SIT Unveils Distributed Campus Designs

11 April 2012

The Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT) unveiled the designs of its distributed campuses in a ceremony presided by Minister of State (Defence & Education) Mr Lawrence Wong as the Guest-of-Honour. To commemorate this new milestone in SIT’s evolution, a new corporate logo was also rolled out at the event.

In a break from tradition for tertiary campus spaces, SIT will adopt a distributed campus model in which an SIT building will be constructed within the grounds of each of the five local polytechnics. The estimated year of completion for the campuses is 2014. Each SIT building will house various degree programmes offered by SIT’s overseas university partners (refer ANNEX for location).

Distinctive design features across all of SIT’s campuses include:
• Main atrium featuring the SIT colours.
• Allocation of generous student-centric space in the form of well-ventilated common spaces, elevated activity decks and large courtyards.
• Spaces sculpted using glass and steel to let in more light and create a more “open” feel.

In keeping with SIT’s practice-oriented and industry-focused pedagogy, SIT will also allocate space to house some of its more hands-on degree programmes. Other than lecture theatres and tutorial rooms, SIT will also build a world-class kitchen designed and outfitted by kitchen specialists for the Culinary Arts Management degree programme offered by The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) as well as animation studios for the degree programmes offered by DigiPen Institute of Technology.

As part of its environmental efforts, SIT aims to secure the Green Mark Platinum with its new buildings. Hence, SIT will integrate several strategic measures in its campus designs to include inducing natural ventilation by means of a stack ventilation method which relies on air circulation, putting in place open spaces to create natural air columns, and introducing atriums with a spatial ambience similar to shaded breezy loggias and verandahs amongst others.

The designs for the SIT buildings in Singapore Polytechnic, Ngee Ann Polytechnic and Republic Polytechnic were awarded to consultancy teams led by DP Architects Pte Ltd. Concurrently, the designs for the SIT buildings in Temasek Polytechnic and Nanyang Polytechnic were awarded to consultancy teams led by Forum Architects Pte Ltd and RSP Architects Planners & Engineers Pte Ltd respectively.

The unveiling ceremony was held at the Chamber, The Arts House at The Old Parliament with the campus scale models open for public viewing for one day at the Gallery in the same venue.

About Singapore Institute of Technology

Established in 2009, SIT is an initiative of the Ministry of Education offering undergraduate degree programmes primarily for polytechnic graduates. In partnership with various reputable overseas universities, SIT has brought to Singapore some of the world’s top industry-focused degree programmes targeted at growth sectors of the economy.

Through a unique tripartite collaboration with its overseas university partners and the five local polytechnics, SIT represents a new model that is set to become a key pillar of university education. SIT adopts a distributed campus model to allow greater synergy and efficiency. Through this model, SIT’s degree programmes will be housed within an SIT building in each of the polytechnics to cater to an intake of at least 2000 full-time students per academic year by 2015.

ANNEX