Rise of vertical schools in Asia as space limits spur efficient urban solutions

More schools in land-scarce Singapore are favouring high-rise buildings over sprawling campuses despite high construction costs, with experts saying such structures are becoming a common feature in densely populated cities in the region.

On Sunday local media in the city state reported that three schools – Temasek Junior College, Anderson Serangoon JC and Jurong Pioneer Junior College – would move into new campuses in 2028 and occupy smaller sites with blocks that go up to 12 storeys and larger gross floor areas compared with their current premises.

The three schools join Eunoia Junior College, which opened in 2020 and comprises 12- and 10-storey blocks, to have high-rise campuses.

Wynn Cam, director at urban-planning consultancy Morrow, told This Week in Asia such vertical schools offered a promising solution in dense and fast-growing metropolis areas.

“High-rise school structures have been increasingly adopted in urban settings around the world, particularly in cities like Singapore and Hong Kong, where land is limited and expensive, and the population is highly concentrated.”

Woo Jun Jie, a senior lecturer at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy whose research interests include urban governance, said: “High-rise and high-density developments represent an efficient way to house multiple functions and activities within a limited plot of land. They also help free up precious land for other uses.”