The Singapore Arts Centre, later Esplanade Co Ltd, was set up in 1992 to build the centre. DP Architects of Singapore designed it with Michael Wilford & Partners of London, who left the project in May 1995. Groundbreaking was on August 11, 1996, and it was completed in February 2001 and opened on October 12, 2002. It covers about 60,000 square meters over four floors and cost about 600 million Singapore dollars.
Two rounded space frames carry triangulated glass and more than 7,000 triangular aluminum sunshades. The original 1994 design had unshaded glass, which drew criticism in a tropical climate, and the sunshades were added. The Concert Hall has a Klais organ of 4,740 pipes, and the Lyric Theatre follows the horseshoe form of a European opera house.
The Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth owns it, and Esplanade Company runs it. The Singtel Waterfront Theatre opened in October 2022.
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