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NUS School of Design & Environment / Serie Architects + Multiply Architects + Surbana Jurong

• Curated by María Francisca González
• Architects: Multiply Architects , Serie Architects , Surbana Jurong
• Area Area of this architecture project Area:  8500 m²
• Year Completion year of this architecture project Year:  2019
• Photographs Photographs: Rory Gardiner
• Manufacturers Brands with products used in this architecture project Manufacturers:   Hunter Douglas
• Lead Architects: Serie + Multiply Architects, Surbana Jurong
• Photographs:  Rory Gardiner
• Country:  Singapore
• Did you collaborate on this project?

Text description provided by the architects. January 2019 marks the opening of SDE4, an inventive educational architecture developed by the School of Design and Environment at the National University of Singapore , the institutional organization that promotes design, sustainability and education in South East Asia. SDE4 is the first new-build net-zero energy building in Singapore and it is designed as a 8,500-square-metre, six-storey, multi-disciplinary space by Serie + Multiply Architects with Surbana Jurong.

Located on a hillock along Clementi Road near the southern coastline of Singapore , SDE4 is a new addition to the Design & Environment precinct and it is part of a larger campus redevelopment. The climate-responsive building includes more than 1,500 square metres of design studio space, a 500-square-metre open plaza; a wide variety of public and social spaces; workshops and research centers; a new cafe and a library.

The building’s flexible design and high efficiency reflect the School’s ambitions of promoting new forms of teaching spaces as a scaffold for research. Most of the rooms are designed in a variety of sizes to allow a flexible rearrangement of layout for exhibitions, school-specific installations and future change of use.

Lam Khee Poh, Dean of the School of Design and Environment, explained: “Buildings are not isolated entities in their own context. They form an environment, a precinct, or a neighborhood supporting community activities, which is crucial for all educational institutions. Our students and faculty get the opportunity to learn both inside and outside the classroom, being engaged in an integrated process of designing, developing, constructing, and operating state-of-the-art buildings that will, in turn, influence them to adapt their own behavior when they occupy it.”

Awarded to Serie + Multiply Architects with Surbana Jurong through an international design competition launched in 2013, the building was envisioned as a porous architecture structured in a juxtaposition of ‘platforms and boxes’ expressing its programmatic content. Christopher Lee, Principal of Serie Architects, described that “One of our ambitions when we started the project was to challenge the notion that a high energy efficient building has to be very opaque.

Therefore you see that the completed building is incredibly open. This is where I think it was successful: it is able to reduce its energy demand, but at the same time it doesn't end up being a very solid building. SDE4's large platforms are configured in a way that promotes interaction and visual connectivity. We envisioned a very transparent volume in which the outside and the inside spaces are ambiguous; where nature and landscape play an important part, as a backdrop to the building.”

The design carries the principles of vernacular tropical architecture in Southeast Asia. More than 50% of the total area is naturally ventilated and most of the rooms can be opened to prevailing breezes. Air-conditioning is used only when needed while the spaces interspersed between cooled volumes benefits from cross ventilation, acting as thermal buffers/social spaces, emulating the signature tropical verandas. The architecture is punctuated by an alternation of terraces, landscaped balconies and informal spaces.

There are no formal boundaries between places to study, work and socialize. Erik L’Heureux, Vice Dean (Special Projects) at the School of Design and Environment, says: “SDE4 represents a scaffold for learning, teaching, and research designed for the twenty-first-century university. Not only does it envision how we teach today but also paves the way we might teach in the future.” The interstitial space between the inner and outer skins on the east and west facade is, for instance, designated for research. In these areas, elements of the façade can be dismantled and replaced with new systems depending on the School’s research needs.

Therefore, the building serves as a canvas for test-bedding and developing relevant green building technology, becoming, in effect, a living laboratory. Circulation corridors and straight flight staircases link and penetrate these volumetric platforms, allowing spaces to bleed from one learning and research space to another, thereby broadcasting a collaborative nature of design. The large over-sailing roof protrudes along the south elevation embedding a tropical portico, built around mature existing trees.

