovative and inspiring art pieces. Despite being on permanent display, the artworks in the exhibition are also regularly refreshed, so that no revisit will ever be the same.

In Into the Wild, visitors use a smartphone device coupled with virtual reality technology to transform the museum’s public spaces into a virtual rainforest. Aimed at making a real-life impact through technology, Into the Wild is held partnership with the World Wildlife Fund, Google and Lenovo for an eco-friendly cause of replanting trees in Indonesia.

Photo: teamLab

7. There are three conference spaces on Level 4, and ten galleries on Level 3.

On the upper levels, one can find conference spaces - named Expression, Curiosity and Inspiration - as well as up to ten individual galleries. Expression features a unique four-screen system ,while Inspiration has a 20 m by 20 m projector screen and a newly revamped sound system, making these spaces perfect for hosting conferences, corporate events and product launches.

Photo: Marina Bay Sands

8. The basement makes for a quirky event space with the oculus and exhibits.

If the upper-levels aren’t exciting enough for you, the basement levels can provide an offbeat charm for your events. The outdoor oculus space gives a unique spin to performances and customised events. Along with the permanent display of Future World, your soirees and conventions will never be the same again.

Photo: Marina Bay Sands