More than just places of learning, these buildings can engage, educate, and inspire. They demonstrate what sustainability looks like in practice — shifting mindsets, reflecting institutional values, and turning the built environment into a living curriculum.

So what makes a university building truly sustainable — in ways that go beyond their own environmental performance? We look at university buildings, including two winners of Holcim Foundation Awards in 2023 — Yusof Ishak House at the National University of Singapore (NUS) and Kaiser Borsari Hall at Western Washington University (WWU) in the USA — to understand how these principles come to life in different contexts.

Here are five essential principles shaping the next generation of campus architecture:

Sustainable buildings don’t just perform well — they educate. From daylight-filled commons to exposed structural systems, every design decision can model climate-conscious thinking. Research shows students on green campuses are more likely to adopt environmentally responsible behaviours(1). 

One evaluation of the David Brower Center — a LEED Platinum campus building in California — found that over half of the occupants felt the building directly inspired them to think more about sustainability(2). When sustainability is an inherent element of the design approach across environmental, economic and social benchmarks, it becomes part of the curriculum.

Kaiser Borsari Hall (pictured above), the first all-electric, net-zero mass timber STEM facility in Washington State, puts climate-smart construction into practice, making learning spaces a lived experience. The 5000 square metre facility will house labs, classrooms, and teaching spaces for the university’s electrical engineering, energy science, and computer science departments. It features a highly efficient building envelope, rooftop photovoltaics, and smart energy systems that allow it to operate without fossil fuels. Students aren’t just hearing about sustainability — they’re surrounded by it.

Energy efficiency doesn’t have to rely on high-tech systems. In fact, passive strategies can encourage more innovative and climate-responsive design. Passive design draws on site conditions, local climate, and building orientation to reduce reliance on mechanical systems — delivering comfort, cost savings, and resilience. In equatorial regions, where high humidity and temperatures are the norm, designing for natural ventilation and thermal comfort can be transformative.

Yusof Ishak House (pictured above) at NUS is a leading example. Replacing a former building, the new student centre uses deep overhangs, shaded courtyards, and stacked green terraces to encourage airflow and provide thermal mass. These design elements work together to eliminate the need for air conditioning in most areas, significantly reducing energy consumption while creating a breezy, welcoming environment. The building also acts as a social condenser — a campus “living room” that fosters community, wellness, and belonging. Students don’t just benefit from lower emissions; they gain direct experience of alternative climate-responsive design, shaping expectations for how sustainable architecture can feel.

Studies show that exposure to passively cooled environments improves thermal adaptation and reduces overall energy demand. When students learn and interact in spaces that are comfortable without air-conditioning, sustainability becomes not just a technical outcome — but a lived experience.

Integrating biodiversity into university building design is about more than just green space — it’s about reconnecting people with living systems. From native plantings and rain gardens to living walls and biodiversity corridors, these elements restore habitats, manage stormwater, reduce heat islands, and support wellbeing.

Studies show that exposure to nature improves cognitive function, reduces stress, and fosters a sense of environmental stewardship — making it a powerful educational tool. When natural systems are woven into the fabric of campus life, sustainability becomes something students experience, not just learn about.

Kaiser Borsari Hall was constructed on a former parking lot. The site has been transformed into a landscape featuring native and climate-adaptive plants. This design choice creates a habitat that links the Sehome Hill Arboretum to the campus, promoting environmental stewardship and supporting local ecosystems. The landscaping strategy includes drought-tolerant native vegetation, leading to a 78% reduction in outdoor water use. This approach not only conserves water but also supports local biodiversity by providing suitable habitats for native species.

The Vale Living with Lakes Centre (pictured above) at Laurentian University in Sudbury, Canada, is an exemplary case of integrating biodiversity into an educational facility and former Holcim Foundation Awards winner. The Centre’s design emphasises ecological restoration and biodiversity. Green roofs planted with native blueberry shrubs provide habitat for local wildlife and assist in stormwater management. The use of local limestone in the building's foundation helps neutralize acidic soils, and a stormwater management system that utilizes bioswales and permeable paving to filter and treat runoff before it enters Ramsey Lake, thereby improving water quality and supporting aquatic ecosystems. These integrated design strategies not only enhance the building’s sustainability but also serve as a living laboratory for students and researchers, aligning with the Centre’s mission to advance environmental science and freshwater restoration.

Reducing embodied carbon in university buildings isn’t just about material substitution — it’s about designing with purpose, place, and people in mind.

The retrofit of NUS Yusof Ishak House exemplifies this approach by preserving a much-loved heritage structure rather than rebuilding, cutting embodied carbon to less than a third of a typical new building. Its passive design responds to Singapore’s tropical climate, using natural ventilation, shaded atriums, and perforated sunscreens to minimise energy use. The project brings students closer to nature through biophilic connections and open, socially inclusive spaces that celebrate the building’s cultural identity. By honouring its original architecture while adapting it for future needs, Yusof Ishak House shows how thoughtful design can reduce carbon and enrich campus life.

At Wellesley College in the United States, the Global Flora Conservatory uses innovative materials like lightweight ETFE cladding to reduce structural demand and embodied carbon, while maximising daylight and energy efficiency. Designed as a net-zero energy facility, it incorporates passive solar heating, natural ventilation, and geothermal systems — showing how smart material and mechanical choices can support environmental and educational outcomes.

In another example, the Burkina Institute of Technology in West Africa (pictured above) — which builds on the same principles as Diébédo Francis Kéré’s earlier Holcim Foundation Award-winning school in Gando — demonstrates how sustainable design can emerge from traditional techniques and regional knowledge. Using local clay and laterite, and applying passive cooling strategies suited to the Sahel climate, the building offers high performance with minimal environmental cost. It also embodies culturally embedded values, engaging the local community and reinforcing a sense of pride and belonging.

Together, these projects underscore a broader principle: university architecture can do more than serve its function — it can reflect the identity and context of the community it serves. When materials and methods are rooted in local culture, the building itself supports an education that is not only sustainable, but also socially and culturally relevant.

Retrofitting and reusing existing university buildings isn’t just a sustainable choice — it’s a powerful demonstration of continuity, resourcefulness, and respect for heritage. By adapting existing structures, institutions reduce embodied carbon and create a tangible link between past and present.

Yusof Ishak House at NUS exemplifies this approach. Originally constructed in the 1970s, it has been transformed into Singapore’s first net-zero energy heritage retrofit. Retaining most of the original structure helped cut embodied carbon to less than one-third that of a comparable new building. Passive ventilation, solar panels, and an open atrium show how climate performance can be achieved without starting from scratch.

Similarly, the University of Toronto’s John H Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape & Design (DFALD) (pictured above) brings new life to a 19th-century Gothic Revival building. The project preserves key architectural elements while integrating contemporary additions and high-efficiency energy systems. This fusion of old and new now serves as a living laboratory — embedding sustainable principles into the school’s pedagogy and daily experience.

These projects reveal that retrofitting isn’t only about environmental metrics. It’s about showing that sustainability includes respecting what already exists, learning from it, and extending its value — socially, architecturally, and educationally.

Final Thought

Projects recognised by the Holcim Foundation Awards are not only outstanding in design and performance — they exemplify contextual and systemic responses to pressing sustainability challenges. By showcasing university buildings that integrate architectural excellence with environmental and social responsibility, the Awards help amplify innovative approaches and inspire replication across regions and disciplines.

Designing a sustainable university building means thinking beyond efficiency. It’s about creating spaces that shape values, foster connection, and prepare future generations to lead wisely. When architecture embodies what education aspires to achieve, it becomes a force for lasting change.