We are currently working on several projects for the Saba Comprehensive School aimed at transforming the existing facilities into a modern, vibrant school campus. As part of our design process, architect Lyongo sat down in May 2024 with six students from the school to talk about their experiences with the current buildings.

The conversation was filmed and offered valuable insight into how the students feel about their learning environment, and what they hope for in the future. During the discussion, Lyongo shared new images of our design and explained some details of the buildings we’re designing, like the Gym and the Technical School.

First reactions

“Wow!”, “Who could have made this for us like 10 years ago!?” and “It is so big, it looks like a mall,” were some of the first reactions we received when we revealed the new design to the students. It was nice to hear during the conversation that a better design can help the students to enjoy their academic life more. The choices to create outdoor meeting places and to incorporate more greenery in particular proved to be popular. We were happy to see such positive and enthusiastic responses—it confirmed that the direction we’re taking truly resonates with them.

After this interview we worked on finalizing the design of the new Campus in Saba.

Challenges

The first of these projects—the construction of a brand-new gym—will begin this year. The students pointed out that the roof of the current gym leaks and that it gets far too hot inside to comfortably exercise. Our new design addresses and fixes these issues. For instance, we’re incorporating windows at varying heights to promote natural airflow and improve ventilation. Adding more windows for ventilation is also happening in other buildings we are working on. We’re also planning to install more effective air conditioning systems in the classrooms—a solution Lyongo elaborates on in the interview.

Another key topic of discussion was safety. Lyongo explained how we are designing the gym and the other new buildings to be hurricane-resistant—a critical requirement given the island’s exposure to strong and sometimes extreme winds.

Opening up the school

One of the most important elements of our design is creating a more open and connected campus. This doesn’t just mean physically opening up the space—though that’s certainly part of it. For example, we’re designing play areas that are both visible and accessible, allowing teachers to always keep an eye on students while also being more visible themselves. The current school layout lacks this openness, something the students themselves pointed out in the interview.

But opening up the school also means something more. We don’t see a school as just a place where classes are held—we see it as a community hub. That’s why our vision for the new campus includes making the facilities available to the Saban community after school hours. The students were enthusiastic about this idea, expressing a clear interest in seeing their school become a more active part of the island’s daily life.

This interview was conducted as part of the filming for Kombiná. Filming and editing by Pim Gelevert.