Singapore International School (Hong Kong) Secondary School Campus

This project involves the adaptive re-use and partial rebuilding of a disused public school in the hilly terrain of Hong Kong Island – transforming a 30-year old utilitarian facility into a contemporary learning environment, overcoming extreme challenges to form a unique and memorable high-rise school in the city.

Project Details

Architects
MKPL Designs Pte Ltd

Award
Commendation Category 3: Renovation / Modernisation Over $2m

Address
2 Police School Road, Aberdeen Hong Kong

Submitter
Pit Li Phan, MKPL Designs Pte Ltd

Cost
HK$ 250 million

Photographer
Tim Griffith

Project Overview

A Place which Nurtures and Inspires
In 2007, a disused public school building (former Shue Yan Secondary School) next to the existing Singapore International School in Hong Kong (HKSIS) was made available for the expansion of HKSIS to enable it to include a secondary school and pre-university curriculum to its program offering. This project is about transforming an almost 30-year old utilitarian and non-descript public school facility into a unique learning environment for the Singapore International School – a memorable place imbued with rich experiential qualities which nurture and inspire.

A Challenging Site
The school plot size is severely sub-standard. About one-third is a steep slope, which further reduced the buildable zone of the plot. There was a 41m level difference between the top of the existing HKSIS and the roof level of the existing Shue Yan building, creating a big challenge, in terms of physical connectivity between both campuses. Vehicular access was only limited to the front of the site, with the other sides inaccessible due to steep terrain. The existing buildings had to be retained, and integrated into the design. The design not only overcame the numerous challenges, but turned these obstacles into design opportunities, synthesizing the various unique site elements into a bespoke design which reflects the needs and aspirations of the school.

A New Benchmark
The design showcases a new urban school typology, setting a new benchmark for high-rise schools in Hong Kong as to how space, natural light and ventilation can be optimized given the physical constraints and harsh weather conditions. One of the biggest challenge was the lack of space. The design introduced a very innovative building section and functional organization of the facilities, to enable the brief to be accommodated whilst ensuring a sense of openness and connectivity, reinforcing the school’s culture of openness, collegiality and collaboration.

Innovative strategies were adopted to ensure optimization and creative use of teaching spaces. Careful study of functional adjacencies and overlap of uses were considered, blurring the boundaries between circulation-program space, inside-outside and formal-informal zones to ensure every space on campus is fully optimized for learning.

Juries Comment

There was a wide range of projects in this category reflecting the reality that most schools and learning facilities are developed through a constant process of change and adaption. The jury members were particularly impressed by a number of projects that transformed old didactic learning settings into attractive new settings for more individual and collaborative learning.

 Two projects were considered worthy of commendation

One was the Singapore International School (Hong Kong). Building up, rather than out, is not a choice many Australian or New Zealand schools are compelled to make. This project demonstrates that transformative upgrades to existing multistorey school buildings are possible and can produce outstanding spaces that accommodate flexible learning in unique ways. Built on a very tight and steep site with difficult access, this previously abandoned utilitarian-design public school has been transformed into a 14 level facility with a new sense of openness and connectedness.

 Congratulations to MKPL Designs and Singapore International School (Hong Kong).”