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Netizens question NTU’s choice of timber for Gaia Building amid mould issues
The Gaia building at NTU, Asia’s largest wooden structure, is facing unexpected mould issues just over a year after its opening. Netizens are questioning the choice of Austrian spruce for the building, given Singapore’s humid climate. They debate whether ongoing maintenance or demolition would be a better solution and criticize the building’s overall sustainability and cost-efficiency.
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SINGAPORE: The Gaia building at Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University (NTU), which opened in May 2023 as Asia’s largest wooden structure, was initially celebrated for its sustainable design and architectural beauty.
However, just over a year later, the S$125 million (US$95.5 million) timber building is facing an unexpected challenge: mould growth.
The 450,000-square-foot Gaia building, constructed with sustainable timber beams and panels, has developed mould on its walls, raising concerns about the suitability of timber for large-scale construction in tropical climates like Singapore’s.
The mould issue highlights the global challenges that timber structures can face, especially in environments with high humidity.
According to Bloomberg, the mould problem at Gaia underscores the difficulties that timber buildings encounter worldwide.
The Gaia building’s timber supplier claims that the structure sequesters over 5,000 tons of CO2, even when accounting for shipping, as trees absorb carbon dioxide during growth.
However, Singapore’s tropical climate, with its high humidity and frequent rainfall, has revealed the limitations of using timber in such environments.
The wood used in Gaia, primarily Austrian spruce processed into mass-engineered timber, is less resistant to mould compared to other species.
In Singapore’s humid conditions, untreated spruce is particularly vulnerable to mould and rot, according to Andrew Wong of the International Wood Culture Society.
Erik L’Heureux, an associate professor of architecture at the National University of Singapore, emphasized that different climates present unique challenges for timber construction.
He noted that in tropical regions, special care is required to prevent issues like mould, while in other climates, such as deserts or freezing environments, timber faces other risks like cracking and splitting.
Singapore has used mass-engineered timber in over 20 projects in the past decade, but it remains unclear if other buildings are experiencing similar issues.
In contrast, Singapore’s colonial shophouses, built with regionally native hardwoods, are naturally resistant to mould.
However, sourcing these traditional hardwoods today is both difficult and costly.
Loh Kee Soon, the lead architect for Gaia at RSP Architects Planners & Engineers, explained that while thicker protective coatings could have mitigated some of the mould issues, his team opted against it due to cost concerns and a desire to showcase the natural wood grain.
Despite its aesthetic appeal, the presence of mould has raised health concerns among staff and students.
While the mould is not expected to affect the building’s structural integrity, NTU has implemented a comprehensive maintenance plan, which includes reapplying sealant to the timber, adjusting air-conditioning settings, and instructing staff to keep windows closed to reduce condensation.
Experts also recommend treating surfaces with bleach, applying thicker coatings, installing dehumidifiers, and running the air-conditioning continuously, although these measures could undermine the building’s sustainability.
Netizens question sustainability of NTU’s Gaia building amid mould concerns
Under Mothership’s Facebook post, netizens have expressed various concerns regarding the mould issue at Nanyang Technological University’s (NTU) Gaia building.
One user questioned whether continuing to use the building is worth it, given the upcoming maintenance and potential health risks to staff and students.
They suggested that if maintenance is not feasible, it might be better to endure a one-time inconvenience of demolition rather than face ongoing issues.
One commenter questioned the logic of using wood in Singapore’s hot and humid climate, suggesting that protective coatings should have been applied to prevent mould.
They pointed out that NTU should have had the resources to implement such measures.
Another netizen proposed that demolishing the building and replacing it with a concrete structure might be a better long-term solution than continually dealing with mould.
Netizens raise concerns over material choices for NTU’s Gaia building
Several netizens focused on the choice of wood for the building, criticizing the decision to use Austrian spruce instead of locally sourced tropical wood that is more resistant to humidity.
One commenter pointed out that using wood from Austria hardly seems sustainable or environmentally friendly when considering the carbon footprint.
Another suggested that the building should have used hardwoods like teak, ebony, or mahogany, which are more resistant to termites and mould.
Further criticism focused on the project’s planning, with some questioning why wood from a cool climate was used in Singapore’s tropical environment.
They speculated that the original committee might have prioritized reducing construction costs, leaving the current management to deal with the consequences.
One commenter expressed disbelief that the project proceeded with wood susceptible to mould, despite the availability of more suitable materials like teak and cedar.
They criticized the $125 million price tag, suggesting it reflects a “lowest cost wins” mentality that overlooks potential long-term costs.
One netizen also raised doubts about the building’s sustainability, questioning whether the cost of treating and preventing mould might become exorbitant over time and ultimately undermine the building’s sustainability claims.
In response to the news about the structure, Mr Tan Swee Yong, Principal Architect and Director of Projects at NTU, and Mr Loh Kee Soon, Lead Architect for Gaia at RSP, issued a joint statement on 21 August:
As a leader in sustainability and a living testbed of advanced technologies, NTU walks the talk in adopting new advanced technologies, such as using mass engineered timber (MET) in Gaia and The Wave. Supported by the Building and Construction Authority (BCA), the University took the bold step to be a pioneer of the use of MET in the tropics. Due to the high humidity of Singapore’s tropical weather, mould is a common occurrence in buildings including conventional concrete buildings.
