Stamford-NTU

Biz Research Centre

Due to the Chinese heritage of NTU, the campus design of Stanford-NTU College makes much reference to the Chinese quadrangles or Siheyuan, a traditional type of residence in China. By this name, a typical Chinese quadrangle comprises a courtyard surrounded by buildings on all four sides along the North-South direction, where the main entrance is on the Southern side. The detailed arrangement is shown in Figure 6 below.

In term of spatial arrangement, the Chinese quadrangles forms a harmonious entity and promotes interaction among its residents. Space is efficiently utilized because all the buildings are closely interlinked. The inner courtyard at the center would provide the students ample space for study and activities. Analogously, the nature of this enclosed Stanford-NTU College campus symbolizes a sense of unitedness and it promotes an air of tranquility and safeness within the parameter. Moreover, with our remarkable emphasis on implementation of energy-efficient mechanisms, this structural feature compliments the concept of green energy and presents seamlessly the idea of self-sufficiency.

The second key feature in our design concept is “the modification of urban barriers”. It is an unfortunately common belief that concrete walls, as a symbol of urban development, separate us from our mother nature. However, it would also obstruct our modern productivity if we forfeit the basic urban build-up structures. To relieve one out of this dilemma, we optimize the situation by creating maximum transparency in our structure. The large portion of glass usage in our building optimizes the natural light utilization. It serves not only as a practical energy saver, but also provides people within the structure a livelier attachment to the surrounding environment, which in this case an amicable scenery of rich flora terra at coastal side of Singapore.