Campus Design Innovations Group
About
Translational Research by Design + Performance Excellence in real-world applications at NUS:
Design Excellence
Net Zero Carbon (Operational & Embodied)
Well & Sustainability across the DOA/NUS Campus
Scope
Using the NUS campus as a laboratory, the Campus Design Innovations Group translates and integrates architecture, design, and performance research into net-zero energy, low or net-zero carbon buildings for our students, faculty, and public.
Team
Dean’s Chair Associate Professor Dr. Erik L’Heureux (Ar.) FAIA Leader (2022-current)
(2018-2021, Vice Dean for Special Projects)
Dr. Erik L’Heureux (Ar.) FAIA, is a Dean’s Chair Associate Professor at the Department of Architecture, College of Design and Engineering at the National University of Singapore. He inspires future architects to embrace the complexities and opportunities of designing in equatorial climates. Since moving to Singapore in 2003 from New York City—where he practiced architecture and taught at The Cooper Union’s Irwin S. Chanin School of Architecture—Dr. L’Heureux has developed a distinct design philosophy. His approach emphasizes passive performance, pattern, and simplicity, as seen in projects like the NetZero Energy Yusof Ishak House and the NetZero Energy, Super Low Carbon SDE 1 & 3 buildings. These works respond to the region’s hot, humid climate and dense urban environment with formal elegance and refined performative “deep veils.”
Dr. L’Heureux’s creative contributions have been widely recognized, including the Wheelwright Prize from Harvard University and numerous awards such as the AIA New York, NY State Design, SARA NY, National Design, and INDE Design Awards. Recently, he received a Holcim Award for Sustainable Construction in 2023. Beyond his design practice, Dr. L’Heureux enriches the field through his writings, including Renovating Carbon (ORO Editions, 2022) and Deep Veils (ORO Editions, 2014), along with his co-edited volume Drawing Climate (Birkhäuser, 2021) and numerous published articles.
Associate Director (Energy & Technology Services)
Bertrand Lasternas
Bertrand Lasternas holds a graduate degree in Mechanical Engineering and is an associate director at the National University of Singapore. Before arriving in Singapore, he was a senior research scientist at the Center for Building Performance at Carnegie Mellon University (Pittsburgh, USA). Alongside his research commitments, he now oversees and manages the portfolio of campus redevelopment projects, pushing energy efficiency performance and system integration.
Past Directors (As Special Projects)
Nirmal Kishnani (2013-2017); David Cheong (2017-2018)
Giovanni Cossu, Associate Director, Special Project (2015-2023
With Support by:
Han Qi, Zulkarnain M. Zin, Amanda Mo, Anirudh Chandar, Astrid Mayadinta, Azizul Izwan B. Roslan, Cynthia Wee, Epiphanie Barli Lie, Harsh Vardhan, Iven Peh, Joel Tay, Krista Yeong, Lakshmi Menon, Lee Lip Jiang, Ng Sze Wee, Nur Syarafina Binte Kamsani, Ong Chan Hao, Reuben Lim, Stephanie Kui Hui Guat, Zeno Lee, Zuliandi Azli and others.
Publications
Publications include Renovating Carbon (2022), SDE Zero (2019), and academic and conference papers leveraging building experience and data collated during the span of SDE 1, 3, and 4 ‘s design, construction, and post-occupancy. The research outcomes of Special Projects have supported research papers, thesis students, and academic modules through the critical review of design methods, design values, data sharing, and public presentations.
Renovating Carbon (2022)
“Carbon is everywhere: in the soil, in the air, in life. The foundation of architecture and the built environment, carbon is also infamous for intensifying the climate catastrophes around us. Architects, by the nature of their education and practice, transform carbon in the built environment. Twelve critical essays in this book present a constellation of voices surrounding carbon and its relationship with architecture, renovation, material, form, and design pedagogy. The renovation of two buildings on the equator at the College of Design and Engineering (CDE) at the National University of Singapore serves as the scaffold for reflection, raising key questions about the values embedded in the architecture of architecture schools: What principles might a low-carbon future embody? What do renovations mean for rapidly urbanizing Asia? How can they transform the relationship between climate and architecture on the equator? Do they demand new equatorial forms? How can material innovations influence their design? How can the design of architecture schools influence a new generation of architects toward a sustainable future? These and other questions are explored here, illustrating the models of thought that have shaped architecture and offer ways to sustainably transform carbon in our warming world.”
SDE Zero (2019)
“The ability to see our embeddedness in the world is absolutely critical to the future of sustainability. Projects that link occupants to networks help us view architecture as a part of larger natural systems. This transparency heightens the argument of sustainability by reconnecting buildings to the global ecosystem. The School of Design and Environment (SDE) at the National University of Singapore (NUS) is reimagining its campus architecture. The goal for the School’s precinct is to rediscuss sustainability by proposing new prototypes of sustainable design that meld performance and beauty. SDE4 is the fourth block of the SDE campus and the first net-zero energy building in NUS. This book presents an overview of the strategies and ambitions applied to SDE4 as well as glimpses of the School’s aspirations for the future.”
Research Articles
L’Heureux, Erik (2019). Hot & Wet Campus Architecture. Keynote Speaker, 7th Annual International Conference on Architecture and Civil Engineering, Singapore.
L’Heureux, Erik (2021). SDE Carbon Story. Invited Lecture, Land Transport Authority, Singapore.
