Celebrations as ten years of work fulfilled
Perkins Eastman has announced the completion of the Concordia
International School Shanghai (CISS), the newest addition to the school’s multi-building
education campus. The new 129,166 sq ft (12,000 sq m) high school is the fourth phase of a series of planning and design projects
completed for the 10 acre school campus which also includes an elementary school and
performing arts center, also designed by Perkins Eastman. The completion marks the culmination of a 10-year planning and design effort by
the firm’s New York and Shanghai offices.
Ron Vitale AIA, the project’s principal-in-charge and managing principal of the firm’s
Shanghai office, said: “As the culmination of a multi-phased expansion of a worldclass
education campus, the new Concordia High School is a fitting architectural
expression of the evolution of design, learning, and sustainability.”
The new high school comprises a variety of academic, athletic, and administrative
functions in a fully integrated six-story complex. It includes 20 classrooms, four science
classrooms, a world language lab, and a number of seminar/group instruction rooms
of varying sizes. A media commons ‘bridge’ connects the new facility with the original
shared facilities pavilion. It also includes a 10,800 sq ft (1,000 sq m) gymnasium
containing two full-sized basketball courts, a weight room, a dance studio, and a
unique physical education interactive space, and an outdoor climbing wall.
CISS viewed the design and construction of their new high school as an
opportunity to redesign the entire campus’ heating and cooling system by using highly
efficient geothermal technology. The school expects a 25-30 percent savings on
energy costs. The overall demand on heating and cooling is also reduced through the incorporation
of green roofs over 40% of the newly constructed roof surface. The largest portion of
the green roof is landscaped over light monitors located above the gymnasium/events
space. This habitable garden, which uses soil made from recycled crushed bricks, is
located with direct access from the adjacent science suite for cross-curricular
experiments and the incorporation of ongoing field studies conducted by students on
weather and air quality—making it an important part of curriculum. Other
environmentally responsible features and materials include daylighting, natural
ventilation, and materials including bamboo and natural rubber flooring.
|
