Work was not too long ago accomplished on what’s being hailed as the biggest mass timber constructing in Asia. Designed by Pritzker Prize winner Toyo Ito & Associates, the undertaking options spectacular inexperienced design, together with photo voltaic panels that produce extra electrical energy than it wants.
Gaia was created in collaboration with RSP and is situated in Singapore’s Nanyang Technological College, instantly adjoining to Heatherwick Studio’s Studying Hub and close to to the Wave, which was additionally designed by Ito. It solely reaches a peak of six flooring, however has a size of 220 m (721 ft) and a floorspace of 43,500 sq m (roughly 468,000 sq ft). To place that into perspective, the tallest timber tower, Mjøstårnet, reaches 18 flooring.
The constructing takes the type of two barely separated and gently curving rectangles joined at a number of factors. Structurally, it consists largely of sustainably sourced mass timber, which is made up of a roughly equal combination of CLT (cross-laminated timber) and Glulam (glued laminated timber). Nonetheless, like numerous trendy timber initiatives we have reported on, it additionally has some concrete reinforcement too. On this case the concrete was used for the staircase cores, bogs and floor ground slabs.
NTU Singapore
The constructing serves as dwelling to the Nanyang Enterprise College and accommodates a 170 seat auditorium, 12 lecture theaters, 13 seminar rooms, and school rooms. The inside design is enticing, with the pure wooden left uncovered. Beneficiant glazing, together with skylights, ensures that pure mild permeates inside. In a pleasant contact, some brick from a earlier constructing that stood on the positioning has been used within the building too.
Gaia has obtained Singapore’s Inexperienced Mark Platinum (Zero Power) inexperienced constructing award, which celebrates buildings that create as a lot or extra power than they require. Photo voltaic panels put in on the rooftop reportedly produce 516,000 kWh of energy yearly and its exterior sports activities shading fins at key factors on its facade to cut back photo voltaic warmth achieve. It additionally has a number of open areas, terraces, and air wells to advertise air flow.
In response to NTU, Gaia’s power environment friendly design signifies that it produces roughly 2,500 fewer tonnes (2,755 US tons) of CO2 per yr in comparison with a typical constructing of its kind and measurement.