This openness allows spaces to flow freely across the envelope of the building, bringing the surrounding landscape into close proximity with interior spaces and vice versa. The east and west facades are designed as a veil, an aluminum curtain that filters sunlight and emphasizes a connection to the surroundings. The south gardens are integral to the pedagogical experience of the building.

Designed as a natural purification system, the landscape improves water quality while encouraging lifestyle activities and teaching around water. Runoff from the roof and hard scape is cleansed by passing through soil, which removes sediments and soluble nutrients. Nearly 50% of the plants selected are native species and most are from the southern tropics, a choice that also provides opportunities for environmental education.

The building has a strong biophilic component in the deliberate use and celebration of the raw and natural characteristics of the materials for steel, perforated metal and concrete. As a result the finished concrete surfaces are unique; some columns resemble marble, and all possess a tactile quality that enhances the materiality of the architecture.

The building is designed to be climate responsive with net-zero energy consumption featuring a range of sustainable design features and more than 1200 solar photovoltaic panels on its rooftop. SDE4 exceeds standards of health and wellbeing creating new avenues for delivering comfort in the tropics, embracing an innovative hybrid cooling system, designed by Transsolar KlimaEngineering, that supplies rooms with 100% fresh pre-cooled air, albeit at higher temperatures and humidity levels than in a conventional system, and augments this with an elevated air speed by ceiling fans.

This cool circulating air creates a comfortable condition in a high energy-efficient system. Therefore, the architecture becomes an agent of systemic enhancement—not just to do less harm, but to do systemic good—by making the discussion of design fundamentally public. Giovanni Cossu, Senior Manager at the School of Design and Environment, explained: “The main story of SDE4 is how we progress to net zero through design.

During this process, the building has demystified the general perception of spatial quality, comfort, and cost for sustainable buildings. SDE4 changes the argument that green buildings cost more, as it has limited or no extra cost compared to similar, industry-standard models.

Preliminary results of subjective surveys completed by occupants show high levels of user acceptance of the environmental conditions offered by the building. In doing this, SDE4 speaks to multiple audiences: occupants and users, policy makers and developers. And this generates a level of significance that cannot be ignored.”

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Address: 8 architecture dr, singapore.

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School of design and environment 4.

The School of Design and Environment 4 (SDE4) is an inventive educational piece of architecture developed by the School of Design and Environment at the National University of Singapore, the institutional organization that promotes design, sustainability and education in South East Asia. SDE4 is the first new-build net-zero energy building in Singapore and it is designed as a 8,588 square-meter, six-story, multi-disciplinary space by Serie + Multiply Architects with Surbana Jurong. Located on a hillock along Clementi Road near the southern coastline of Singapore, SDE4 is a new addition to the Design & Environment precinct and it is part of a larger campus redevelopment. The climate-responsive building includes more than 1,500 square meters of design studio space, a 500 square-meter open plaza; a wide variety of public and social spaces; workshops and research centers; a new cafe and a library.

vital stats

Project team, performance, sustainable design features.

The building consists of a range of sustainable design features that have been holistically integrated into its architecture to not only deliver user health and comfort in the tropical context, but also meticulously programmed to be highly energy efficient.

SDE4 upholds key tenets of tropical design in its climate-responsive architectural form and spatial layout optimized for natural ventilation interspersed with thermal buffers/social spaces and landscaped balconies. A large overhanging roof hosts more than 1200 photovoltaic (PV) panels to harness solar energy to meet the energy demands of the building.

Enclosed spaces feature an innovative hybrid cooling system, designed by Transsolar Klima Engineering, that supplies 100% fresh pre-cooled air, albeit at higher temperatures and humidity levels than in a conventional system, and augments this with an elevated air speed by ceiling fans.

