ISL pupils return to new lower school building

Pupils and teachers were eager to get back to work at the International School Luxembourg on Wednesday where they were greeted with a brand-new, state-of-the-art building.

As the doors opened for the first time on the 40 million-euro lower school building in Merl, children stared in wonder at the immaculate space where they will spend the next school year.

The building comprises 36 new classrooms, a gym, canteen, auditorium and countless open spaces among other features.

Speaking on Wednesday morning, Lower School Principal Patricia Angoy said: “We've embarked on a wonderful journey today. Now, we have to transform this building and all who work in the school into somewhere we feel that we belong.”

The school was designed by architect Gary Haycock of Arco, who entered a competition launched by the school in 2010. He created an environmentally-friendly design by which the concrete of the building absorbs heat, thus reducing the need for traditional heating methods.

Construction was completed in just two years to ensure the deadline of the 2013 Autumn return could be met.

The building was urgently needed to accommodate the growing numbers of pupils enrolling at the ISL's lower school. This year the school counts 570 lower school pupils, for which four new classes had to be created and teachers recruited. Furthermore, the building will allow numbers to grow to a maximum of 637.

The lower school launch also coincides with ISL's 50th anniversary year and ISL director Chris Bowman described the occasion as “a new chapter in the history of the school.”

He said: “Children here today will look back at photos of today and remember that this was the day the new school opened. They will remember and say 'I was there'.”.

The project, for which the school had budgeted 50 million euros, came in under budget, enabling it to make some renovations to the upper school building. The Luxembourg government financed 85 percent of the project's funding.