The Wave

The Wave is an award-winning, 2-story sports facility that supports Nanyang Technological University’s (NTU) goal of adopting Mass Engineered Timber (MET) as a main construction material. 

The first story holds staff and administrative offices, teaching rooms, and student activity spaces, while the second houses the sports hall. The sports hall has a retractable seating system that can accommodate close to 1000 spectators, with a mezzanine level above that overlooks the main hall. The hall can also be configured into 13 full-sized badminton courts or three volleyball, netball, or basketball courts. 

The Wave is the first building in Southeast Asia to use MET on a large scale to construct a low-carbon building. The use of Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) and Glued Laminated Timber (GLULAM) allowed the project to move conventional onsite construction activities to offsite prefabrication and manufacturing and subsequent installation onsite. 

Project Highlights: 

• The immense arched roof was erected without any temporary supports, creating a safe working environment for other concurrent construction activities.  
• Because MET is more robust than concrete or steel in terms of weight-to-strength ratio, the facility can support the continuous 72-metre wave-like roof without needing internal columns.
• The use of MET reduced labor costs substantially, averaging around 11 workers for the construction process compared to the 60 or more workers required for traditional construction methods.
• MET will protect against the fire while using reinforced concrete on the first story mitigates potential termite issues.