BUILDING OPTIMIZATION

The net-positive energy outcome is a result of a collaborative effort by the School management and building users who have ensured a prudent consumption of energy all-year-round. A Building Management System that includes Occupancy Sensing Thermal Controls and IEQ Monitoring overseen by the School ensures that these trends in building occupancy and energy usage are monitored and studied for a continued and sustainable impact through the building life-span.

RENEWABLE PRODUCTION SYSTEMS INFORMATION

Additional information.

Prof Lam Khee Poh, Dean at the School of Design and Environment, says: “The fact that the building exceed its original energy targets chronicles an important milestone in SDE4’s Well and Green vision for environmental stewardship. We are now progressively expanding our sustainability targets from net-zero energy buildings to integrated zero carbon developments.”

Learn more about the project here: https://www.archdaily.com/912021/nus-school-of-design-and-environment-serie-architects-plus-multiply-architects-plus-surbana-jurong

One Singapore Institution’s Evolution from Service to Partnership: A Case Study

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• Huang Hoon Chng 5 &
• Kooi Cheng Lee 6  

Part of the book series: University Development and Administration ((UDAA))

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Student success, student services, student life – these are just some names for university units that are responsible for promoting student campus experience. Many such units provide services ranging from career guidance to pastoral care. In some institutions, such offices may even have oversight over academic support, especially for diversity and living-learning programs. The specific emphasis is generally a function of institutional vision and mission.

This chapter is an institutional case study offered from the perspective of two individuals who have been with the university for decades, and who have led institutional initiatives as appointed academic leaders involved either with the academic or co-academic curriculum. This reflective narrative details the shifts in institutional focus and the attendant changes in the approach the Office of Student Affairs took to student engagement, moving gradually from service to partnership in accordance to both internal and external changes in the university culture. We argue that the move towards partnership remains a work in progress, guided by broader developments in the university and the increasing awareness of the importance of recognizing students’ voices and students as partners in the institutional journey.

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Department of English Language and Literature, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore

Huang Hoon Chng

Centre for English Language Communication, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore

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USQ College, University of Southern Queensland, Toowoomba, QLD, Australia

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Chng, H.H., Lee, K.C. (2022). One Singapore Institution’s Evolution from Service to Partnership: A Case Study. In: Huijser, H., Kek, M.Y.C.A., Padró, F.F. (eds) Student Support Services. University Development and Administration. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-5852-5_17

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Kering collaborates with the National University of Singapore to launch three-year research study

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Monday, May 13, 2024

Kering, with the National University of Singapore Business School’s Center of Governance and Sustainability (CGS), will embark on a three-year collaboration to conduct research on the impact of climate and nature related transition strategies adopted by corporations across the Asia-Pacific region.

The partnership was announced on May 13th 2024 at the Nature in the City forum, organized by the French National Museum of Natural History and the Embassy of France in Singapore with support from Kering.  Over the span of three-years, the university will conduct three studies on nature related issues and the climate transition. Covering companies in 14 Asia-Pacific jurisdictions, the research will thoroughly review the current state of nature and climate practices, strategies and reporting, and industry trends. The resulting insights and identified areas of improvement will then be presented business leaders, investors, regulators as well as public and non-profit sector leaders.  Supporting rigorous academic research studies is In line with Kering’s commitment to education, collaboration, and innovation to contribute to climate action and achieve long-term sustainability.   “At Kering, we believe in the power of collective action as seen through our robust network of partners in several regions around the world. Today, I am proud to announce our partnership with CGS at NUS Business School, which combines academic rigor, research expertise, and real-world experience – key levers for a successful impact. The sustainability challenges we face today are complex, and by partnering with an outstanding university renowned for its expertise in sustainability topics, we are exemplifying the Group’s commitment to collaborate with partners on the Asia-Pacific region’s sustainability journey,” states Marie-Claire Daveu, Chief Sustainability and Institutional Affairs Officer of Kering. “Nature underpins all economic activities and human well-being. Therefore, the disclosure of nature-related practices and strategies is crucial to provide transparency and accountability for a company's environmental impact and sustainability practices. Through the partnership with Kering, we are poised to drive meaningful change by developing a baseline for measuring biodiversity tracking and examining climate transition strategies across diverse industries. This is a significant step in encouraging the integration of nature-centric approaches into corporate strategies, fostering a more sustainable and resilient future for all,” says Professor Lawrence Loh, Director of the Centre for Governance and Sustainability at NUS Business School.   

