The International School of Kuala Lumpur

INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL OF KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA ISKL has been established in the city for over 50 years and has grown to become one of the leading schools in Malaysia. This new campus created the possibility to re-examine pedagogical priorities and to rethink the nature of its learning environment. The design needed to be rooted in its Malaysian context and appropriate to its climate. The design organizes the building into distinct elements. A curved connecting spine, aligned north /south, links teaching blocks and forms a threshold between the outer public realm of the City and the inner, private world of the school. Public elements of the campus are placed at the centre with the Auditorium, Recital Hall, Black Box Studio and Elementary School Theatre all grouped about a central open plaza. This is the heart, a place where ISKL can come together as one. The campus has been arranged to provide for the differing needs of each age group, character of spaces adjusts as learners progress through the school. The Early Years Centre nestles within a protective garden with classrooms grouped about its own Art, Music and Science spaces. The Elementary School is more outgoing with larger groupings, specialist spaces contained within the spine. The Middle School is arranged about a collaborative, cross curricular program, the High School more subject based and formal as students prepare to move out into the world beyond. The building blocks are the classroom clusters, designed according to shared principles but applied in various ways to suit the needs of different age groups. Classrooms, large enough to be arranged to suit a variety of ways of teaching, are grouped about a central commons. This is a space that can be used for individual and small group learning as well as larger gatherings and as a social space between lessons. Internal structure has been kept to a minimum to facilitate adaptability. Learning spaces are expected to change as the school’s pedagogical approach evolves. The maintenance of academic excellence remains the continuing goal. ISKL’s commitment to a new learning environment serves as a real exemplar of sustainable construction, operations and learning. It is intended as a resourceful campus that will invite student involvement and interaction and a base for meaningful conversations. The school is conceived as a progression from a protective nurturing environment to one in which the students are free to fly off into the world. A SUSTAINABLE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT IN A TROPICAL SETTING Passive strategies drove the form of the building, designed to use 60% less energy than other schools in similar hot, humid climates. Teaching blocks are arranged east-west allowing high levels of daylight. Light shelves help drive daylight deep into the space and reduce artificial lighting loads. The design draws on two aspects of traditional Malaysian architecture to improve thermal comfort: screens and shelter. An open undercroft provides sheltered dining and social spaces. Naturally ventilated walkways lead to each teaching wing, a series of courts cut into the spine capturing breezes. Chilled water cools floor slabs at night, taking advantage of off- peak tariffs. Transitional commons spaces benefit from cool air that escapes from classroom doors. These spaces, slightly warmer than classrooms, temper the impact of moving directly from the hot outdoors to a cooled internal environment. Low velocity fans encourage air movement and improve thermal comfort without necessarily reducing temperature. ISKL if the first international school in Malaysia to receive Malaysia's Green Building Index (GBI) Platinum Rating.