Singapore Institute of Technology’s Punggol campus is an eco-tech wonder

The borderless campus features an abundant space for engagement and interaction.

The Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT) is preparing its students for the digital economy not just by enhancing its curriculum for academic year 2024, but also through its newly opened eco-campus in the Punggol Digital District that promises to become an innovation hub.

A borderless campus without gates and fences, it was designed to foster community spirit and a holistic student life, featuring an abundant space for engagement and interaction.

SIT welcomed about 3,800 “SITizens” from two academic clusters to the campus in the first phase of its move in September. The other three academic clusters are expected to move to Punggol in 2025.

The campus can house 12,000 students, nearly double the combined capacity of its six campuses. “This consolidation under one roof will provide our students with a full university learning environment and experience,” Gerry Wee, associate vice president for Estates at SIT, told Singapore Business Review.

The campus comprises two plots — the SIT Campus Court and SIT Campus Heart. The first, the one that opened last month, houses teaching facilities and laboratories, administrative offices, and communal spaces such as multi-purpose sports halls and an auditorium.

The SIT Campus Heart, which is targeted to be ready by early 2025, features academic blocks, the Ngee Ann Kongsi Library, an innovation hub, the Hatchery, makerspaces, and communal spaces for students and industry collaboration.

“More than just an educational institution, the campus will be a vibrant hub that benefits the community,” Wee said. People in Punggol — one of the densest towns in Singapore — can use the campus’ green spaces, which are perfect for relaxation and recreation.

SIT's new campus offers applied learning and research opportunities. Through on-campus Living Labs and industry partnerships, students can engage in real-world problem-solving activities.

“Our collaboration with industry and community to co-develop solutions via translational research, build impactful solutions, and nurture talent will also add to the district’s buzz,” Wee said.

The Collaboration Loop, which is a 2-kilometre mid-level network of corridors and bridges, also integrates the campus with the JTC Business Park. This is expected to boost SIT’s industry-academia network, accelerating student development and bringing them to market faster.

“This co-location will also allow companies to leverage SIT's applied learning and research capabilities, as well as talent pool in areas such as cybersecurity, engineering, food technology, assistive technology, allied health, and hospitality,” he added.

Its 27 labs allow hands-on ICT learning in cybersecurity, software engineering and immersive media, whilst chiller-equipped ICT server rooms expose students to state-of-the-art server facilities.

Another feature of the campus court is an autonomous vehicle lab equipped with high-tech hardware components, measuring equipment, high-performance computers and servers, simulation software, and machine learning development platforms to support research and laboratory teaching.

The Hatchery is a hub for idea incubation, innovation, and cross-fertilisation between academia and industry. Smaller-scale modular study halls across the 10-storey building, known as “lectorials” promote blended learning and discussions.

‘Campus in a park’

Beyond the Collaboration Loop, the campus offers a range of other sustainable features, including a multi-energy microgrid network that draws energy from various sources. This allows SIT to cut energy consumption and carbon emissions — equivalent to removing about 2,000 cars from the roads.

The campus also features rainwater harvesting, solar panels and super low-energy buildings. “Powered by IoT (Internet of Things) technology, the campus utilises an integrated building management system, enabled by more than 20,000 sensors, to optimise energy consumption across the campus,” Wee said.

Meanwhile, the SIT Campus Heart is designed as a “campus in a park” with 1.7 hectares of secondary tropical rainforest that connects its occupants with the natural environment.

“To forge an evocative ‘campus in a park’ identity, the academic blocks are organised as a chain of buildings encompassing the central forest courtyard, which has been transformed into an accessible community park,” he added.

The campus aims to preserve biodiversity through its Mangrove Conservatory, which will be completed by December 2025. It will serve as a test bed for SIT’s research and conservation efforts and will be open to the public and community volunteers.

“By transplanting mangrove seeds from Malaysia and Indonesia to Singapore, SIT aims to restore a mangrove species that had become extinct locally,” Wee said.