Admittedly, the outside of the building looks ugly at first view, but when you stare at the skypark it seems to float off the top of the buildings. Its really mesmerizing.
The article doesn't mention it, but all the land surrounding the harbor is new, recently reclaimed. It used to be that Singapore kind of petered out into low rent bars and Vietnamese restaurants at the Boat Quay. The Sands, the Esplanade, the Marina have really changed the face of the city. Singapore never seemed futuristic before. Now, they are selling the world of tomorrow.
And it really is the future. Whatever happened to all that "Disneyland with the Death Penalty" stuff that whitey used to squawk?