Learning Hub, Heatherwick studio has won a competition to design a Learning Hub for a university in Singapore. The hub will be part of a £360 million scheme which Nanyang Technological University is undertaking, and is the first redevelopment of its campus’ in twenty years.
Courtesy of Heatherwick Studio
It was clear to us that since the advent of the internet and low cost computers that there has been a distinct shift in how students approach educational facilities. University buildings have ceased to be the only site where students are able to source educational texts, and have become unappealing spaces with endless corridors, no natural daylight and only hints of other people’s presence.
Courtesy of Heatherwick Studio
The studio’s approach was to redefine the aspiration of a university building, and to once again make it an essential part of the tertiary education experience. Within this new context the purpose of a university is to foster togetherness and sociability, so that students can meet their fellow entrepreneurs, scientists or colleagues in a space that encourages collaboration.
Courtesy of Heatherwick Studio
The hub’s form is dictated by its function, and brings together 55 tutorial rooms into a structure without conventional corridors, which have traditionally created social separation and isolation. The learning hub has no one door, it is porous. Students can enter from 360 degrees around into a large central space which links all the separate towers together. Each tower is made up of a stack of classrooms which build up gradually, with gardens on selected floors.
Courtesy of Heatherwick Studio
Another inspiration for the hub was a wish to break down the traditional square forward-facing classrooms with a clear front and hierarchy, and move to a corner-less space, where teachers and students mix on a more equal basis. In this model, students work together around shared tables, with teacher as facilitator and partner in the voyage of learning, rather than ‘master’ executing a top-down model of pedagogy. Each of these tutorial rooms faces the large shared central space, allowing students to continually feel connected to all the other activities going on in the building.
Courtesy of Heatherwick Studio
In 2013 the learning hub was awarded the BCA Green Mark Platinum Award for sustainability by the Singaporean government. The award is a benchmarking scheme which incorporates internationally recognised best practices in environmental design and performance.
Project info:
Architects: Heatherwick Studio
Country: Singapore
Area: 14000 m²
Year: 2013
Photographs: Courtesy of Heatherwick Studio
Manufacturers: Jonite
Lead Architect: CPG Consultants; Project Lead – Vivien Leong
Mechanical & Electrical Engineer: Bescon Consulting Engineers Pte Ltd
Environmental Performance: Green Mark Platinum
Design Consultant: Heatherwick Studio, Ole Smith
Main Contractor: Newcon Builders
Sustainability Consultants: CPG Consultants Pte Ltd
Civil: TYLin International
Structural Engineers: TYLin International
Ibrahim Abdelhady is an architect, academic, and media entrepreneur with over two decades of experience in architecture and digital publishing. He is the Founder and CEO of Arch2O.com, a leading platform in architectural media, renowned for showcasing innovative projects, student work, and critical discourse in design. Holding dual PhDs in Architecture, Dr. Abdelhady combines academic rigor with industry insight, shaping both future architects and architectural thought. He actively teaches, conducts research, and contributes to the global architecture community through his writing, lectures, and media ventures. His work bridges the gap between practice and academia, pushing the boundaries of how architecture is communicated in the digital age.