Melco Resorts & Entertainment Limited announced in a statement yesterday that the Studio City Phase 2 construction project is expected to be completed before December 27 next year and that non-gaming elements will take up 99 percent of the property.
The statement was handed out after the symbolic topping-out ceremony for the second phase at the construction site yesterday afternoon.
Chairman and CEO of Melco Resorts & Entertainment Lawrence Ho Yau Lung said at a press briefing that “Studio City Phase 2 reaffirms our ongoing commitment to the city and contributes to reinforcing Macau’s non-gaming proposition in Asia and internationally”.
Ho pointed out in the statement that 99 percent of Phase 2 would consist of non-gaming elements, including two hotel towers with a total of 900 rooms, one of the largest indoor and outdoor water parks in the world, a six-screen Cineplex comprising two regular cinemas and four VIP suites, and a state-of-the-art space for meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE).
Ho also noted that he was confident about Macau’s long-term future in the tourism industry as Macau receives constant support from the central government, and because Macau “has the advantage of its geographic location.”
When asked by reporters about the bidding for Macau’s new gaming concessions, which expire next year, Executive Director Clarence Chung Yuk Man said that he concurs with the government’s proposed amendments to the gaming law, adding that Melco has already passed its views on the matter to the government.
Chung also told reporters that Melco was considering to invest in the Guangdong-Macao In-depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin. He also said that his company was planning to develop an integrated resort in Zhongshan, which he hoped could help promote Macau in the mainland.
Zhongshan city lies some 40 kilometres north of Macau.
Eco-friendly design
According to the statement, Studio City Phase 2 was designed by the late British architect Zaha Hadid’s firm. The statement said that the design for Phase 2 considered environmental sustainability by conserving energy and ensuring that it is located away from the Cotai Ecological Zone, adding that the two hotel tower blocks are distanced from each other in order to minimise the impact in bird migratory pathways. The statement added that Phase 2 had been named winner of the “Regional Award, Asia” at the international BREEAM ((Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method) Awards 2021, in recognition of its achievements in sustainable building design, development and management.
A representative from Zaha Hadid said in a video during the ceremony that the architecture firm was “excited to partner with Melco after the launch of Morpheus in 2018”, adding that the process of constructing Phase 2 with Melco was smooth. The representative also mentioned that the design aimed to be resilient and adaptable towards risk brought by natural hazards and climate change.
Melco Resorts & Entertainment Chairman & CEO Lawrence Ho Yau Lung addresses yesterday’s symbolic topping-out ceremony for Studio City’s Phase 2 project at the construction site in Cotai. Photo: Ula Cheang
This artist’s rendition provided by Melco yesterday shows Phase 2 of Studio City in Cotai once it is completed.
