The School of Design and Environment Building 4 (SDE4) at the National University of Singapore redefines Tropical Architecture through innovation in comfort, air quality, and energy efficiency. Developed through a rigorous series of design charrettes, it follows a clear path of reducing energy demand and optimizing building performance culminating in an optimized envelope, thermal zoning with natural ventilation, and a pioneering Hybrid Cooling system that together enable a Net Zero Energy Design in the tropics. In operation the building turned out to be one of the first Net Positive Energy Buildings in the Region.
The video outlines the essential design strategies. It was produced as part of Wolfgang’s teaching on tropical climate design during his sabbatical as a visiting professor at the Department of Architecture at NUS, Singapore, in the academic years 2024/2025.
Supported by the National University in Singapore
Film Credits
Directed by: Sara Kessling
Production: Wolfgang Kessling
Script, Narrator, Images, Graphics: Wolfgang Kessling
Cinematography, Editing, Sound Design, Recording: Sara Kessling
Disclaimer
The narrative and storytelling reflect the author’s personal perspective on how Climate Engineering design thinking shaped the SDE4 project.
Copyright Notice
© 2025, Wolfgang Kessling, Transsolar, Germany and Department of Architecture, National University Singapore – All Rights Reserved