News — November 21, 2025

First Look: United World College South East Asia

BVN and AHMM, in collaboration with RSP Architects, have been appointed to design the United World College South East Asia (UWCSEA) K-12 School at a new Dover campus in Tengah, Singapore. With a vision to nurture global citizenship, the expansive 75,000m² college combines progressive pedagogies and a world-leading sustainability agenda to establish a campus that supports learning, community and ecology.

United World College South East Asia will establish a new K-12 campus in Tengah, Singapore.

The United World College will set a new standard for regenerative design and pedagogical evolution for K-12 schools, providing agency and real-world learning opportunities and raising the next generation of global citizens.

Ali Bounds, BVN co-CEO

A place where children feel safe to explore, where bonds are nurtured and where learning is organic, the campus is designed as a village of connected but distinct neighbourhoods. A walkable learning landscape will unite Primary, Middle, and High School clusters where classrooms open into gardens and shared spaces support both quiet focus and lively exchange.

Imagined as the town square, a shaded outdoor Tent Plaza will be the social and cultural heart of the college. A homage to the Tent Plaza at the college's existing Dover campus, this is where the school will come together — a space where learning is shared, identity is affirmed and leadership is visible. The Tent Plaza reinforces the idea that everyone belongs here and that everyone is welcome to participate.

Forested groves are places to learn, play and explore.

The Tent Plaza is the campus heart: a place for celebration and gathering.

Landscape is foundational to the garden campus, where settings for learning, play and community coalesce in harmony with nature. The site's remnant forest will be preserved, celebrated and extended to the building edges. A green spine will weave through the college, connecting shaded walkways and open play areas, defining places to rest, reflect and connect with the outdoors.

Sustainability informs the design through a wide range of strategies that will be made visible to students in the everyday experience of the school, making buildings and campus a teacher. Biophilic and passive design

Learning areas harness natural light and ventilation

principles are embedded throughout the campus and architecture to maximise wellbeing and harness natural light and ventilation in the tropical climate. Water capture and re-use, the selection of low-carbon materials and hybrid timber structures

Hybrid timber structures

are just some of the approaches that will be adopted.

Landscape weaves across the campus, creating shaded pathways and gathering spaces.

A terracotta screen, referencing the heritage Singapore tiled roofs, shades buildings, maximises evaporative cooling and enables plant growth.

This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity for the College. We are delighted to help create a campus that reflects the UWC values, supporting the educational mission, contributing to environmental protection and promoting the well-being of students and the community.

Ali Bounds, BVN co-CEO

UWCSEA represents a significant opportunity for UWC to develop a new campus that authentically reflects the school's values and mission. We look forward to collaborating with the project team and the college community to refine the design and ensure the ambitious vision comes to life.