An Equatorial School of Architecture

The EQUATORIAL SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE is a net-zero energy, super-low carbon, and adaptive reuse project that integrates high-quality architectural design, sustainability, and decarbonization within the complexities of the urban equator. The design carefully repurposes two 1976 buildings on the National University of Singapore’s campus by reworking their embodied carbon legacy, radically transforming the building’s interior and exterior in a publicly funded institutional retrofit. The design surgically removes antiquated systems while inserting dynamic social spaces, a verdant jungle, and a hybrid cooling system with fans and sensor-based lighting to create a dynamic, flexible, inspirational learning environment. The climate-responsive building includes a dramatic deep veil that calibrates the building to the equatorial climate. Within, the building includes more than 23,000 square meters of flexible design studio space, maker spaces, research centers, exhibition galleries, a 1,000-square-meter open verandah, faculty offices, and a wide variety of public and social spaces for learning and interaction between students, faculty, and the public. Careful substractions open up the interior space, achieving an additional 25% volume by removing the existing plenums and returning space allocated to air ducts back to user experience. Finishes are simple, sober, and unadorned to convey the material components of architecture and assembly laminations to the students. The original concrete structure is revealed and enhanced with acoustic finishes and carefully coordinated mechanical systems. Layers of overlapping teak laminate panels highlight the main social stair, meeting, and conference rooms. Green chairs complement the minimal material palette, resonating with the jungle-like context. Careful sections of furniture (built-in and loose) and furnishings comply with WELL V2 requirements on air quality and pollutant emission. The building is designed as a pedagogical tool for architectural education where everything is visible, open, and accessible to learn from and to teach from. The transformation creates a scaffolding for the future of architectural education in Singapore and Asia while centering decarbonization, sustainability, and the equatorial climate as critical components for the future of architecture.