ABOUT SERIE ARCHITECTS

• Serie specializes in architecture, urban design and research.

• The work of Serie is known for its spatial intelligence, formal elegance
and contextual engagement.
• Led by Christopher Lee
• Portfolio of work includes projects in the UK, Singapore, India, China,
and the Middle East, and has been based on a series of high profile
design competition successes.
• Founded in 2008 by Christopher Lee in London and Kapil Gupta in
Mumbai, India, Serie maintains offices in London, Mumbai, Singapore
and Beijing. Jervois Mansion
• Reputation for designing distinctive buildings in the public realm, with
a special focus on cultural, civic and educational building.
• Known for its emphasis on the study of building typologies, their
embedded intelligence and potential application. Jervois Mansion
• Serie Architects won the ‘Young Architect of the Year Award’ in 2010.
This is the most prestigious award in the UK for architects under the
age of 40. The award recognizes innovative design, successfully
completed projects and inventive theoretical work.

Oasis Terraces

ABOUT THE PROJECT

Project Name : School of Design and Environment
Project Type : Educational institution
Size : 8,500 sq. Meters
Location : 8 Architecture Drive. Singapore
Year of Completion : 2019
Team : Serie + Multiply Architects, Surbana Jurong

Facade
• An inventive educational architecture developed by the School of Design and Environment at the National
University of Singapore.
• The institutional organization that promotes design, sustainability and education in South East Asia.
• SDE4 is the first new-build net-zero energy building in Singapore and it is designed as a 8,500-square-metre, six-
storey, multi-disciplinary space by Serie + Multiply Architects with Surbana Jurong.
• The design is inspired by vernacular tropical architecture in Southeast Asia.
• The loose accumulation of rooms to allow cross ventilation and the use of platforms to raise the building off the
ground.
• A large over-sailing roof to protect rooms from the sun and ae use this large surface for the installation of 1,225 PV
cells for energy generation.

Green Fields overlooking the project Elevation Entrance

NUS SCHOOL OF DESIGN AND ENVIRONMENT -VASUKRUPA, IV B

LOCATION & CLIMATE ANALYSIS

The facing to be naturally cooler in

sequence is indicated in
different color in the outer circle of
the figure, i.e., Deep Blue -> Light
Blue -> Yellow -> Red. south facing &
a bit towards east –> south facing ->
south facing & a bit towards west ->
north/north & a bit towards east ->
west, west-north, east.
Climate Chart

Location Map
LOCATION Mid rise
Neighborhood Context: Institutional zone Unblocked rooms
Overlooking green fields Huge openable and perforated facade
Shading from trees
CLIMATE North East and South west have the
Singapore has a tropical climate- hot and longest facing exterior walls.
humid. April to October- South to North The climate-responsive building
winds. November to March- North to South includes more than 1,500 square
winds. metres of design studio space, a 500-
Ideas to provide a naturally cooler unit: square-metre open plaza; a wide
I. High-rise or mid rise , unblocked units variety of public and social spaces;
II. With an air tunnel for wind to flow freely. workshops and research centers; a
III. Avoid west facing. new cafe and a library.
View

Ventilation and Lighting into the building Ventilation and Lighting into the building

• The completed building is incredibly open.

• It is able to reduce its energy demand, but at the same time it doesn't end up being a very solid building.
• SDE4's large platforms are configured in a way that promotes interaction and visual connectivity.
• Envisioned a very transparent volume in which the outside and the inside spaces are ambiguous; where nature and
landscape play an important part, as a backdrop to the building.
• The building mass is punctuated by an alternation of shaded terraces, landscaped balconies, and informal spaces
that act as thermal buffers and social spheres that imitate the signature tropical verandas.

NUS SCHOOL OF DESIGN AND ENVIRONMENT -VASUKRUPA, IV B

PASSIVE DESIGN
Site Layout & Planning

The challenging terrain around the existing

building and abundant mature trees on the site
are assimilated with the new building to bring
the surrounding landscape in close proximity
with interior spaces.

