The tall pillars

The photo shop

Travel agency

Tin rooftop

The Library

Triangular garden

If there is one thing that makes Temasek Polytechnic special, it would be its horseshoe shape when viewed from the top in a helicopter! Emanating from the bend of the horseshoe are four spokes that house School of Design, School of Business, School of Engineering and Schools of Information Technology and Applied Science.

When the architects (see Architects) were first tasked to design Temasek Polytechnic, they were given an entire land area of 30 hectares to work with. (If you have difficulty imagining the size, visualize the zoo that spans an area of 28 hectares!)

With great virtuosity, the maestros came up with the horseshoe shape for the main building. This design had been instrumental in breaking up space into graspable sections. What's more, it broke the typical design mould associated with education institutions packed with dense "boxes" of lecture theatres and classrooms.

The open area, termed as the plaza, served as a place for communication to take place. In fact, so far, the plaza had been an effective venue for many activities - such as funfairs and recruitment drives.

The daring use of colours, coupled with the use of tall pillars, created a sense of vibrancy and geometry. Not only that, the tall ceilings served to accentuate the majesty of the campus without the imposing feel that is usually associated with them.

In a way, the design was about optimizing vertical and horizontal movement.

Along the corridors were shops such as a photo shop, a retail outlet, and a  travel agency, among others  -- a feature reminiscent of the five-foot-way concept. This deliberate introduction of something that is unique to this part of the world only accentuated Stirling's characteristic emphasis on cultural aspects in whatever projects he undertook.

To add icing to the cake, the tin-green rooftop, fulfiled another requirement - the buidling was created for the tropics.

The library, the tallest building in the entire campus, was constructed in such a way that it stood out prominently like a gracious lady without the obtrusiveness usually associated with rampant development of private property. The building overlooked a specially designed triangular garden, beyond which is Bedok Reservoir. In fact, on retrospect, this design idea is similar to that of the Bibliotheque de France (Library of France) which also faces a garden.

In a way, Temasek Polytechnic is a confluence of various design influences, just like it is a melting pot of students coming from all over the world for a world-class education.