Designed by architects’ Godwin Austen Johnson (GAJ), ISG School Campus in Al Khobar, KSA, has been awarded winner of a special category in the Cityscape Intelligence KSA Awards, after it caught the judges attention for its ability to blend state-of-the-art design with the evolving needs of the 21st century learner.
INTERCONNECTED SERIES OF BUILDINGS
Located in the up-and-coming area of Aziziyah, to encourage a relationship with the community, the ISG School Campus will accommodate both American and British curricula within an interconnected series of buildings and shared facilities and will cater to a total of approximately 2500 students. The idea behind it: to create a modern campus that blends state-of-the-art design with the evolving needs of the 21st century learner.
Architects wanted to break down the traditional idea of two separate schools and instead focus on shared values as being part of the design approach within the masterplan. With a kindergarten courtyard in the middle of the masterplan, the space is a boundary free and will encourage social interaction between the students and lay the foundation for greater collaboration between both schools.
EMPHASIS ON FLEXIBLE DESIGN
Rashed Al Rashed, the developer behind the campus wanted to create an international co-ed facility with an emphasis on flexible design to accommodate different modes of learning – lectures, discussions, seminars and small group activities.
For GAJ, this meant that the design direction needed to incorporate an optimal balance between architecture and environment, tradition and innovation, form and function to create a nurturing environment for students and faculty.
Put simply, ‘the new school will be an opportunity to rethink and reinvent educational architecture’, say GAJ.
They go onto add: “It will be an opportunity to offer a balanced schooling solution that embodies a flexible delivery of curriculum for the sciences, language, math, creative media, communication, wealth creation and enterprise, encouraging character, tolerance, global perspective and respect, within a fittingly innovative physically interactive, playful, stimulating and inspiring school environment.”
PROJECTS FACTS:
- Architect: Godwin Austen Johnson (GAJ)
- Developer: Rashed Al Rashed
- Location: Al Khobar, KSA
- Attention to air quality and lighting: Lighting is a critical element of the learning environment and it was important to get this right for student comfort and to meet energy efficiency demands. Equally important is the air quality. Ventilation systems controlled by demand are the most effective at maintaining good levels of indoor air quality, without using excessive amounts of energy.
- Expected completion date: August 2021
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