Form & Massing

The massing is broken down by using the

architectural concept of ‘floating boxes’, wher e
its shallow plan and porous layout allow for
cross-breezes. The optimal North-South
openings let in natural light and provide views
to the outdoors.
Masterplan

Façade & Envelope Passive Design Strategies

South façade - lined columns scaling the entire height of the structure, supporting the large over-sailing roof that
protrudes by 52 feet.
This shades the building from the tropical sun and allows for additional area on the roof for PV panels.
East and the west facades - covered in undulating perforated corrugated aluminium panels that moderate
the amount of light filtering through, thus acting as shading devices.
The glass used for facades is high-performance double-glazed unit (DGU) along with large overhangs and high
louvres.

Double glazing units comprise of two panes of glass that are separated with a spacer and filled with argon gas in
the gap between the two layers of glass. The glass is further finished on the sides and is ready for installation.

Perforated Aluminum facade View

NUS SCHOOL OF DESIGN AND ENVIRONMENT -VASUKRUPA, IV B

PASSIVE DESIGN
Ventilation Design

Only 17% of the building is fully air-conditioned, whereas 46%

of the building is naturally ventilated and 26% of the building is
hybrid tempered.
Hybrid tempered ventilation is a combination of air-
conditioning and natural ventilation, wherein the weather
permitting rooms are provided with openable glazing to
encourage natural ventilation.

Ventilation
Daylight Design

The building design is optimised to facilitate optimum daylight

with the help of open platforms, minimal solid walls and large
window / glazed façade designed with overhangs, internal
blinds, and light shelves.
Almost 100% of occupants are within 7.5 metres of the
windows, with access to glare-free daylight and view to the
outdoor greenery.

Studio
Biophilic design

Ambiguous boundaries between the indoors and outdoors,

allows uninterrupted connection of occupants with the
natural systems.
The building material palette highlights the raw and natural
characteristics with the use of steel, perforated metal and
concrete.

Renewable energy

1225 PV cells for energy generation, which generate around

500 MWh/yr of electricity, enough to power the entire
building’s estimated annual energy requirements.
On days with insufficient insolation, the building draws
energy from the power grid.
Based on the performance data over a year, it is observed
that SDE4 is operating at net positive.

View- Indoor studios Solar Panels on Roof

NUS SCHOOL OF DESIGN AND ENVIRONMENT -VASUKRUPA, IV B

ACTIVE STRATEGIES
Hybrid Tempered System with Adaptive
Thermal Comfort Design

Hybrid tempered ventilation system controls air

temperatures, air speeds, humidity and mean
radiant temperatures, developing adaptive
tempered comfort conditions, resulting in almost Ventilation
50% lower energy consumption than the
conventional fully air-conditioned design.
The system is designed to supply the rooms with
100% pre-cooled air.
It works in tandem with ceiling fans that temper air
supply through elevated air speeds, ensuring that
the rooms are not under-cooled, and the outdoor
winds are not jarring.
The system thus strategizes to maintain an
operative temperature of 29°C. However, it is able
to achieve the standard effective temperature
of 27 °C.
The system design makes sure that the indoor air
quality is not compromised while maintaining the
View
adaptive comfort conditions even when outdoor
temperature is high.

Interior lighting Ceiling lights

Smart Features
The windows of hybrid tempered rooms
are equipped with sensors that trigger the system to
switch off the air conditioning when the windows are
opened.
Daylight utilization is enhanced through a network
of photocells and occupancy sensors in addition to
the architectural design.
Demand control ventilation strategies are in place
to ensure that indoor carbon dioxide levels do
not exceed 750 ppm. Sensors measure, track and
optimize indoor air quality.
Night View
Artificial Lighting Design
90% of the lighting requirement is met by LEDs.
Artificial lights have been carefully selected to ensure high color rendering index (CRI) values, low glare
and low flickering.
All lights are controllable through dimmers.

NUS SCHOOL OF DESIGN AND ENVIRONMENT -VASUKRUPA, IV B

ACTIVE STRATEGIES

Active Strategies

Serie worked with Transsolar Climate Engineers to develop the net zero energy building design concept.
Surbana Jurong were Local Architect, Services and Structural Engineers.

