Communication is a contemporary buzzword. School makes efforts to connect schools to the outside world through cell phones, laptops, wireless environments and other devices. ISH’s school building program has been designed to further another sort of connectivity that has all too often been forgotten: connectivity to the immediate environment. This connectivity creates learning environments that are not constrained by four walls. 

Most schools in the world are primarily designed to respond to basic needs of shelter, to meet local building codes, and to fit the maximum number of students into a given space. ISH’s school building program has also been designed to create adaptable learning environments that foster creativity. Classrooms have been designed to give students and teachers the choices of learning areas and the ability to adapt the learning environment toward specific needs as those needs arise. Classrooms are frequently L-shaped, giving more opportunities for distinct learning areas to be created within the classroom. The furniture that has been selected in part on the basis of whether it can be moved around to create different types of learning environment needs that meet the needs of different learning styles. The overall effect is to create environments that are child-friendly, stimulating, and welcoming.    

Research indicates that natural light has a stimulating effect on student learning.  Schools with an abundance of natural light and an open green structure have been shown to have less absenteeism, have higher student performance, and have fewer cases of asthma and flu.  ISH’s building program captures natural light.  Wide arches, alleyways, and a multitude of different types of openings are core features of the school design. Alleyways connect the Secondary School to the canteen, courts, and a plaza.  These features help create a fluid green structure with an abundance of natural ventilation. A pleasant side effect is reduced energy consumption and a smaller carbon footprint. 

The roof is a light structure. It is not closed like a normal roof, but open on the sides. When it rains, the street gets wet from indirect spray through the roof openings. This design provides substantial protection from rain and sun, while not closing students off from the elements.  From all parts of the Secondary School, can you see the sky, trees and the surrounding fields. 

ISH may be though of as a metaphorical set of streets of learning.  The street has houses on two sides, front gardens, and porches. The street is sufficiently wide to allow easy move between classes. Corners, sunken areas, sofas, and outdoor chairs allow students to meet, play, learn and communicate.  

The street-like identity is created in part by the creation of rough surfaces and natural stones of a type usually used to cover pavement.  Benches, streetlamps, and lots of plants further foster this identity.