Saigon South International School (SSIS) provides an American-standard education focused on inquiry-based learning, fostering an environment that encourages students to realize their potential. Its architectural design draws inspiration from Vietnam’s iconic landscapes—terraced rice fields, Ha Long Bay, and Ho Chi Minh City—creating a campus abundant in greenery and constructed from eco-friendly, traditional materials, reflecting a commitment to sustainability and cultural linkage.

As the interior designer of the project, BOHO Décor’s role is to translate this architectural language into functional interior spaces. Ensuring the interior design complements the school’s spirit while enhancing functionality for both educators and students. Guided by SSIS’s motto, “Learn with passion, live with purpose,” the design focuses on flexibility, creativity, and functionality.

The initial challenge BOHO Décor faced was understanding the unique learning culture and needs of both teachers and students. To overcome this, the team organized workshops to directly engage with teachers from various disciplines, ensuring that the interior design addressed specific educational requirements.

Understanding interactive learning is fundamental to the SSIS program, we chose flexibility as the heart of the classroom design. Multifunctional furniture and adaptable layouts ensure that the spaces can evolve with new teaching methods and technology, reducing the need for future upgrades. During one of BOHO’s routine site visits, the team noticed a lack of storage, with learning supplies cramped into small cabinets. To address this, the classroom furniture was designed to maximize functionality—cabinets double as whiteboards, and tables feature extra compartments with built-in palettes that serve as both mini whiteboards and dividers.

Journeying through the corridor of SSIS, the space is optimized to the fullest with small hubs and seating options, responding to needs for individual study and areas for face-to-face discussions. Branded-color furniture is placed along the space, making the usually plain and boring halls become more vibrant.

A balance of repeated visual themes, colored signages with non-traditional floor, and portable furniture designed in the library all serve the belief that SSIS breaks free from the norms of educational spaces. Specifically, the ceiling is strategically open, utilizing circle acoustic ceiling panels of varying dimensions, nurturing a sense of openness, and fostering creativity. The circular shape, inspired by the iconic image of Vietnam’s bronze drum, undergoes a simplification process to harmonize with the modern and timeless design ethos. This adaptation preserves the essence of the traditional symbol while seamlessly integrating it into the contemporary architectural language, symbolizing a bridge between Vietnam’s rich cultural heritage and the forward-thinking educational environment of SSIS.

Anchoring the refurbishment works for the Saigon South International School proposed by BOHO Décor is to create a timeless design that encapsulates a visionary fusion of functionality, sustainability, and cultural richness. It’s a design that not only enhances the educational experience but also honors the core values of SSIS, where students are expected to reach full limits with forward-thinking facilities featuring the combination of globality and tradition.

Design: BOHO Décor
Design Team: Tran Hong Thu, Tran Thanh Van, Le Trung Tuyen, Truong Thi Thanh, Nguyen Long Chau, Nguyen Thu Trang, Nguyen Viet Hoang, Vu Thi Le Tram, Bui Anh Dao, Le Tuan Hai, Duong Thuy Duong, Trinh Quynh Le
Photography: Quang Dam