-By Stacy Straczynski

The Concordia International School Shanghai (CISS) is one step closer to a more enhanced educational campus. The high school yesterday (Jan. 26) saw the completion of its new six-story educational complex. The construction of the approximate 129,000 sq.-ft. facility, whose design was the result of collaborative efforts between the New York and Shanghai offices of architecture firm Perkins Eastman, marks the end to the fourth and final phase of a cumulative 10-year expansion plan for the school.

The complex, located on the school’s 10-acre campus, includes facilities for academics and athletics, as well as administrative functions. Twenty-four classrooms—20 regular and four science classrooms—a language lab, and seminar rooms for group instruction will offer a variety of education venues, while a 18,800 sq-ft. gymnasium provides two basketball courts, a weight room, dance studio, physical education interactive space, and an outdoor climbing wall.

Sustainability was top priority in the building’s design, not only as a source of energy efficiency but also a means of environmental education for the students. CISS incorporated geothermal technology for heating and cooling across the entire campus, and placed a model of the underground system in the lobby of the school. Green roof systems--long low-level soil gardens--were installed on all building roofs to further increase energy efficiency, while other eco-friendly materials include daylighting, natural ventilation, and naturally-occurring materials such as bamboo and rubber flooring. The campus also employs a habitable rooftop garden that uses soil from recycled bricks for cross-curricular experiments and field studies on weather and air-quality.

“The school has the values and goals of developing the students to be ‘global citizens.’ There’s always been this ethos throughout their academic program to push forth sustainable designs, sustainable in a way of thinking and approach,” says Ron Vitale AIA, the project’s principal-in-charge and managing principal of Perkins Eastman, Shanghai. “We looked at incorporating these ideas in a real way that the students can see and experience.”

(Photo copyright ShuHe)