Construction has begun on a smart school in Irkutsk, Siberia, that seeks to combine architecture and landscape into a "unique learning environment and gathering point for the local community".
The 1,000 pupil school will contain dozens of different sized rooms with varying arrangements of seats, desks, lighting and background noise insulation, with classes taught inside or outside.
According to project designers, "high educational achievements are possible when students and teachers work in a diverse space where everyone can find a place for themselves and select their own learning route".
Located on the bank of the Angara River, 60km from Lake Baikal, the 31,000m2 development will include a leisure and cultural centre, a sports centre, training workrooms and laboratories, as well as a library.
The $58m complex, will include a kindergarten, middle and high school, as well as a housing development for adoptive families.Â
The buildings are connected by a single roof that creates a series of roofed outdoor areas between the offset volumes.
15% of the student body is reserved for orphans and children with limited physical capabilities.
It was announced in 2015 that Danish architect CEBRA had won the design competition ahead of 48 other firms such as MVRDV and Sou Fujimoto Architects.
CEBRA described the project as an "incubator for ideas, technologies, projects and practices that will enable educators to raise a generation of active, ambitious and creative people.Â
"Besides, this will contribute to the educational system and the social sphere of the region and of the country, and promote the growth of human potential which is the main resource of Russia."
The school is expected to open on 1 September 2019.Â
Images courtesy of CEBRA
