The Arc (Nanyang Technological University)

The Arc is a cutting-edge building that ‘breathes’ and sets a new benchmark for sustainable architecture. Its open curves, translucency and permeability create a civic gesture that forms a vibrant campus heart, promoting active social learning. The building encapsulated the unique NTU student experience.

NTU’s pursuit to nurture creative, comprehensive and entrepreneurial leaders will be supported by projects, such as the North Spine Learning Hub, which provide a centre point for vibrant campus life.

The proposed Learning Hub generates a critical activity node and gateway building for the North Spine. Beyond its functional role in facilitating collaboration and active learning, it will speak as a metaphor for the ideals of the University. The realisation of these aspirations is achieved through iconic architecture which supports this capacity to innovate and inspire.

Whilst the NTU campus provides a memorable, verdant landscape setting, the legibility of the campus is difficult for those unfamiliar with its layout and organisation.

Addressing this is central to the design response for the new Learning Hub and aligns with the University’s understanding of the role memorable and iconic built forms will play in enhancing campus legibility and character. The arrival experience for those students arriving by bus is generally poor, with differences in levels and poorly structured movement patterns aligning this arrival as less important.

To sustain is to continue for an extended period of time and architecturally this requires support from more than just the environment. Buildings should not only function well but also offer healthy environments for building occupants and efficiently consume energy and natural resources. Passive cooling is achieved by the curvilinear ‘Arc’ building form.

The Arc at NTU re-imagines tropical architecture as a permeable and open building. The extensive building program is inclusive of open learning that is aligned with passive sustainability. The self-shading facade comprises of fine elements that transform the building between night and day.

Kirk designed Singapore’s first Green Mark Platinum Building, NTU Learning Hub and in doing so, exhibited the potential of naturally ventilated spaces that are demonstrably comfortable by solely passive means.

Rapidly changing technology and a new generation of students with different experiences and expectations have seen a critical shift from traditional teaching styles to active learning pedagogies. At the forefront of this change are technology-enabled Learning Hubs which facilitate informal learning modes and provide an obvious centre for campus life through the interactive and social dimensions they promote.

As technology becomes more pervasive, learning adapts and modifies to the modes that are most effective. We have imagined the Arc as a platform for such change, a landscape that promotes interactivity in an overtly social setting – using open planning or activity-based spaces to emulate the types of environments most students will find themselves in.

The design response intentionally transcends the cellular planning model and becomes a more effective open learning environment. This allows the University to move away from traditional, passive learning, towards an active learning approach which maximises flexibility, mobility and interaction so that learning can occur in formal and informal settings within and around the building.

The curvilinear "Arc" building form allows for passive cooling. Computational Fluid dynamics were utilised to deliver comfortable naturally ventilated spaces. Employing computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and micro-climate analysis we modelled how the building could maximise comfort levels by accelerating outside air movement through the permeable building. This ensured 30 per cent of The Arcs floor area could be entirely naturally ventilated, creating significant energy cost savings and setting a new benchmark for sustainable education buildings in the tropics.

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