This 9,000-sq.m school building is set to be finished mid-2016, in time for the new school year. Special effort was made, during the planning process, to address the space program requirements of senior high school students. Design attention was given to crowd control and flow to ensure efficient building operations and management.

The building breathes passively where natural ventilation is concerned. Features that ensure user comfort is provided with great care. The design controls the amount of sunlight that is admitted into the building, where excess solar gain may result in high cooling energy consumption. Sun control and shading devices like ledges are placed in strategic locations. These are expected to reduce building peak heat gain during afternoons and cooling requirements and improve the natural lighting quality of school interiors. The amount and location of fenestration is controlled as well not just to reduce in cooling energy consumption, but also to improve student visual comfort by controlling glare and reducing contrast ratios.

As part of a big campus, the footprint is deliberately U-shaped, allowing a central lawn for various school functions and as spillover space for the convention halls at the ground floor. This is also the building’s open space contribution and a tool for wayfinding within the campus.

The lot sits at the end of a major street, allowing great opportunities for visual emphasis and landmarking.

A lot of changes happened to the facade and aesthetics, under the discretion of the constructor and with my knowledge. Still the project is something to be proud of.