NTU Residential Building
Student accommodation and public facilities, including theatrette, function spaces and retail
Location
Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
Client
Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
Status
Proposed
Gross Floor Area
70,000 m²
Context
KIRK + Clare Design collaborated with DCA Architects to complete the Schematic Design (SD) for this student accommodation project at the Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in Singapore as part of an international design competition.
Located at the main entrance of the NTU campus, the building is to be open and welcoming. On street level the main public functions (theatrette, function halls, retail and the food hall) are placed around a landscaped plaza to activate the street frontage.
This communal hub is well shaded and contains a series of cooling water features that integrate with the campus water management. The plaza is immediately revealed upon entry to the campus, creating a key marker and presenting NTU as a vibrant place to live, study, learn, and play.
Pedagogy
The building provides diverse opportunities for a range of learning modes – from individual to group, social to informal, structured to unplanned. The building itself becomes a learning tool and more than just a framework for learning. This contemporary building is a live and vibrant place that in itself is a place to learn from.
The communal areas of the proposed North Hill precinct are easy to access for residents and first-time visitors. The central ‘spine’ provides a strong legibility of movement and connectivity to communal spaces, accommodation blocks and landscaped courtyards. This explicit simplicity in wayfinding through the new village helps create a vibrant intellectual hub and cultural centre that aptly reflects the essence of student life at NTU.
Sustainability
Global imperatives and a tropical climate demand a sustainable architectural response. The planning diagram at NTU responds to the ideal North/South orientation. The built form is permeable, maximising the opportunities for cross ventilation of all spaces. Through flow of air is maximised by using considered planning strategies as well as in-floor ventilation through pre-cast floors. This unique ventilation system allows natural airflow through each residential space whilst maintaining acoustic privacy between circulation zones and bedrooms.
| Architect in joint venture | Clare Design & DCA Architects |