Walking along the promenade at Marina Bay, you might notice a giant, supersized bench along the waterfront.
The Big Wooden Bench at Marina Bay
The big wooden bench at Marina Bay, not far from the Red Dot Design Museum and its playground, is triple the height of a regular bench. This means that those who want to have a seat on it will have to climb up or get a boost in order to plop down on its seat.
It has become a popular photo spot, especially with the view of the Singapore skyline in the background.
Curious about the story behind the bench – which is officially known as the Horizon bench?
Well, the quirky bench wasn’t designed for a giant or some super-tall basketball player.
Instead, the Horizon Bench is one of the winning entries from a competition held by the Urban Redevelopment Authority back around 2012.
Timber from the Old National Stadium
‘Re:Bench’ was a design competition sought to bring new life into the old timber seats of the former National Stadium. Designers were invited to submit their proposals to use the salvaged timbers into unique benches to excite public spaces around Singapore.
The Horizon Bench at Marina Bay was one of the 14 winners chosen from a field of 94 design submissions. It was designed by Muafah Binte Amran. From what we can tell, it is one of three of similar design around Singapore.
The benches were fabricated in Singapore by furniture-making company Hon Nam
Lee, under the guidance of Mr Hon Quek Yang, then a 76-year-old veteran artisan with more than 50 years of experience in the wood crafting trade.
Mr Hon provided the expertise to translate the intricate design details on paper into three-dimensional street furniture.
Horizon Bench at Marina Bay
So, the next time you are around Marina Bay, keep a look out for the supersized Horizon Bench and have a laugh climbing up to it for a picture!
