Straits International School

This three-storey international school in Rawang, Selangor, caters for about 1,000 students and 50 staff from the nursery, primary and secondary levels. It is equipped with a multipurpose hall, swimming pool, library, roof sport courts, various science laboratories and respective extra-curricular activity rooms.

The architects studied the site carefully, working closely with structural, M&E, ID and landscaping consultants. The resultant layout of the school adapts to its site footpath, forming a Y-shaped layout with three wings. Surrounded by a new township development, the building blends into its environment with a low-rise setting, extending horizontally instead of vertically.

Natural ventilation is taken into account in the design of the entrance lobby, centre court and the swimming pool. Paint patterns are applied on the external wall for a lively façade instead of extra aluminium features to meet the construction budget. As a school project, child safety is a priority, and features such as double handrails and micromesh are used for this purpose.

Due to site conditions, the foundation design had to be adjusted. The engineer proposed a combination of different foundation designs with construction joints to resolve this. However, this resulted in some headroom issues for the central pedestrian ramp. To get the headroom clearance, the upstand beam design was accommodated as part of the railing design. — Construction+ Online

PROJECT DATA
Project Name: Straits International School (SIS)
Location: Tamansari Rawang, Selangor, Malaysia
Completion Date: 22 April 2018
Site Area: 43,560 square metres
Gross Floor Area: 13,901.03 square metres
Building Height: 3 storeys; 16.5 metres
Client/Owner: Milan Diamond Sdn Bhd (MDSB)
Architecture Firm: S. N. Low & Associates Sdn Bhd
Principal Architect: Ar Low Shu Nyok
Interior Design Firm: ID Inc Interiors Sdn Bhd
Principal Designer: Samme Goh
Civil & Structural Engineer: Aries Engineering Sdn Bhd
Mechanical & Electrical Engineer: LEC M&E Consult Sdn Bhd
Quantity Surveyor: YF Lee Quantity Surveyor
Landscape Architect: Eco Habitat
Main Contractor: CB Construction Sdn Bhd