Hong Kong, Hong Kong
2015 - 2017
French International School
In the concrete jungle of Hong Kong, the new campus of the French International School stands as a vibrant green oasis in the dense city. 1100 pupils now enjoy a colorful, collaborative multicultural learning space, setting the scene for the working environment of tomorrow.
Just above street level in Hong Kong’s Tseung Kwan O district, sunlight meets the kaleidoscopic façade of the new French International School campus, spilling into the building through windows laid across a grid of 627 multicolored tiles. By dissolving the traditional classrooms and pushing the boundaries on how learning spaces can allow teachers and classes to work together in a more collaborative open space, the 19,600 m2 school is placed at the forefront of pedagogical innovation in Hong Kong.
Simultaneously a primary and middle school and a center for French culture in Tseung Kwan and greater Hong Kong ─ the school opens up on evenings and weekends for cultural activities and exhibitions.
Nature-centered learning
Adaptability, flexibility, and community are key words for the new French International School in Hong Kong. Beyond the school offering a wealth of differently scaled multi-purpose spaces that cater to future learning behaviors and new teaching approaches, the classrooms also extend the outdoors on every floor to provide large, classroom-sized, shared terraces with interactive gardens.
“The most important is the well being of the children and teachers. It is through well being that you achieve good pedagogical results. Architecture has an important effect on well being. Good acoustics, good spaces, good daylight, good natural materials can really transform the learning experience and make kids happy,” says Claude Godefroy, Design Director, Hong Kong.
The school layout divides the primary and middle schools into separate wings centered around three playgrounds. A large, covered playground features a green roof and supports a range of environmental programs. The layout of the campus is optimized to let prevailing eastern winds ventilate the campus both outdoors and indoors during dry season. This orientation also helps to reduce heat gain from the sun.
“Architecture has an important effect on well being. Good acoustics, good spaces, good daylight, good natural materials can really transform the learning experience and make kids happy.”
Coloring the future
The French International School's façade design consists of 1,050 ceramic sun breakers. These deep sun breakers diffuse light softly into the gymnasium and reduce solar heat gain, naturally ventilating the interiors, and thus reducing the need for air conditioning. Inside the classrooms, the oversized sun breakers can be inhabited by pupils, incorporating balconies, nests, and benches.
The façade also presents the opportunity to involve the French International School's community by inviting each student to color an element, making the façade symbolic of the school's diversity and the involvement of each student in "coloring" their future.
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