UOB Innovation Hub

UOB Innovation Hub
External view of the UOB Innovation Hub
Interactive map of the UOB Innovation Hub area
Alternative names
Learning Hub South
General information
LocationJurong West, Singapore, 52 Nanyang Avenue, Singapore 639816
Coordinates1°20′36″N 103°40′57″E / 1.343212°N 103.682586°E / 1.343212; 103.682586
Opening2015
CostS$45 million
OwnerNanyang Technological University
Technical details
Floor count8
Design and construction
ArchitectThomas Heatherwick

UOB Innovation Hub[1], formerly The Hive, also known as Learning Hub South, is a building located in Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore. The S$45 million building was designed by Thomas Heatherwick and completed in 2015.[2] Colloquially, the building is known as the "dim sum basket building" due to its likeness to the steamer baskets used to contain dim sum.[3]

On 25 March 2026, The Hive was renamed UOB Innovation Hub, with 18 out of 56 classrooms converted to house NTU-affiliated start-ups instead of classes, sparking outrage among students from the College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences.[4] The Hub is supported by a $110 million investment by UOB and the Wee Foundation in April 2025.

UOB Innovation Hub was a finalist for the 2015 World Architecture Festival Commercial Mixed-Use Award in the Future Projects subcategory.[5]

Architecture

Designed by British designer Thomas Heatherwick,[2] The UOB Innovation Hub is Heatherwick Studio's first major building in Asia.[6] The building consists of 12 eight-storey towers arranged around a public atrium. The towers taper towards the base and house 56 corner-less classrooms.[7][8] The concrete stair and lift cores between the towers are embedded with 700 drawings by British artist Sara Fanelli, depicting images from science, art and literature.[7]

The building has received mixed reviews,[9] with the Architectural Review saying that while "there is much to admire" about the building, "it gave off something of a forlorn car-park aesthetic".[10]

References

  1. ↑ Lee, Li Ying (25 March 2026). "NTU unveils incubator to back 90 start-ups over five years". The Straits Times. Retrieved 2 April 2026.
  2. 1 2 Ng, Andrea (10 March 2015). "NTU unveils new 'dim sum basket building' equipped with classrooms of the future". The Straits Times.
  3. ↑ Yang, Calvin (20 October 2015). "NTU launches new facility that features unconventional teaching method". The Straits Times.
  4. ↑ "The Hive becomes UOB Innovation Hub; partial conversion to start-up offices sparks student backlash". The Nanyang Chronicle. 8 April 2026. Retrieved 25 May 2026.
  5. ↑ Rosenfield, Karissa (22 June 2015). "Shortlist Announced for World Architecture Festival Awards 2015". ArchDaily.
  6. ↑ Mark, Laura (10 March 2015). "Heatherwick's Singapore Uni Learning Hub opens". Architects' Journal.
  7. 1 2 Frearson, Amy (10 March 2015). "Heatherwick's textured-tower university building completes in Singapore". Dezeen.
  8. ↑ Hohenadel, Kristin (12 March 2015). "Singapore's New "Learning Hub" Rethinks University Classroom Design in the Internet Age". Slate.
  9. ↑ Chew, Hui Min (26 December 2015). "British daily The Telegraph names 3 Singapore buildings in its list of 2015's best (and worst)". The Straits Times.
  10. ↑ Williams, Austin (29 April 2015). "Learning Hub in Singapore by Thomas Heatherwick". Architectural Review.
  • Wikimedia Commons logo Media related to The Hive, Nanyang Technological University at Wikimedia Commons


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