L’Heureux, Erik (2021). Zeroing in on Net Zero Carbon Buildings. Invited Speaker, Urban Land Institute Conference, Singapore.
Li, Wenxin & Chong, Adrian & Lasternas, Bertrand & Peck, Thian & Tham, K.. (2021). Quantifying the effectiveness of desk dividers in reducing droplet and airborne virus transmission. Indoor Air. 32. 10.1111/ina.12950.
Li, Wenxin & Chong, Adrian & Hasama, Takamasa & Xu, Lei & Lasternas, Bertrand & Tham, K. & Lam, Khee. (2021). Effects of ceiling fans on airborne transmission in an air-conditioned space. Building and Environment. 198. 107887. 10.1016/j.buildenv.2021.107887.
Mihara, Kuniaki & Sekhar, Chandra & Takemasa, Yuichi & Lasternas, Bertrand & Tham, K.. (2021). Thermal and perceived air quality responses between a dedicated outdoor air system with ceiling fans and conventional air-conditioning system. Building and Environment. 190. 107574. 10.1016/j.buildenv.2020.107574.
Mihara, Kuniaki & Sekhar, Chandra & Takemasa, Yuichi & Lasternas, Bertrand & Tham, K.. (2019). Thermal comfort and energy performance of a dedicated outdoor air system with ceiling fans in hot and humid climate. Energy and Buildings. 10.1016/j.enbuild.2019.109448.
Mihara, Kuniaki & Sekhar, Chandra & Tham, K. & Takemasa, Yuichi & Lasternas, Bertrand. (2019). Effects of temperature , air movement and initial metabolic rate on thermal sensation during transient state in the tropics. Building and Environment. 155. 70-82. 10.1016/j.buildenv.2019.03.030.
Mihara, Kuniaki & Lasternas, Bertrand & Takemasa, Yuichi & Tham, K. & Sekhar, Chandra. (2018). Indoor environment evaluation of a Dedicated Outdoor Air System with ceiling fans in the tropics – A thermal manikin study. Building and Environment. 143. 10.1016/j.buildenv.2018.07.048.
Zhan, Sicheng & Chong, Adrian & Lasternas, Bertrand. (2020). Automated recognition and mapping of building management system (BMS) data points for building energy modeling (BEM). Building Simulation. 14. 1-10. 10.1007/s12273-020-0612-7.
Conference Papers
Mihara, Kuniaki & Sekhar, Chandra & Takemasa, Yuichi & Lasternas, Bertrand & Tham, K.. (2020). Field Survey on the Effect of Air Movement on Thermal Comfort in Premises Served by DOAS at Warm Setpoints. The 16th Conference of the International Society of Indoor Air Quality & Climate, South Korea.
Conejos, Sheila & Chew, Michael & Lasternas, Bertrand. (2019). Green Maintainability and Future Adaptive Reuse of the Net Zero Energy Building (NZEB) in Singapore. International Conference on Sustainable Built Environment (SBE19 Seoul) Seoul, South Korea.
Mihara, Kuniaki & Sekhar, Chandra & Takemasa, Yuichi & Lasternas, Bertrand & Tham, K.. (2019). Effects of Furniture and Posture on Cooling Effect under a Dedicated Outdoor Air System with Ceiling Fans. Healthy Buildings 2019 Asia, Changsha, China.
Mihara, Kuniaki & Lasternas, Bertrand & Takemasa, Yuichi & Tham, K. & Sekhar, Chandra. (2018). Evaluation of Thermal Environment with Elevated Air Speed using a Breathing Thermal Manikin. Indoor Air 2018, Philadelphia.
White Papers
Clay Nexler, Khee Poh Lam, Bertrand Lasternas. How to build smart, zero carbon buildings – and why it matters. World Economic Forum.
Design Awards
SDE 1
● ‘Best of the Best’ Design Award (2021 INDE.Awards)
● 1st prize for ‘The Learning Space’ Design Award (2021 INDE.Awards)
● IWIBI WELLTM Health-Safety Rating, 1st series of buildings in Singapore and 1st in the Educational Sector worldwide (2021)
● International Architecture Award 2021 by Chicago Anthenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design and The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies (School and Universities)
● 2020 Design Merit Award by The American Institute of Architects, New York State (AIANYS) for the Unbuilt category
● Platinum (SLE) Green Mark Award for Buildings (2019), for existing Non-Residential Building
SDE 3
● Merit Award for the Unbuilt Category (2020, The American Institute of Architects, New York State) New York State (AIANYS) for the Unbuilt category [SDE 1 & 3] ards)
● Platinum (SLE) for existing Non-Residential Building (2019, Green Mark Award for Buildings)
SDE 4
● Winner of Global Human Settlements Model of Building Category (2018, Sustainable Cities and Human Settlement)
● International WELL Building Institute 2019- WELL Certified Gold (1st university build- ing in the world and 1st building in Singapore)
● ‘Best Public Use Project with Public Funding’ (2019, Blueprint Awards)
● Platinum(Zero-Energy) for New Non-Residential Building (2019, BCA Greenmark Award)
● Winner of Institutional Architecture Category (2020, The Architecture MasterPrize)
● 1st Zero-Energy Certified building in SEA (2020, International Living Future Institute Award)
● Winner of Learning Category (2020, IFI Design Distinction Award)
● Best New Public Building Category (2020. Wallpaper Design Awards)