Learning Hub, Singapur

About

Conceived as a new educational referent in Singapore, the Learning Hub is a multipurpose building for Nanyang Technological University (NTU), with over 33.000 students. In the digital era, the old model of life-less classrooms off long daylight-less corridors seemed obsolete. Technology gives students access to knowledge from anywhere, so university now more than ever has to exist as a social place to bring people together and encourage spontaneous dialogue and exchange. The university staff wanted the structure to promote new learning methods within tutorial rooms where students would work together with the tutor as facilitator. This new scheme is materialized in a series of petal-shaped spaces – with neither straight walls, nor corners – distributed around a large atrium. Choosing reinforced concrete as the optimum construction material for the project, the studio explored treating it like hand-made clay; allowing its surfaces to have the qualities of detail and warmth that people would not expect of concrete. The curved concrete panels are created with striated silicone moulds, while the walls by elevators and stair are illustrated with bas-reliefs by artist Sara Fanelli, creating a variety of colored, textured and tactile surfaces.

Sources

• Arquitectura Viva