MASTERPLAN

NUS SCHOOL OF DESIGN AND ENVIRONMENT -VASUKRUPA, IV B

 DESIGN AND PLANNING

Lam Khee Poh, Dean of the School of Design and

Environment, explained: “Buildings are not isolated
entities in their own context. They form an environment,
a precinct, or a neighborhood supporting community
activities, which is crucial for all educational institutions.
Our students and faculty get the opportunity to learn
both inside and outside the classroom, being engaged in
an integrated process of designing, developing,
constructing, and operating state-of-the-art buildings that
will, in turn, influence them to adapt their own behavior
when they occupy it.”

Erik L’Heureux, Vice Dean (Special Projects) at the School

of Design and Environment, says: “SDE4 represents a
scaffold for learning, teaching, and research designed for
the twenty-first-century university. Not only does it
envision how we teach today but also paves the way we
might teach in the future.”
The interstitial space between the inner and outer skins
on the east and west facade is, for instance, designated
for research. In these areas, elements of the façade can
be dismantled and replaced with new systems depending
on the School’s research needs. Therefore, the building
serves as a canvas for test-bedding and developing
relevant green building technology, becoming, in effect, a
Exploded axonometric plans living laboratory.

NUS SCHOOL OF DESIGN AND ENVIRONMENT -VASUKRUPA, IV B

 DESIGN AND PLANNING

NUS SCHOOL OF DESIGN AND ENVIRONMENT -VASUKRUPA, IV B

 DESIGN AND PLANNING

Elevation 1

Elevation 2

NUS SCHOOL OF DESIGN AND ENVIRONMENT -VASUKRUPA, IV B

• Circulation corridors and straight flight staircases link
and penetrate these volumetric platforms, allowing
spaces to bleed.

• The building has a strong biophilic component in the

deliberate use and celebration of the raw and natural
characteristics of the materials for steel, perforated
metal and concrete. As a result the finished concrete
surfaces are unique; some columns resemble marble,
and all possess a tactile quality that enhances the
materiality of the architecture.

Perforated Aluminum Facade

Perforated Aluminum Facade

• The east and west facades are designed as a veil, an aluminum curtain
that filters sunlight and emphasizes a connection to the surroundings.
• The south gardens are integral to the pedagogical experience of the
building.
• Designed as a natural purification system, the landscape improves
water quality while encouraging lifestyle activities and teaching
around water.
• Runoff from the roof and hard scape is cleansed by passing through
soil, which removes sediments and soluble nutrients.
• Nearly 50% of the plants selected are native species and most are
from the southern tropics, a choice that also provides opportunities
for environmental education.

Finished Concrete Surfaces

SDE4 changes the argument that green buildings cost more, as it has limited or no extra cost compared to similar,
industry-standard models.
Preliminary results of subjective surveys completed by occupants show high levels of user acceptance of the
environmental conditions offered by the building.
In doing this, SDE4 speaks to multiple audiences: occupants and users, policy makers and developers.

NUS SCHOOL OF DESIGN AND ENVIRONMENT -VASUKRUPA, IV B

 DESIGN FEATURES

• The design uses the potential of sectional

connections across programmatic zones
and a circulation strategy to set up
unexpected meetings across the student
body and faculty.
• The design contains five types of spaces
for learning: the large open studio,
measuring over 70 metres in length for
collaborative learning for architectural
students; smaller studios surrounded by
landscape for researchers; the ‘drop-
down’ crit-space, visible from all
approaches to the building, for student
presentations; test-bedding areas located
along the façade of the building; and social
spaces of different sizes which are spread
across the building for interaction and
relaxation.

Smaller Studios
The first of these is the large and continuous open
studio space designed to foster collaboration and instill
curiosity in the work of others.
The second is more contemplative in nature, designed
as a series of smaller rooms surrounded by landscape
to be used by researchers and masters level students. Interaction Spaces + Circulation Spaces

Transition Space Large Open Studio

NUS SCHOOL OF DESIGN AND ENVIRONMENT -VASUKRUPA, IV B