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Mold issues with Toyo Ito's mass timber Singapore building unrelated to materials, experts claim

2024-09-02T09:35:00-04:00

The mold problem reported at Toyo Ito’s groundbreaking Gaia mass timber structure for Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in Singapore appears to have been caused by exposure to rain and condensation, a late update from Global Construction Review said Friday.

According to the publication, two professors from the Univeristy’s College of Design and Engineering confirmed the mold problem was not directly caused by a critical flaw in the materials.

The news, which was first reported last week by a local outlet, comes just 15 months after the building (officially the largest of its kind in Asia) opened with praise as the new home of NTU’s Business School. Ito’s team did not provide a statement regarding the issue. The 468,000-square-foot structure had mold spores on its exterior facade, air-conditioning grilles, and furnishings that have since been removed by maintenance crews.

Toyo Ito completes work on the largest mass timber building in Asia

2023-05-23T18:00:00-04:00

Toyo Ito has shared photo and video updates at the conclusion of his firm’s monumental academic building project, titled "Gaia," for the Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in Singapore.

The completed mass timber design is now reportedly the largest of its kind in Asia, topping out at six stories and a total of 468,000 square feet. It is the new home of NTU’s Business School and comes equipped with a 190-seat auditorium, 12 large lecture halls, seminar rooms, laboratories, graduate student and faculty offices, and multiple classroom spaces.

Image courtesy NTU Singapore.

Bricks held over from the former NTU Innovation Centre were also repurposed as a decorative wall inside the new structure. The design recently garnered the Building and Construction Authority of Singapore’s Green Mark Platinum (Zero Energy) building award for its impressive sustainable performance metrics, which led to over 2,500 fewer tonnes of carbon dioxide being used per year.

Ima...

Research team invents new 'smart' window that diminishes heat without blocking views

2021-11-10T19:46:00-05:00

An international research team led by scientists from Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore has invented a new window material that controls heat transmission without blocking views, which could help reduce the energy required to cool and heat buildings.

The new energy-saving material for electrochromic (EC) windows is designed to block infrared radiation, which is the primary component of sunlight that emits heat. According to NTU Singapore’s announcement, the material could block up to 70 percent of infrared radiation, while allowing up to 90 percent of visible light to pass through. In addition, the researchers claim that it is about 30 percent more effective in regulating heat than commercially available electrochromic windows and is cheaper to make due to its durability. The material is intended to be coated onto glass window panels with users being able to switch on and off the infrared radiation transmission through the window.

Current electrochromic windows are...

Scientists develop a flexible concrete that is stronger than traditional mixtures

2016-08-17T19:09:00-04:00

Researchers at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore have invented a new type of concrete that is flexible yet stronger than traditional concrete. Named ConFlexPave, the concrete "allows the creation of slim precast pavement slabs for quick installation, thus halving the time needed for road works and new pavements," according to the press release.

According to the inventors, the new concrete will cut down on on-site work and construction time, as well as reduce inconveniences caused by road maintenance. Precast ConFlexPave slabs are much thinner and lighter than traditional concrete slabs, so they can be more easily installed.

The new concrete uses polymer microfibre which allows the material to bend under pressure and improves skid resistance. According to the lead researcher, Assistant Professor Yang En-Hua, the "key breakthrough" was understanding "how the components of the materials interact with one another mechanically on a microscopic level."

“The hard materials give a ...

Look inside Heatherwick Studio's newly opened Learning Hub at NTU Singapore

2015-03-12T20:53:00-04:00

After Heatherwick Studio won the competition to design the Learning Hub at the Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, the cocoon-like building finally opened its doors this week. Alongside Heatherwick Studio, CPG Consultants worked as the Lead Architect and Sustainability Consultant for the Learning Hub. The 8-story building is NTU Singapore's first redevelopment in 20 years, and is also part of the university's larger £360 million ($536.3 million) redevelopment plan for the campus.

Although the building looks enclosed from the outside, the mixed-use Hub forgoes the traditional box-shaped layout of university buildings to encourage instead an open learning environment for the school's 33,000 students and faculty. Tapering toward a central public atrium, the building's 12 concrete towers provide a total of 56 cornerless smart classrooms that NTU designed to reflect their new pedagogy that promotes small-group teaching and active in-person learning, an important method to uphol...