The Gaia project team included global experts who advised on the construction materials and best practices in building conservation and preservation protocols. The choice of construction materials was jointly made as a team comprising the architects, building contractors, consultants, designers, wood suppliers and NTU, balancing sustainability considerations, suitability, performance, costs, and aesthetics.
As one of the first in the tropics to have a building made of wood, we continue to learn more about how climate differences affect these buildings’ conservation, preservation, and aesthetics. The indoor air flow, air conditioning and humidity all contribute to the incidence of mould. We continue to monitor and calibrate the temperature and air-circulation at Gaia to reduce the risk of mould occurring.
In Singapore, BCA requires indoor air quality tests to be carried out once every 3 years for Green Mark-certified buildings. Gaia most recently passed the indoor air quality tests in February 2024. In the interests of the health and safety of our employees and students, NTU plans to conduct another indoor air quality test in September 2024. We have a comprehensive mould treatment and building preservation programme in place and employees and students may report any mould observed. Similar to all other NTU buildings, we continue to walk the ground, inspect and maintain the building on an ongoing basis.
As pioneers in the use of MET for building construction, we continue to learn and contribute to the knowledge and best practices of adapting the building maintenance regime to our tropical climate. We hope that our experiences and learnings, through our continued engagement with MET specialists, and through implementing pilot building preservation initiatives, can contribute invaluable knowledge to encourage the wider adoption of sustainable construction technologies and materials.
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This why sustainability is DOA: Nobody want to pay fair price, when it’s cheaper to ship a whole building of wood from Australia than support your local industry.
Same goes for paper recycling, that’s why your karang guni very quiet now. Why collect if nobody buy waste, who buy waste if nobody can afford rental and labour to process, process liao nobody buy your finish product because cost to high.
In short, this is why your only Singapore unicorn companies are Grab (Malaysia) and SEA (China). Maybe gahmen can lead by example, show us how to support local please?
S2
The Europeans are out and about looking for suckers (like the ruling government) to scam through their expensive “green-washing” solutions.
Yes, let’s import tons of Austrian spruce using bunker oil burning container ships from the other side of the Eurasian landmass.
Since the ruling government loves chopping down large old trees to plant new trees. Why not find old trees that would be perfect for the job and use them for construction? Or are you telling me that in “Smart” Singapore, there is no company that is “smart” enough to turn tropical timber into construction material?
How is BCA involved. Nothing to do with URA?
Bz with health exercise Tai Chi
The statements made by these relevant parties display a reek of lack of conviction, display half past 6 knowledge, tell SGpns thy hv no clue as to their abilities to anticipate potential issues or problens and the way they are interviewed for solutions still show their mushy thinking clearly. These are people drawing Hugh salaries and are decisions makers, needless to emphasize SG is A SINKING SHIP WHILE these people believe they can rescue us thinking they had learnt valuable lessons from Newfoundland Titanic disaster, and seems to ask Poreans to trust them.
The mould infestation in SG started with the Kayu Son’s reign. LawlanWong will find out how difficult it is to extricate from mould infestation in policies from his ex-boss.
Netizens still go NTU for fuck?
Graduate liao, apply over 100 jobs not successful and told to take a lower paying job or do food deliveey ah?
Still got time and energy to question what material is used to build their useless Uni, ah?
And still got time to question about the maintenance of their useless Uni, ah?
CECA upon reading on comment, laughing like mad from his $9000 per month rented condo balcony!😆😆😆😆🤣🤣🤣🤣
“Loh Kee Soon, the lead architect for Gaia, explained that while thicker protective coatings could have mitigated some of the mould issues, his team opted against it due to cost concerns and a desire to showcase the natural wood grain” Comment 1: what is the saying again? “Penny wise pound foolish?” “NTU has implemented a comprehensive maintenance plan, which includes reapplying sealant to the timber, adjusting air-conditioning settings, and instructing staff to keep windows closed to reduce condensation”. Comment 2: don’t play play. NTU has a “comprehensive maintenance plan”. Very impressive! “Experts also recommend treating surfaces with bleach, applying thicker… Read more »
S1
Wood used for this purpose (construction) is supposed to be treated for such issues (mold). Good thing it happened BEFORE this kind of material is used for sky high HDB pigeon holes. Take this as an excellent research opportunity to fix such problems. I mean, it’s in NTU!
Another waste-money project. If this happens in nk, the whole lot responsible for this failure project will be sent to the firing squad. Ntu thought anything that use wood, can be named as green sustainable. In the west, this act is called greenwashing. Same to aunty amy khor, who thinks giving out $300 climate vouchers to every household to buy energy efficient electrical appliances means doing a part to go green and helps to protect the Earth, is silly. She will cause more electrical wastes and our generators also need to work harder to produce more electricity to run more… Read more »
Anyway, this will be considered another No Blaming Culture. Let’s move on.
Recall the new 1.3b stadium presented to public as very nice, but its field was substandard for many years. This is a hallmark of poor planning and design considerations – likely political aspects (bragging rights) were given more attention than aspects to design and/or maintenance. Typical pap signature in recent years – visions (talking) look good, but executions (actions) are cock-ups.
Wastage of taxpayer’s monies continues. Common sense should have told those involved to source for wood in the region. I applaud the idea of using wood as global warming intensifies but unfortunately the right wood was not used. So the maintenance will have to continue. Have all the clever people left Singapore?
Smart. Yet not smart enough. Only know how to bully weaker pple like Haresh Sharma on political orders.