DESIGN
The SkyTimber™: Tropical Renewable Architecture Design Lab explores unique yet functional sustainable architecture by championing various challenges on tropical renewable architecture in high-density urbanism, aiming to synthesize living comfort, passive microclimate strategy, carbon sink in building forms and symbiosis between greenery and habitation.
SkyTimber Inno-hub Living Lab (2026 - )
The SkyTimber™ Inno-Hub Living Lab is conceived as a proof-of-concept platform to test and showcase innovative passive and partially active moisture control strategies aimed at mitigating the biological degradation of Mass Engineered Timber (MET). The initiative seeks to validate the 4L framework: Long-term, Low-maintenance, Low-energy, and Low-toxicity solutions for both human comfort and timber durability, setting the foundation for a new standard of MET architecture in tropical climates. The project also aims to proof the NUS’s initiative of one of the first MET made of fast-growing tropical plantation species, which further underscoring its groundbreaking nature.
BOOK BRIDGE (2021)
The 31 m length BookBridge is one of the first structural applications of tropical MET made of fast-growing tropical plantation, which are mainly used for pulps and chips or plywood. 5-layer Cross Laminated Timber columns are made of jabon, and 3-layer composite shelves consist of acacia and FSC certified meranti. Sophisticated cross section designs with built-in camber to counter the effects of the calculated long-term deflection enable a series of 3.1m spans of permanently loaded rare-book collections for the NUS Central Library.
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SKY TIMBER DESIGN STUDIO (2013 - CURRENT)
The Sky Timber Design Studio explores unique yet functional sustainable architecture by championing various challenges on tropical renewable architecture in high-density urbanism, aiming to synthesize living comfort, passive microclimate strategy, carbon sink in building forms and symbiotic relationships between greenery and habitation.
NUS-CDL TROPICAL TECHNOLOGY LAB (2018)
NUS-CDL Tropical Technology Laboratory (T2 lab) monitors environmental factors, such as relative humidity, surface temperature, wind speed etc. in NSEW orientations throughout the year, to test various architectonics configurations to control moisture content, termite attacks and weathering under the hot and humid tropical climate.
TROPICAL MET DEHYDRATING FACADE (2019)
One of the key factors for successful implementation of MET in the Tropics is keeping the timber moisture content lower than 20% to avoid fungus attacks and mechanical property deterioration. The innovative tectonic design increases the surface area for direct solar exposure and enhances airflow to speed up the dehydration, which allows the reduction of moisture content significantly. The facade was mounted on SDE 4 test-bedding frame to examine dehydration behaviours of the permeable and impermeable configurations.