KEY LESSONS LEARNT
The transformation of NUS’ physical campus over the past decade has yielded many important learning points, of which 5 key ones are outlined in this paper.
1. The most critical enabler was the major change in the funding for infrastructural development following NUS’ corporatization in 2006.
Prior to this, such funding was provided on a project-by-project basis which constrained planning and construction to single buildings and was not conducive to longer-term planning. With corporatization, the government converted the episodic funding it would have pro-vided for cyclical maintenance and facility renewal into a predictable annual stream. A portion of this funding is given in the form of a grant and the rest is to be raised as debt with government provisions to assist with the debt repayment. At the same time, the university could now top up the funding of its new construction from its own internal sources. NUS has used this flexibility to build additional shelled spaces that serve as a valuable space bank for future demand. This financing framework has stimulated and enabled the long-term planning neces-sary for a holistic and future-facing transformation of the campus infra-structure. These were manifested, in particular in the Precinct Master Plans developed from 2009, which divided the Kent Ridge Campus into five precincts which were planned in much greater detail.
2. The successful planning and construction of an entire new University Town (UTown) from scratch based on a single academic vision, defined valuable principles which have informed and underpinned NUS’
approach to the transformation of the other precincts of the cam-pus. UTown comprises 26 buildings with a total GFA of 292,500 m2. The 19-hectare plot also holds the National Research Foundation’s research campus, as well as the campus of the Yale-NUS College.
Seven key design principles were applied in the conceptualization and planning of UTown.
a) Integrate learning, living and discovery (including sports, culture and arts).
b) Blur in- and out-of-classroom learning based on “my classroom is everywhere” concept.
c) Diversity of dining and other amenities.
d) Pedestrian-centric and wet weather mobility (as heavy rainstorms are common).
e) Visual connectivity and memorable spaces.
f) Sustainable precinct and buildings.
g) Well connected to the main Kent Ridge Campus.
UTown provided the physical facilities that enabled NUS to pioneer a new model of residential college living, which emphasized a multi-disciplinary approach, small class sizes and a diverse student body. It is also a complete educa-tional hub with student residences, teaching facilities and open study and social spaces that blur the line between in-classroom and out-of-classroom learning.
The wide range of facilities, ranging from dance studios and music practice rooms to sports competition halls and gymnasium, further increases the opportunities for different student groups to mingle and interact. With good provisions for wet-weather mobility and extensive pedestrian walkways, UTown has promoted a lively intellectual, social and cultural environment. Some distinctive features include the Education Resource Centre and the Stephen Riady Centre — the first 24/7 mixed-use academic buildings in Singapore’s higher education landscape.
Careful attention was paid to environmental sustainability — 40% of build-ings space are naturally ventilated and buildbuild-ings were built around lush green-ery and existing heritage trees. Numerical simulation of air flow and ventilation have ensured that the site is walkable even during the heat of the tropical mid-day. A central district cooling plant efficiently provides chilled water for the air conditioning of buildings in the entire site. In 2009, UTown was among two recipients of the inaugural national Green Mark for sustainable development on a precinct level, and a number of its buildings have won prestigious archi-tectural awards (figure 1 below).
Figure 1
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UTown has been extremely well received particularly by the approxi-mately 10,000 students who use it each week. The siting of NUS new School of Continuing and Lifelong Education (SCALE) at UTown in 2016 has also opened up the use of its facilities to a much broader and diverse group of students from the wider community. Based on NUS’ analysis, the following factors have contributed significantly to the effectiveness and positive impact of the space.
a) a highly distinctive district place-making concept supporting one over-arching academic vision.
b) the rich mix of academic, cultural, research and social programs that are stacked or in close proximity, creates a density and variety of activities throughout the day and night.
c) effective and experiential shade and shelter, pedestrian-focused, car-lite strategy.
d) flexible master-plan strategy that is able to absorb a diverse range of building types and usage.
e) sufficient number and range of spaces and facilities which different student and staff groups could adapt for different uses.
3. The remodelling of the densely packed Science and Medicine pre-cinct over a 10-year period demonstrated that these principles could be usefully applied to transform and refresh existing built environ-ments. (figures 2 and 3).
Figure 2 – Medical Precinct before development
Figure 3 – Medical Precinct post re-development and including Academic Green
This journey started with the construction of two new high-rise research and education blocks (MD6 and MD1), and the extensive renovation of a third building (MD2) to house wet-lab research in the NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine. These provided leading-edge facilities that have enabled new training modes such as Collaborative Learning Cases (CLCs), an innova-tive educational strategy to enhance construcinnova-tive, collaborainnova-tive and contex-tual learning for students, and the Centre for Healthcare Simulation, which is the biggest and most comprehensive facility in Asia that utilizes computerized manikins and advanced simulation technology to provide inter-disciplinary training of medical and health professional students, as well as junior doctors.
MD6, otherwise called the Centre for Translational Medicine, is a 15-sto-rey complex, which also houses research centres such as the Cancer Science Institute of Singapore and a range of clinical translational research programs focused on human health, and the Asian phenotype.
These new buildings replaced old buildings that were no longer functional.
Furthermore, with the additional space, another old building (MD5) could be demolished so as to create a large green space which connects the new and existing buildings.
In similar fashion, a new, high-rise, wet-science building is currently being constructed in the adjacent Science Faculty. This entailed the demolition
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of two existing old buildings (S9 and S9A), as well as two lecture theatres.
When this work is finished in 2019, the resultant cleared space would become a large academic green which would provide a pleasant central heart for the precinct, enlivened at the ground level by a mix of dining facilities, students’
spaces, cafes and other amenities.
4. Environmental sustainability. Sustainable infrastructure manage-ment will also require a step-up in our capabilities to maximize the use of resources such as water, energy, green spaces and waste man-agement. NUS’ overall target is a 23% reduction in carbon emissions by 2020 on a Business As Usual (BAU) baseline. University-level oversight is exercised by a Sustainability Steering Committee, which monitors the implementation of sustainability programs, tracks a range of metrics, and includes stretch targets such as a recycling rate of 25%, Green Mark certification of 45 buildings, and an increase of green spaces in and on the roofs of buildings to 45,000 m2.
5. Greenway connectivity. The Greenway is an eco-friendly, encircling connective loop for pedestrians and cyclists, designed to blend har-moniously within NUS’ topographical layout. At designated points within each precinct, pedestrians and commuters can switch to more traditional forms of mass transport, including internal shuttle buses.
The intended aim is to shift transportation within the campus to a more sustainable car-lite and bus-lite model, and encourage healthier modes of movement, such as walking and cycling.