Republic Polytechnic Woodlands campus

[Pengui]

The official opening ceremony was held today... Although all the buildings are still under construction, quite a few of them are almost finished.









A model of the whole development:




The minister of Education had a speech about the school...

[ncon]

interesting

[RafflesCity]

that looks kinda huge!

[heirloom]

anyone with any pictures / news / updates on republic poly?

[Pengui]

RP should move to its new campus in 9 days from now if I'm correct... That's all I know ;-)

[^tamago^]

Originally Posted by heirloom

anyone with any pictures / news / updates on republic poly?

classes at woodlands campus will start next month.

[heirloom]

oh :! anyone got pics of the campus?

[redstone]

But RP's campus would not be fully complete in time.

Meanwhile Tanglin and Phoenix Park campuses would be re-leased out to a university.

Love how they retrofitted Phoenix Park.
But I've seen toilets with full length windows. Old windows.


WAH!!! Nice tower!
Wonder what's at No. 1 Newton now?

[hyacinthus]

Originally Posted by heirloom

oh :! anyone got pics of the campus?

Republic Polytechnic - Woodlands



Bordered by lush greenery rather than stark fences, the Republic Polytechnic campus will feature large open spaces where students can just hang out. Meinhardt (Singapore) is providing Civil, Structural and Facade engineering services for this S$400 million new campus at Woodlands. It will be able to accommodate 15,000 students and staff, and will be ready in 2006.
There are two interactive spaces in the campus - the Agora, named after the Ancient Greek term for public square; and a lush lawn that will act as common ground for the polytechnic's 11 academic blocks, also known as Learning Pods.
On a macro-scale, the 11 Pods allow for the different permutation and combinations of programmatic zoning of labs, facilitators' offices and study clusters. These permutations occur both horizontally as well as vertically. On a micro-scale, the design of the 40m x 40m Pods allow for interchangeability and maximum flexibility within each floorplate. The core and service elements are arranged in a linear fashion within the floorplate leaving 2 large re-configurable spaces of 16m clear spans on either side for the placement of study clusters, dry labs and/or facilitators' offices. The Pods have a floor to floor height of 4.2m which permits these large span areas to be re-configured into seminar rooms, lecture theatres, wet labs, clean rooms, etc according to the future needs.

Source: http://www.meinhardtgroup.com/conten...epublic%20poly

[RafflesCity]

Is it completed?

[hyacinthus]

yes. from March 2006.

[RafflesCity]

ok...

[hyacinthus]

Campus tour of Republic Polytechnic - http://www.rp.sg/campus%5Ftour/

[RafflesCity]

Arts Council and Republic Poly set up regional arts centre

4 Aug 06



The arts goes from the Esplanade to Woodlands with the first regional art centre for 30,000 heartlanders and youth in the north.

The National Arts Council (NAC) is working with Republic Polytechnic to make full use of its purpose-built arts facility to do this.

With the centre, the arts will set down deep roots in Woodlands and cultivate a bigger audience.

Professor Low Teck Seng, Principal and CEO, Republic Polytechnic, said: "It allows us to be part of the total fabric of arts and culture in Singapore. It allows us to be connected to all the different arts groups, to open up our facilities to reach out to the community and to integrate the vibrancy of our youth with those in the arts world in Singapore."

Lee Suan Hiang, CEO, National Arts Council, said: "This will make it easier for the community to have access to the arts and also to have the opportunity for them to enjoy the arts right at their doorstep."

"This collaboration with the poly will also allow us to develop new programmes to train professionals in the technical and production aspects of the arts. We'll be working with the polytechnic to develop new areas in terms of technology in the arts."

As part of the agreement, Republic Polytechnic will also be tapping on NAC's technical expertise and consulting the Council when it develops new courses related to the arts.

It will also be conducting surveys on audience arts preferences and exchanging information with NAC to improve knowledge and understanding of the arts.

Professor Low added: "Over and above the diplomas we offer, which will be expanded, we hope to work with NAC in the lifelong learning space. So that lifelong learning becomes the norm even for artists as they learn new techniques. The other element is of course the integration of technology into art forms of different kinds."

When completed in November, the complex will house world class arts facilities including performance spaces, galleries and recording studios.

And the National Arts Council says if this pilot project is successful, it will be looking to develop other regional arts centres.

The Republic Cultural Centre will house a 1,200 seat auditorium, a 400 seat theatre and a black box.

It will also have an amphitheatre, dance studio and music rooms.

These facilities and the plans to utilise them for performances, workshops, arts education and seminars have both residents and artists excited.

Cheong Khim Teck, Chairman, Marsiling CCC, said: "All the while the arts and culture all centres and focused in town. And this is something in the northern region, I hope the people living in the north can also benefit and also learn how to enjoy them."

Lalilha Vaidyanathan, Principal, Singapore Indian Fine Arts Society, said: "We are bringing arts to the Northern side people and we are glad to be part of it in exposing our Indian arts which is traditional to the people out here."

The centre is expected to open officially to the public in April.