About Kering

A global Luxury group, Kering manages the development of a series of renowned Houses in Fashion, Leather Goods and Jewelry: Gucci, Saint Laurent, Bottega Veneta, Balenciaga, Alexander McQueen, Brioni, Boucheron, Pomellato, DoDo, Qeelin, Ginori 1735 as well as Kering Eyewear and Kering Beauté. By placing creativity at the heart of its strategy, Kering enables its Houses to set new limits in terms of their creative expression while crafting tomorrow’s Luxury in a sustainable and responsible way. We capture these beliefs in our signature: “Empowering Imagination”. In 2023, Kering had 49,000 employees and revenue of €19.6 billion.

About Centre for Governance and Sustainability (CGS), National University of Singapore

The Centre for Governance and Sustainability (CGS) was established by the National University of Singapore (NUS) Business School in 2010. It aims to spearhead relevant and high-impact research on corporate governance and corporate sustainability issues that are pertinent to institutions, government bodies and businesses in Singapore and the Asia-Pacific. CGS is the national assessor for the corporate sustainability and corporate governance performance of listed companies in Singapore. In tandem with growing demands from consumers and investors that financial returns are achieved with integrity, backed with environmental and social considerations, CGS has a slew of research focusing on sustainability reporting in Asia Pacific, sustainable banking, nature reporting, and climate reporting in ASEAN. More information about CGS can be accessed at https://bschool.nus.edu.sg/cgs/ NUS Business School, ranked 1st in Asia in the 2024 QS World University Rankings, is renowned for providing management thought leadership from an Asian perspective, enabling its students and corporate partners to leverage global knowledge and Asian insights. The School is one of the 16 faculties and schools at NUS. A leading global university centred in Asia, NUS is Singapore’s flagship university which offers a global approach to education, research and entrepreneurship, with a focus on Asian perspectives and expertise. Its transformative education includes a broad-based curriculum underscored by multi-disciplinary courses and cross-faculty enrichment. Over 40,000 students from 100 countries enrich the community with their diverse social and cultural perspectives. For more information, please visit bschool.nus.edu.sg, or go to the BIZBeat portal which showcases the School’s research.

Contacts  

Kering APAC Roger He - [email protected]   Errial Chiu - [email protected]   France Emmanuelle Picard-Deyme - [email protected]    

National University of Singapore Yvonne Chan - [email protected]   Natalie Law - [email protected]    

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Older Singaporeans who volunteer perceive a better quality of life, finds study

by Nanyang Technological University

A new study by Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) and Duke-NUS Medical School (Duke-NUS) has found that compared to non-volunteers, older adults who volunteer feel more supported by their social networks, which in turn leads to an improvement in their quality of life. This is even though social networks from which older adults receive actual help do not expand as a result of volunteering.

Through a study of 2,887 Singaporeans aged 60 and above, the NTU Singapore and Duke-NUS researchers also found that those who volunteered regularly with a club or an organization reported having more control of their lives—also known as personal mastery—leading to a better quality of life .

These findings were derived from data collected in the Transitions in Health, Employment, Social Engagement and Inter-Generational Transfers in Singapore Study (THE SIGNS Study), a nationally representative longitudinal survey of older Singaporeans. THE SIGNS Study is conducted by the Duke-NUS Center for Aging Research and Education (CARE).

The findings , published in The Journals of Gerontology, Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences , highlight that volunteering may provide alternative avenues of perceived support for older adults, beyond co-residing family members. This is especially important in Asian populations, where older adults traditionally depend on family members, said the researchers.

