NUS School of Design & Environment 4
By pushing for higher environmental performance with our design, we have a remarkable opportunity to define a new standard for energy efficient school buildings in Singapore and worldwide.
The NUS School of Design & Environment (SDE) building serves as the hub for integrating education from design to implementation and fostering industry and international collaborations through test-bedding and developing relevant green building technology. Called School of Design & Environment 4 (SDE4), it is Singapore’s first new-build net-zero energy building.
The building incorporates a large overhanging roof, together with the double facades on the east and west sides of the building, to shade it from the sun’s heat and provide a cooler interior. Rooms and public spaces are designed to maximise ventilation and natural lighting. An innovative hybrid cooling system also ensures that rooms are not overly cooled to reduce energy consumption. Over 1,200 solar photovoltaic panels installed on the roof help to power the entire building and produce more than 500MW-hours of energy a year.
Surbana Jurong is the full-suite consultant for the project, in collaboration with Serie+Multiply Consultants and Transsolar KlimaEngineering.
Photo credits: Office of Estate Development, National University of Singapore
