ITE Balestier

Narratives

Architect Narrative

ITE stands for Institute of Technical Education (Singapore). It is a post secondary technical institute set up to equip school leavers with essential technical skills for the local industries. ITE Balestier is one of the many institutes serving different part of Singapore and its student population. The development also includes a separate workshop for the Precision Engineering Institute (PEI). This project is a winning design submitted through an architecture competition by invitation. There were 24 architect firms participating.
The location is within the Balestier area. The site is bounded by secondary roads on two sides, the Central Expressway on N-W side, and public housing on the S-E side.
3 main organizing ideas helped shape the overall layout: site zoning, access and circulation :
1. The administration and teaching blocks are placed on the quieter areas towards the public housing side; the workshops are site next to the roads and highway, which are noisier.
2. The main approach is from the main road off a highway fronting the site and the pedestrian entrance from the side road where public transportation can be easily accessed.
3. The central spine, also the main, multi-tiered corridors, is the major ordering device. Running almost the full length of the site, it connects all the different functional facilities together and clearly demarcates the different zones and yet maintains visual connectivity. This axis terminates with a clock tower fronting Balestier Road, an icon of timekeeping associated with schools. It acts as a backdrop to the football field and is a prominent feature of this institute as seen from the Expressway.
The varying degree of transparency with viewing decks along the façade, floating beams and different materials as well as layering effects created a ‘skin’ which provide ample shading while maintaining a high level of cross-ventilation. The open football field is like a big room with buildings wrapping around it. This conveyed a sense of openness while proving to be an effective noise buffer to the Central Expressway. The public football field is screened from the smaller assembly area to create differentiation in quality of space without compartmentalizing them.
The public central blocks with its voluminous, open ground floor allows students to gather, interact in a shaded, cool environment.
Various architectural elements, shapes and spatial volume are used to characterize and identify the institute. External corridors along workshop blocks are characterized by a series of ‘enclosing structures’ resulting in the play of lights and shadows. This also provides a ‘protected’ environment to the students. Each floor is color coded with color co-ordinate doors and lockers, adding to the visual interest of the facades. Protruding concrete panel window allows indirect light into the classrooms and workshops area.
We believe that an attractive environment is important in enhancing learning because it fosters pride in the school, adds visual stimulus and encourages students to spend more time in school. A good environment that facilitates social contact is also important in the mental growth of a student.

Educator Narrative

We are the owner of ITE West (Balestier Campus) and the project was the winning design in an open design competition conducted by us. We are pleased that the building fulfilled the architectural qualities that were envisaged when we awarded the project. It exhibited a new openness and dynamism that is welcomed by ITE.

The institute also includes PEI (Precision Engineering Institute) which also has its own facilities and distinct identity but yet present a singular overall image.

There are many semi-open spaces in the school like the amphitheater, landscaped pond areas and small pockets of green between blocks. We noticed that students have utilized these spaces in many different ways and for different functions. These spaces have provided the flexibility for students to customize their usage to their own preference.

In terms of functional usage the buildings have fulfilled our needs well during the years that it is in operation.

The campus reflects a unique character and identify befitting that of a progressive educational institution. We noted that the building had achieved good street presence and is well known to the community at large.