With demographic trends such as an aging population and shrinking family sizes, sole reliance on co-residing family for support in later life may become unsustainable. Older adults may have to supplement support from immediate family with support from alternative sources, the researchers added.

NTU Assistant Professor of Sociology Shannon Ang, who led the study, said, "While volunteering among older adults in Singapore has increased over the years, the rates remain low. Our findings show that volunteering increases the quality of life among older adults through perceived social support.

"Older adults who volunteer regularly in a formal setting also feel more confident in their ability to direct their own lives and make an impact on others. We hope our study brings home the idea that by helping others, older adults are also helping themselves."

Associate Professor Rahul Malhotra, Deputy Director of CARE at Duke-NUS, who supervised the study, said, "As Singapore's population ages rapidly, we need a deeper understanding of how volunteering can impact social and psychological well-being of our older adults. Our findings will enable organizations to better design volunteering programs so that older adults can fully benefit from them.

"Having a sustained and structured setting for volunteering provides opportunities for older people to actively shape their environments, boosting their confidence as they continue to contribute to society."

The study is in line with the recently refreshed national Action Plan for Successful Aging to empower older adults to take charge of their physical and mental well-being and enable them to continue contributing their knowledge and expertise.

It also supports NTU's goal of responding to the needs and challenges of healthy living and aging as part of NTU2025, the University's five-year strategic plan. For Duke-NUS, the School is committed to harnessing the intellectual acuity of its Signature Research Programs and centers to investigate complex and challenging topics such as aging, to advance conversations on the national health care agenda and enhance quality of care for all Singaporeans.

How the study was conducted

To explore how volunteering influences older adults' quality of life, the research team analyzed data from 2,887 Singaporeans, aged 60 years and above, who were tracked over a period of two to three years. Study participants were interviewed using structured questionnaires in THE SIGNS Study.

The first wave of the survey took place from 2016 to 2017, while the second wave was done in 2019 to follow up on the impact of volunteering on the same group of participants.

Study participants were asked about their volunteering activities in the past one year and grouped into three categories: non-volunteers, non-regular volunteers (who volunteered less than once a month), and regular volunteers (who volunteered at least once a month).

Participants who volunteered were asked how often they volunteered, and the type of volunteer work they did: either formally through groups, clubs or organizations (e.g., fundraising, visits) or informally (e.g., helping non-family members with activities such as babysitting or doing household work).

Using questionnaires that have been validated in previous studies, the researchers asked participants about perceived social support, the actual help they received from their social networks (e.g., material goods, emotional support or advice) over one year, and the number of people in their social network whom they received such help from.

Participants were also asked to rate how strongly they agreed or disagreed with statements relating to the level of control they felt over their lives, which is a measure of their level of personal mastery.

Quality of life of the participants was assessed by asking them to rate how frequently, from never to often, they felt the way described by a set of 11 statements, which included "feel that [their] life has meaning" or "look forward to each day" or "feel satisfied with the way [their] life has turned out." The set of statements assessing quality of life has been validated by Duke-NUS researchers in Singapore prior to the study.

The researchers statistically analyzed the survey response data to investigate the effect of volunteering on participants' quality of life through measuring perceived social support, received social support, and personal mastery.

Better quality of life through volunteering

Based on data from the surveys, the researchers found that participants reported better quality of life through stronger perceived social support, regardless of how frequently they volunteered and whether it was in a formal or informal setting. This is likely due to the value of creating new social networks built through volunteering, an intrinsically social activity, said the researchers.

However, volunteering did not translate into an expansion of social networks from whom older adults received actual forms of support.

The researchers explained that this could be due to prevailing norms in Singapore, where the responsibility to provide social support and meet the needs of older adults falls primarily on their children. This is also in line with an earlier study by the same NTU and Duke-NUS research team, which found that few older adults in Singapore receive support from non-child sources.

"While volunteering may expand the range of potential sources from which older adults can draw support from, longstanding norms around the propriety of providing help to (and receiving from) non- family members may hinder translation into actual support," the researchers added.

