How can a 1970s modernist campus landmark be thoughtfully reimagined for a low-carbon future?
Along with Docomomo Singapore for a guided tour of the newly completed Equatorial Student Commons (Yusof Ishak House) at the National University of Singapore, led by the building’s design architect, Professor Erik L’Heureux.
Through adaptive reuse and energy retrofit, this modernist building from the late 1970s has been critically redesigned to meet today’s environmental imperatives. During the tour, Prof. L’Heureux will walk us through his design process—one that balances strategic preservation with sustainable innovation. Key among his interventions is the transformation of the original six decorative vaulted arches into inside-outside barrel vaults that function as “climatic straws,” passively drawing in and expelling air to cool the building naturally.

Explore how modernist heritage can be conserved and adapted for contemporary climate realities.