Blueprint Awards 2019 Winners Announced!
Best Public-Use Project with Public Funding
Winner: Serie + Multiply Architects, Singapore
School of Design and Environment 4, National University of Singapore, Singapore
Judges’ Comments
‘The sustainability achievements of this building are outstanding. This innovative approach in a tropical climate is tackled with clever design, while creating meaningful spaces for the future of learning.’ Ben van Berkel
‘Resourceful and knowing, it uses landscape to great effect.’ Sarah Wigglesworth
The new School of Design and Environment 4 (SDE4) for the National University of Singapore is the first net-zero-energy building of its kind in Singapore and is designed as an 8,500 sq m, six-storey, multidisciplinary space by Serie + Multiply Architects with consultant Surbana Jurong.
Located near the southern coastline of Singapore, SDE4 is part of a larger campus redevelopment. The climate-responsive building includes more than 1,500 sq m of design studio space, a 500 sq m open plaza, a range of public and social spaces, as well as a new cafe and library. The building was envisioned as a porous architecture structured in a juxtaposition of ‘platforms and boxes’ expressing its programmatic content.
The design carries the principles of vernacular tropical architecture in south-east Asia. More than 50% of the total area is naturally ventilated and air-conditioning is used only when needed. The spaces interspersed between cooled volumes benefit from cross ventilation, acting as thermal buffers/social spaces. The architecture is punctuated by an alternation of terraces, landscaped balconies and informal spaces. The building features a range of sustainable design features and more than 1200 solar photovoltaic panels on its rooftop.
Highly Commended
Approach Design, China
The Cloud Town Convention and Exhibition Center (Phase II), Hangzhou, China
Oppenheim Architecture, US
Muttenz Water Purification Plant, Basel, Switzerland
Commended
David Chipperfield Architects, Germany
James-Simon-Galerie, Berlin, Germany
Finalists
Aedas, Hong Kong and Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners, UK
Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge Passenger Clearance Building, Hong Kong Port, Hong Kong
Andrew Bromberg at Aedas, Hong Kong
Hong Kong West Kowloon Station, Hong Kong
Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios, UK
Alexandra Palace East Wing Regeneration Project, London, UK
Hawkins\Brown Architects, UK
The Beecroft Building, Oxford, UK
Interval Architects, China
Tower of Bricks, Hebei, China
Jestico + Whiles with Julian Harrap Architects, UK
Pitzhanger Manor and Gallery, London, UK
Mecanoo Architecten, the Netherlands
National Kaohsiung Centre for the Arts, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
Serie + Multiply Architects, Singapore
Oasis Terraces, Singapore
Stanton Williams, UK
Royal Opera House Open Up, London, UK
Steven Holl Architects, US
Queens Library at Hunters Point, New York City, US
Zaha Hadid Architects, UK
Nanjing International Youth and Cultural Centre, Nanjing, China