Volunteering could also promote personal mastery in older adults, but only if they do so regularly (e.g., more than once a month) and in a structured way (e.g., in formal settings), such as helping an organization to fundraise or organize events.

With the study confirming the positive effects of volunteering and explaining how it works to improve quality of life, the researchers suggest looking into maximizing its potential moving forward.

One way is by providing a structured and purpose-driven volunteering environment that could help older adults reap the full benefits of volunteering, making a strong case for how helping others helps oneself, said the researchers.

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National University of Singapore Admission Experience

The National University of Singapore (NUS) has shown that it is a place of academic excellence and innovation, which is at the heart of Asia. This unique mix of undergraduate programs gives NUS the chance to welcome students from different countries or cultures to the course they are already selected for and start their journey to intellectual growth and self-assurance. In this series, we will be going in-depth into the NUS admission journey from choosing what courses to study.

College Name and Course Name:

The NUS offers several undergraduate courses but most times the Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.), Computer Science, is always put in a prominent place among them. Being one of the most popular disciplines, it appears to be the career choice of the future for those who have keen interests in technology and innovation to join the computer science industry, which has boomed a lot.

The Entrance Exam:

Gaining admission to NUS’s Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) in Computer Science is contingent upon the candidate taking part in the NHSMC competition for high school math, more commonly known as NHSMC. This demanding assessment is completed as close as possible to the actual performance of the candidates. It is highly selectable as it assesses students’ mathematical skills and aptitude in problem-solving. This is usually the best evaluation used by many institutions to choose students with academic preparedness for the computer science program.

Eligibility Criteria:

Require the students to undertake an approximately three-year NUS admission process where they need to fulfil eligibility criteria before they can embark on their aspiration of becoming a computer scientist. The schooling history of the candidates should have consisted of high school completion or equivalent, which gave them an ideal background in mathematics and science. Moreover, on top of that, they have to qualify in the NHSMC or equivalent papers, such as the NUS entrance exams.

Important Documents:

The affected documents must accompany the application form as part of the verification process upon admission. These documents usually include:

• Academic transcripts and certificates of high school education.
• Nissan Human & Social Service Care (NHSMC) or any equivalent examination admit card as well as scorecard.
• Passport-sized photographs.
• Personal stats or essay (if asked).
• Any other credentials as indicated by NUS for skimming.

Admission Process Experience:

Starting from the beginning of the pursuit of entrance to NUS’s B.Sc., the whole Computer Science program stands out due to its highly elaborate and extensive development and is marked by close attention to detail and thorough pre-planning. Firstly, provision for Eligibility criteria and requirement documents are made. Then, the application process begins with online submission via the given application form within the decided time frame. Accuracy is a significant factor that must be included, but not the only element required for an application.

Following the submission of the application, shortlisted candidates pray to get the recruitment admit card from NHSMC. Among those, they use vigorous measures and motivation to get through the exam, transferring the whole essence of mathematical ideas as well as analytical skills in such a process. The exam code is undoubtedly a game-changer. It aims to detect those who can succeed in the program and select them for admission to the prestigious NUS Computer Science degree.

Consequently, after the end of tests, a waiting period for the results starts. This cohort of students with the required scores is passed to the subsequent levels of the admission process, typically involving interviews, portfolio presentations, and more documentation verification. Receiving the envied admission invitation, students commence their academic voyage at NUS, where they brave the night with intellectual possibilities and pursuits amidst the exciting life and experiences at the campus.

Conclusion:

Admission to NUS, which is among the best in the world, undergraduate programs are a unique opportunity for the institution to demonstrate its embodiment of work, talent, innovation, and academic excellence. While aspiring computer scientists find themselves amidst the thrilling and awe-inspiring selection procedure, they also have a personal eye-opener and stimulating critical thinking expedition. He may have faced some setbacks, yet he never lost his willingness and will join NUS, which operates without boundaries.

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