Cactus Art Design & Furnishing created a modern yet warm design for the Furen International School in Singapore.

Furen International School is a renowned international school that aims to provide quality education and a holistic learning environment to cultivate students who are innovative, motivated and diligent.

The site is located at Orchard Road, a vibrant commercial district in Singapore, is not a conventional location for a school setup. The commercial building which houses the school lacks outdoor spaces and needs to rely solely on indoor facilities to facilitate a positive atmosphere for students to thrive and ultimately inspiring a profound learning attitude towards noteworthy academic achievements.

The school compound is a dynamic space comprising various classrooms, library, activity area, pantry, theatre, meeting rooms and admin office, all nested within a 3 level commercial space. The design team creatively employs a diverse range of design techniques and elements to accommodate all the different uses in the space while fostering interactions between the users with this unique environment. Careful space planning ensures that all the requirements of a functioning school are met while creating a distinctive identity of the school environment. A number of colour palettes ranging from wood tones to bright colours to monochromatic are used throughout the school to differentiate the different spatial functions.

The brief requires the reception area to be located in an 800sqft space at level 1 at the same time including an admin office, casual meeting area and enclosed meeting booths. Through ingenious space planning, the relatively narrow space is transformed into an open area with maximum versatility and flexibility. The layout is designed to comfortably accommodate a large crowd without feeling stuffy. The space when utilised fully, allows the staff to be able to work and meet with parents, visitors, and others within any part of this open space comfortably. The main reception area features a grand and biophilic design that creates a professional yet approachable setting perfect for welcoming visitors. Light coloured wood complemented with indoor plants to create a warm and inviting atmosphere.

The Collaborative Area is a space used frequently by the students for self-study, group discussions and casual gatherings. Hence, the layout is designed with fluidity in mind and curved walls of varying heights hug the seating while providing some levels of privacy. Combination of spot lighting and ambient lighting renders the entire space with a sense of dimensionality.

The school library not only houses the extensive collection of reading materials for the students but also provides an array of setups for other uses such as music playing, painting, resting and group hang out. House motifs are incorporated into the design to evoke a sense of home and comfort for the students using the space.

Various interactive pockets of space are also scattered around the school compound to encourage interactions between students and teachers. Artificial plants of sorts, which can be seen incorporated throughout the school compound help to soften the overall space and bring in a sense of liveliness.

Design: Cactus Art Design & Furnishing
Photography: courtesy of Cactus Art Design