NEW SCHOOL EMBODIES ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL CONCERNS

Editor's Note: In this story, Wissam Jabr describes the approach taken by his firm to this substantial school project.

In creating an educational environment for "mentally challenged" children and young adults, as architects we faced a few challenges of our own. Beirut's new Abdel Hadi Debs School for Mental Development was to function as both home and school for 575 students plus staff, with a restricted budget but high ambitions for energy conservation.

A TECNOPOD FOR MANY USES

The architecture firm ZLG Sdn.Bhd., of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, has developed a prototype for a lightweight, movable building called the "tecnopod." The main criteria for its design were that it be modular, easily transportable, and able to be erected within a day.

FURNISHING THE WORKPLACE

The furniture maker Steelcase has long been known for its "turn-key" office systems. One complete package supplies desks, chairs, cubicle partitions, power and communications receptacles, lighting, and more.

Now Steelcase has taken this "plug-and-play" idea one step further. In conjunction with commercial real estate developer Gale and Wentworth, LLC, they have formed Workstage, a new company that produces entire office buildings as turn-key products.

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