The Stephen Riady Centre is located on the southwest corner of the National University of Singapore UTown, a campus village. The centre is a three-storey mixed-use complex that houses a range of facilities for learning, performing arts, sports, retail and dining. Its facilities are spread over five zones: administrative, sports, performance, educational and amenities. An open plaza lies at the heart of the building, providing a central gathering point for students and visitors.

Its design process began with the circulation route. Owing to the gentle upward slope of the site from the low southern side, a dual system of stacked pedestrian walkways was planned. This stacked thoroughfare became the spine from which the various functional elements and a multitude of breakout spaces of the building were plugged into. A perpendicular pedestrian route from the vehicular ring road to the town green combines with the forum, making the forum the pivot point of the building with four major convergences of paths. The forum was designed to be a landmark for University Town – an evocative streamlined metallic disc mounted at a high level and with transparency, the space below is pleasant, bright and airy.

The result of the ‘plugged-in’ functions is a building form that is both inward-looking in terms of access and outwardly flamboyant to the town green – activities within the building were fully visible and showcase the diversity of NUS.