The San Francisco office of Perkins+Will has been selected through an international competition to design the Campus for Research Excellence and Technology Enterprise (CREATE) for Singapore's National Research Foundation. The 650,000-sq.-ft. scientific research center  will be located at the National University of Singapore's new seven-acre University Town campus.

Set to surpass current performance benchmarks for scientific research facilities in the tropics, the CREATE campus will also raise the bar for sustainability through the use of daylight and solar generated power among other initiatives.

"This will be far more than a research complex in the tropics -- it will be an integral part of the tropical ecosystem," says Russ Drinker of Perkins+Will. Green roofs will reduce stormwater runoff, minimize interior heat gain and conserve energy. Basic water needs will be met by capturing tropical rainfall and wind turbines driven by tropical breezes and enthalpy wheels that capture wind-generated warmth will also be utilized.

The actual campus will include three mid-rise buildings and a high-rise tower. The landscape design will be modeled after a tropical rainforest, helping to recreate a habitat attractive to endangered animal species. This could lead to a potential rebirth of the site's natural ecosystem. Completion is scheduled for 2010