Singapore is famous for many things, from its hawker centres with authentic cheap eats, to ig-worthy places like SuperTree Grove, iconic rooftop views, and much more. But now Singapore boasts the largest wooden building in Asia.
Nanyang Technological University opened the largest wooden building in Asia in May. Gaia is a 43,500 square-metre facility, worth $125 million, occupied by Nanyang Business School.
Asia’s largest wooden building is 220m in length, exhibiting six-storeys, designed with Mass Engineered Timber (MET). Wonderfully, it’s the eight zero energy building on the campus, boasting natural light, plants and trees, and a connection with natural surroundings.
According to RSP, there are classrooms from floor 1 to 3, teachers offices on the 5th and 6th floor, while the rest of building offers a research centre, laboratories, a car park, terraces, and other world-class facilities used among NTU students and faculty.
Interestingly, Gaia is one of the few buildings globally entirely constructed by wood – which showcases the university’s commitment to sustainability. In fact, more than half of the zero energy buildings in Singapore are based at this green campus.
Gaia was designed in collaboration with Toyo Ito & Associates Architects, an award-winning Japanese architect known for incorporating natural elements into his works. The idea was first unveiled in 2018.
How is Gaia (the largest wooden building in Asia) sustainable?
The timber used to construct the largest wooden building in Asia were sourced from sustainable forests. Meanwhile, innovative technology known as MET, renewable materials, and the re-use of façade blocks to decorate made the construction easier to handle and better for the planet.
Additionally, the Gaia building reduces its carbon footprint, producing much less carbon dioxide using energy efficient systems. From rooftop solar panels to the use of sun shading fins instead of fans, and a superb energy-saving, air-conditioning system…it’s a true ode to nature.
📍50 Nanyang Ave, Singapore 639798
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