How Did Two Eggs Become Durians?

After the Esplanade was built, Suntec City, the Merlion and Swissôtel The Stamford were all affected, and the Esplanade was laughed at for various reasons…

Everyone knows that Singaporeans love durians. Is that why the government spent $600 million constructing these gigantic durians? Of course it’s not that simple!

The Esplanade is located close to Beach Road. In terms of its terrain, Beach Road reflects the “Twin Dragons Holding Up a Pearl” feng shui formation. The “twin dragons” refer to the Singapore River and Kallang River, while the “pearl” is Beach Road, which has excellent feng shui. However, because of land reclamation, this “pearl” has gradually moved towards Marina South while Beach Road has lost its former glory.

The Esplanade is near the head of one of the “dragons”: the Singapore River, and is also in close proximity to Marina Bay. In other words, it sits on excellent terrain. There were reportedly two concepts proposed for the building’s design: 1) a microphone, and 2) two eggs.

Topographically speaking, the “two eggs” concept better fits the fengshui formation of “holding up a pearl”. Being a country with a tropical climate, however, the smooth enclosed glass design was deemed to be inappropriate. In order to let in plenty of natural light while providing sufficient shade and heat protection, numerous small angled aluminium sunshades were added. With that, the Esplanade became a unique architectural icon, nicknamed “the Durian” for its resemblance to our favourite fruit.

The Esplanade officially opened in 12 October 2002. Because of its sharp and pointed exterior, it generates substantial negative qi which has adversely affected its neighbours. For instance, the palm-shaped Suntec City sees unimpressive visitor traffic and the Merlion was moved around the same time, perhaps to avoid this negative qi.

How to avoid negative qi from sharp corners?

In addition, some visitors have photographed the Esplanade and SwissôtelThe Stamford together from…unfortunate angles, creating a rather explicit and laughable scene. While the Esplanade’s design may have affected its surroundings to some extent, its internal fengshui design is stellar. Facing Northwest (Qian bearing) and Southeast (Xunbearing), it will enjoy prosperity in the next next luck cycle.