The new Binus School campus is the first public facility provided for the Pearl of Java, a new township of 500 hectares in Semarang, Indonesia.
Located close to the ocean, the campus buildings are designed as a series of shell-like forms with a secondary skin of red terracotta breeze block walls, and roofs partially planted with coastal vegetation. The combination of openable windows and a secondary skin means that on cool and breezy days the windows can be opened instead of using air-conditioning full time. In addition, the terracotta breeze blocks protect the interior spaces from strong offshore winds.
The new school provides early childhood to high school education and Binus University. The campus will be surrounded by coastal gardens to provide shade and encourage birds and other wildlife back to the coastal area.