43,500 m2 on 6 floors, Glulam and CLT

The six-storey new timber building inside the Nanyang Technological University (NTU) is Singapore's latest dedication to its natural heritage.

Designed by renowned Japanese architect Toyo Ito, winner of the Pritzker Prize in 2013, Gaia - this is the name of the structure - offers visitors sunlit atriums, open-air study areas amidst tropical plants, lifts that land in flower beds: almost everything, from handrails to benches, from doors to walls, even the bus stop, has been built using timber, to communicate the positive feelings of a  lush forest.

The only exceptions are the bathrooms, the ground floor slab and the external stairs, which are made of concrete. The beams and columns are made of Glulam, while the floors and shading are made of CLT.

Most of the timber elements are exposed, both inside and outside, illuminated by sunlight coming through large windows and skylights.

At the time of its opening, Gaia is the largest timber building in Asia with its 13,000 m3 of timber and 43,500 m2 of floor space.  298,021  Rothoblaas full thread connectors/screws  were used to make it between VGS, VGZ and HBS in the EVO anti-corrosion version.

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