International School of BrusselsHigh School:

The First School Designed forThe Common Ground Curriculum

International Baccalaureate SchoolBrussels, Belgium

2014 Exhibition of School Planning and Architecture

How do a variety of trees make one forest? With 1,550 students from 70 countries in the school, whose history, whose culture should be taught?

A Question Drives the Project

The Common Ground Curriculum focuses on human commonalities and the individual, or We and Me rather than a specific culture.

Common Ground DNA & Learning Cycles Form the Answer

Eight Human Commonalities define the Common Ground Curriculum, and the school is designed to support the Learning Cycle throughout the day.

• Connectedness• Communication• Group Membership

• Personal Meaning

• Sustainability

• Physical Wellbeing• Creative Expression• Problem Solving

CGC and the Learning Cycle

Temporary Pilot High School: A unique feature of this project was the Pilot High School created in an unused building on campus. In this small commons area, Learning Cycles occur simultaneously.

Planting the Seed

Learning Environment: The new High School building is a facility where flexibility, transparency, and community are the key components.

Learning Environment: The Common Ground curriculum is student-driven and collaborative. Each floor has a Learning Commons that allows small group work to happen within sight of the Learning Studios.

Physical Environment: This double height Gathering Atrium with bleacher steps is flexible; it serves as the main entrance to the school, and is also used as an informal study space throughout the day.

Physical Environment: Furnishings support Learning Cycles. High tables promote casual encounters between students and teachers.

Milestones Timeline

2010March 15-19 Workshop Series 1:Discovery, Best Practice Visioning, Focus Groups

April 27-29 Workshop Series 2: Vision and Design Alignment, Curriculum Mapping

May 6 Develop design of ICC remodel

May 12 ISB to review master plan and all buildings

May 19 ISB to give feedback to finalize master plan

June 16 Schematic Design of Campus and Buildings

June 22-25 Workshop Series 3: Schematic Design Concepts and Curriculum Mapping

2011Jan 11 Begin construction of ICC

Feb 11 Finish New High School Design

July 11 Move High School into completed ICC

Dec 11 Demolish existing High School

Jan 12 Begin High School Construction

2013 July Completion of construction of High School

Planning & Design

Planning Process: The Discovery Phase interactions developed the following design guidelines:

•Create more agile environments to support varied instruction and learning opportunities while preserving some aspects of the familiar school environment in terms of teaching and learning strategies

•Commons will have spaces that allow students to have zones that support individual reflection, small group work and larger group work (such as lectures)

•Advanced digital design shared workstations (these can be in SLC 3’s Commons)

•Walls between some learning studios and adjacent Commons can be flexible to allow for gradual transition to using the Commons more as learning studios, and to support cross disciplinary studies

•Enclosed learning spaces must have flexible walls that open up. Some large openings in walls will create larger enclosed spaces for presentation, while others will create larger spaces opening onto the Commons. This will allow for large group presentations in the Advisory Program

Ground Floor (Level 2)

Library & Humanities (Level 3)

Science & Math (Level 4)

Exhibition of School Planning and ArchitectureProject Data

Submitting Firm : Fielding Nair InternationalProject Role Educational Planner and Design ArchitectProject Contact Randall FieldingTitle ChairmanAddress 4937 Morgan Ave. South City, State or Province, Country Minneapolis, Minnesota, USAPhone 612 925 6897

Partner Firm: Guy Melviez ArchitecteProject Role Executive ArchitectProject Contact Guy MelviezTitle PrincipalAddress Rue Basse 36, 1180 UccleCity, State or Province, Country Brussels, BelgiumPhone +32 2 346 88 86

Construction Firm: Jacques DelensProject Role ConstructionProject Contact Jacques DelensTitle PrincipalAddress Avenue du Col Verde, 1 B-1170City, State or Province, Country Brussels, BelgiumPhone +32 2 370 28 70

Partner Construction Firm: Entreprises Louis DewaeleProject Role ConstructionProject Contact Louis DewaeleTitle PrincipalAddress Avenue Jean Dubrucq 175, 1080City, State or Province, Country Brussels, BelgiumPhone +32 2 422 08 11

Exhibition of School Planning and ArchitectureProject Details

Project Name International School of BrusselsCity BrusselsCountry BelgiumDistrict Name Private IB SchoolSupt/President Kevin BartlettOccupancy Date September 2013Grades Housed 9 - 12

Capacity(Students) 450Site Size (acres) 38Gross Area (sq. ft.) 62,430 Per Occupant(pupil) 139 Gross/111 Netgross/net please indicate

Design and Build? NoIf yes, Total Cost:Includes:

If no, Site Development: $250,332Building Construction: $17,359,980Fixed Equipment: $1,682,619Other:

Total: $19,042,599

With the garage door up, a student who needs a bit more quiet to focus can work close by without feeling cut off from the rest of the group.

Science Labs are designed to be modular and flexible, with the same strong connection to the outdoors as other parts of the building.

At ISB, teachers work in professional collaborative spaces rather than owning a desk in one classroom. The teachers report that this is their favorite concept of the Common Ground Curriculum.

In all the spaces, nature never seems far away because of abundant windows and transparency. The students have nick-named the building the “Tree House.”

ISB is the only school to have been awarded a second Eco-Dynamism Star by the Brussels Environment Agency and invited by the Directorate for Energy and Transport of the European Commission to become a Campaign Associate in the Sustainable Energy Europe Campaign.