At Changi’s newly revamped Terminal 2 (T2), a landmark feature at the heart of the departure hall stands out. Called The Wonderfall, this 14-metre-tall digital waterfall is a piece of digital art and the result of a highly creative and technical challenge. The LED wall is made up of 892 flat and flexi-curved tiles, which integrate seamlessly along the vertical green wall and stucco facade of T2. The sound of piano music and rushing water reverberates throughout the terminal, creating a magical and majestic atmosphere for passengers and visitors alike.

In the departure hall, The Wonderfall presents a great photo spot 

Changi Airport Group (CAG) collaborated with multimedia entertainment studio Moment Factory (MF) to bring the magic of nature into the passenger experience. 

Ang Siew Min, Senior Vice President, Airport Operations Development, Changi Airport Group, said, “T2’s design philosophy is guided by a nature-inspired theme. When we were looking at a terminal revamp, we wanted to enhance the passenger experience but knew there were current structural limitations for an existing building. A digital canvas expanded the possibilities of an installation and could also be easily integrated with the overall environment.”

With 3D modelling, simulation and computer graphics, the animation for The Wonderfall came together. It had to simulate water movement as accurately and naturally as possible, including the flow, fluidity and granularity, including misting elements. Between each ambient mode, the water and rocks come to life in a mesmerising choreography. 

A scale test conducted by Moment Factory through projection mapping on a building façade. Details such as the speed of water flow, droplet size, movement range were all carefully analysed. 

The ‘Rhythms of Nature’ show is a beautiful three and a half-minute animation with five acts set to a bespoke composition by Montreal-based pianist Jean-Michel Blais. 

The bespoke Wonderfall soundtrack is made of a Fiazoli Grand Piano played by Jean-Michel Blais, supported by a string quintet and an array of vintage synthesizers including an ARP2600, a Mini Moog and a Mellotron playing choir sounds.

The four-year journey to creating The Wonderfall was a labor of love, which included eight months of intensive rendering. Fady Atallah, Creative Director at Moment Factory, shared “This is our third collaboration with CAG, and the established trust allowed us to really push the envelope, both creatively and technically. Our aim was to craft installations resembling works of art, such as this a cascading waterfall that metamorphoses into a grand water choreography synchronised to the tunes of enchanting instrumentation.”

"It has truly been an honor and a delight to embark on this project alongside the visionary teams of Changi Airport Group and Moment Factory. This endeavor, born from the quill's ink and the artist's soul, allowed us to create a symphony from the depths of our creative hearts. It is a collective masterpiece, a pure partnership, where my hands, an extension of a resolute vision, gave life to their dreams." Jean-Michel Blais, musician and composer of The Wonderfall’s soundtrack.

Enter a magical world at the Dreamscape garden within T2 transit

Airside, travellers in transit can unwind in the Dreamscape under a limitless digital sky

Within the departure transit area, a brand-new garden - Dreamscape, mesmerises with its enchanting array of plants amid a meticulously landscaped backdrop, brought alive by a ‘digital sky’ which changes its hues depending on the time of day.

The digital sky is a 32 x 12 meter LED ceiling above this transit garden. It features both pre-rendered and real-time content that adds a touch of poetry to the passenger experience as they explore and unwind in the space. When in ambient mode, it offers travellers in transit a sense of the time of day and weather in Changi. This is done through real-time sky simulation fed with local weather data that generate corresponding content.

Test session in the Moment Factory studios for the digital sky on a smaller scale LED screen.

Watch out for surprises like passing planes, birds, hot air balloons, and clouds subtly shaped like animals.

Periodically, to the public’s surprise, rain fills the sky and transforms the skylight into an underwater portal where fish, otters, and even a traditional Sampan boat float by. The digital sky transforms into a canvas for a surreal underwater spectacle, complemented by an interactive and spacialised soundscape featuring a wide selection of original sounds.

Enter the wondrous world of Dreamscape and discover the magical harmony of digital technology and nature

Within this space, an innovative generative audio system with sound spatialisation orchestrates a symphony of nearly 100 recordings sourced exclusively from Singapore and the surrounding region. The soundscape, played on 19 hidden speakers, evolves throughout the day and with the prevailing weather conditions. Each visit to this garden guarantees a unique experience, deeply rooted in the rich, diverse sounds of the Southeast Asian landscape.

Despite the challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic, Changi Airport Group and its partners successfully deployed both installations. 

Siew Min shared, "Navigating the creation of these two installations amid the formidable backdrop of the Covid-19 pandemic presented a profound challenge. Faced with travel restrictions, orchestrating on-site visits to witness the unfolding project milestones was a formidable task. It demanded a creative leap of imagination to visualise the projected content as merely a glimpse of the grand tapestry that would eventually unfold. The timeline for rendering proved to be exceptionally tight, given the intricacy and scale of the envisioned content. We hope that these installations will add a touch of magic to the Changi Experience, bringing delight to both passengers and visitors alike."