Updated as of December 2, 2024
You’ve already heard about Singapore Changi Airport Terminal 2 securing its place among the world’s top six most beautiful airports. Now, Singapore continues its architectural winning streak: located in Nanyang Avenue, Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Gaia, has been named one of the world’s top six most beautiful campuses by Prix Versailles Awards – an international architectural competition recognised by UNESCO that celebrates outstanding achievements in commercial architecture and design. And as of December 2, 2024, the results from UNESCO are in: Nanyang Technological University Singapore, Gaia, has been crowned the world's most beautiful campus.
The World’s Most Beautiful Campuses List for 2024 features six recently opened or revamped university buildings that tick all the boxes: creativity, reflection of local heritage, ecological efficiency, and a lasting impact on their surroundings.
Designed by architects RSP Architects Planners & Engineers and Toyo Ito & Associates, the 43,500-square-metre campus takes the title as Asia’s largest timber building. It is also named after the ancient Greek goddess of the Earth – very fitting for its grandeur if you ask us. The striking structure features a gently arched façade, rising 220 metres with six floors that include bright atriums and outdoor study spaces.
And talk about a space that’s as sustainable as it is stunning; NTU Gaia is almost entirely constructed from mass timber – a revolutionary engineered wood stacked in layers and bonded with strong adhesives. Not only is it a highly renewable material, but its use of Mass Engineered Timber also boosts environmental sustainability. Plus, with its impressive strength-to-weight ratio, mass timber is easier to handle than steel or concrete, making it a true game-changer in modern construction.
These are the top six most beautiful campuses in the world for 2024, according to Prix Versailles:
- Nanyang Technological University, Gaia (Singapore, SG) – Winner
- University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh Futures Institute (Edinburgh, GB) – Special prize for interior
- Paris-Saclay University, Henri Moissan Centre (Orsay, FR) – Special prize for exterior
- Wenzhou-Kean University, Student Learning and Activity Center (Wenzhou, CN)
- Johns Hopkins University, Bloomberg Center (Washington D.C., US)
- New York University, John A. Paulson Center (New York, US)
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