Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Bahamas IB School Opens New Academic Building

  • By Matt Jones
  • 03/23/21

The Lyford Cay International Baccalaureate School, located in Nassau, The Bahamas, has opened its newest academic building to students. Designed by Cooper Robertson, the 35,000-square-foot Gateway Building will house 350 students from sixth through twelfth grade. The facility is also the first completed step—and the intended centerpiece—of a new 17-acre Upper School campus currently under development.

The Gateway Building features facilities for science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (STEAM) instruction like teaching labs, music recital spaces, and art studios. The classic Bahamian architecture mixes indoor and outdoor learning spaces and offers cross-ventilation into interior spaces at a time when indoor air quality is of the utmost importance.

Lyford Cay International School Gateway Building

Each classroom is surrounded by a 12-foot veranda, and the building’s courtyards and landscaped grounds serve as additional teaching space. The indoor/outdoor hybrid environment was a deliberate choice on the architects’ part to promote student wellness and mental health.

“As one of the global educational community’s leading International Baccalaureate schools, LCIS has invested in a comprehensive and forward-looking campus vision that is a foundation of its continued success,” said John Kirk, AIA, partner at Cooper Robertson. “The Gateway Building exemplifies core principles of contemporary academic design: Great outdoor rooms, architecture that embraces its context and enhances the community, and innovative teaching facilities that respond to today’s students and administrators while anticipating the future."

The completed project also includes a free-standing, open-air dining pavilion; a gatehouse; fountains; and a compass rose. Principal David Mindorff called the project “an investment in a brighter vision for education in the Bahamas…These new facilities will allow us to continue providing the enriching learning experiences that have propelled LCIS forward from a small community school to a global leader in education.”

Future additions to the LCIS Upper School include a second academic building, athletics facilities, and a performing arts center. Renovations to the lower school like early learning classrooms and the construction of a 5,200-square-foot multipurpose building are also in the works.

Discussing the capabilities of the Gateway Building, Mindorff explained, “There are learning walls in each classroom that will allow teachers to work smoothly during technology-integrated lessons. The green spaces and forests of the campus are ideal for outdoor education and student-led environmental initiatives. Importantly, during the COVID-19 pandemic, having two campuses has allowed us to facilitate increased face-to-face opportunities for students.”

About the Author

Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • Texas District Breaks Ground on Second High School

    The Waller Independent School District in Waller, Texas, recently held a groundbreaking ceremony for what will become its second high school, according to a news release.

  • Northeastern University Breaks Ground on New Housing Community

    Northeastern University recently announced the groundbreaking of a new student housing community on its campus in Boston, Mass., according to a news release. The university is partnering with American Campus Communities (ACC) for development of the project, which will have the capacity for 1,200 students and has a scheduled completion date of fall 2028.

  • How a Portable Sink Helped an Art Classroom Run More Smoothly

    Classroom design decisions can have outsized effects on instructional time and safety at schools juggling mismatched infrastructure, strict budgets, and crowded schedules — particularly in the arts. Between spilled paint and dirty brushes, art classes run smoother with a sink in the studio. But many schools don’t have a sink in every art classroom.

  • Campus Safety Requires Using Every Resource Available

    Across the U.S., school and campus leaders are facing a security landscape that has changed dramatically over the past decade. Incidents on school property have increased in recent years, with several consecutive years setting record totals. According to analysis of data by CNN, dozens of shootings now occur on school grounds annually across K-12 and higher education environments.