By Joanne Leow, Channel NewsAsia

[RafflesCity]

Eco-nomic sense to go green

12 Aug 06

Being eco-friendly looks set to pay off for Republic Polytechnic - it won an award and is likely to save on its future utilities bills



IT IS enough to make other learning hubs go green with envy: Singapore's newest polytechnic, Republic Polytechnic, has unveiled details of the final look of its campus, and it is one that is both people- and eco-friendly.
The polytechnic moved to the Woodlands site earlier this year from a temporary location in Tanglin, but the 20ha campus is not yet completed.

However, once the final tree is planted - by the end of this year if all goes according to schedule - get set for a cutting-edge campus that will be 'open' for business in more ways than one.

Greenies will love its environmentally sensitive design with features like lawns with trees and stones, instead of covered walkways.

Being eco-friendly is set to pay off in other ways: The polytechnic has spent almost $688,000 on energy-efficient features such as cheaper ways to store water for its air-conditioning - measures that will save it at least $400,000 per year.

As for being people-friendly, this contemporary campus is reaching out to its heartland neighbours.

Residents from nearby HDB estates will be able to stroll freely across the grounds, which make up 43 per cent of the whole site. Adding to the greenery, right next door is Admiralty Park, managed by the National Parks Board.

At the actual polytechnic buildings - 12 in all, including 11 so-called 'study pods' - public access is limited to the ground floor. But there, people of all walks of life will be able to tuck into fare from the campus' three foodcourts. There will be the usual hawker food such as chicken rice, nasi padang and fish ball noodles.

The deputy principal of the four-year-old polytechnic, MrEden Liew, declares: 'We welcome residents from the neighbouring HDB flats to dine at our foodcourts.'

So open is the campus that it does not even have a fence around its grounds.

No wonder it has already garnered the nickname 'Campus in the Park' - some would say, a fitting feature for a country dubbed the Garden City.

Designed by award-winning Japanese architect Fumihiko Maki together with local firm DP Architects, it won the Green Mark Platinum Award from the Building and Construction Authority in April. This honours developers of buildings that are environment-friendly.

One of the polytechnic's green features is its thermal energy storage (TES) system, which tackles the single biggest utilities expenditure for most buildings: air-conditioning. An air-con bill can sometimes make up as much as 40 per cent of a power bill.

With students expected to number 13,000 and a staff strength of 1,400, that is no small consideration.

The TES system allows the polytechnic to store water for its air-con in two tanks, each 21/2 times the size of an Olympic-sized swimming pool. This water is stored during the night when electricity tariffs are about 50 per cent cheaper, and used during the day, minimising the need to run the air-con plant then.

'With the TES system, the poly can save at least $380,000 in electricity bills annually,' says Mr Laurence Tan, the polytechnic's estate manager.

Other green features in the campus - which cost about $350 million to construct - include using sunshade louvres and 'low-emissive' glass windows. These keep rooms cooler, thanks to a clear glass with a thin coating of metal oxide which allows sunlight to pass through while blocking out ultraviolet light and heat.

The indoor basketball court uses three types of ventilation to make the most of nature's breezes. When there are major competitions, the air-con is switched on. But during practice sessions, either the fans are switched on or the windows are left open.

Lighting is also cost-efficient and eco-friendly. Photocell external lighting is used, in which external lights sense the amount of sunlight, and automatically switch on or off.

Instead of students having to press light switches in the toilets, motion detectors do the work.

Even in the swimming pool, nature makes a splash. The poly's pools use a special ionisation water treatment which destroys any bacteria or algae. This means less chlorine has to be used and swimmers no longer suffer from side-effects such as smarting eyes and dry skin.

Professor Maki, who received the prestigious Pritzker Architecture Prize in 1993, believes that public places are the best catalysts for generating human interaction.

With its greenery and human scale, his design complements a polytechnic that principal Low Teck Seng describes as a 'daringly different educational institution'.

But only time will tell if its graduates adapt well to that other challenging eco-system - the workplace environment.

By Tay Suan Chiang, DESIGN REPORTER

[^tamago^]

E6.




Staircase from E6 to E3.


Linkway to E5.


Library at W6.


W5.


Looking at W6 & W4 from W5.


E1.


The Republic Culture Centre (TRC).


Escalator from outdoor area to basement of E3.


Along walkway from entrance next to Republic Polytechnic Centre (RPC).


Taken around pond between E1, Foodcourt A and RPC.






RPC as seen from TRC and vehicle drop-off/pick-up area.

[Pengui]

Cool pics :-)
So all of the buildings are completed now ?

[^tamago^]

Yup, they've been completed, but interior work continues on E6 and W6, with most of the tutorial rooms in W6 having electrical works going on on the higher floors and chairs lying around.

works are also going on at TRC, with scotch tapes still on the glass panels outside and light fittings along outdoor staircase undone yet.

there are also some landscaping works in the compounds. as a general rule, the further you walk in, the more unoccupied it is.

[RafflesCity]

what a nice-looking campus

Like the landscaping and water touches

[spikeshamz]

It looks really fantastics, Woodlands residents must be proud to have that in their backyard. The cultural centre should be fully utilised to cash in on the residents of JB !!!