International School of Brussels High School

“The Common Ground Collaborative (CGC) is a global,
non-profit network of educators, schools and
social entrepreneurs. We see learning as
the key human capacity and are committed to
building that capacity in ways that
are simple, smart and sustainable;
the Common Ground Curriculum
is designed for learning."

The International School of Brussels is an English-language international school
that provides an international education to over 1500 students aged 2 ½ to 19 from 62
countries. The 40-acre secure campus lies in the Brussels commune of
Watermael-Boitsfort, about 9 kilometres southeast of the city centre.
The new ISB High School by FNI is organized by curriculum themes with a
learning commons and a wide variety of education spaces on each floor.
The building is the very first facility designed to support the Common Ground Curriculum.

International School of Brussels High School

“The Common Ground Collaborative (CGC) is a global,
non-profit network of educators, schools and
social entrepreneurs. We see learning as
the key human capacity and are committed to
building that capacity in ways that
are simple, smart and sustainable;
the Common Ground Curriculum
is designed for learning."

The Common Ground Curriculum is a coherent framework designed to develop learning capacity
in ways that are simple and flexible. The framework builds conceptual
learning, competency learning and character learning into an interactive triple
helix that provides the DNA of the CGC. The helix is embedded in a learning
context of connected, illustrative content, the eight Human Commonalities, selected
for its importance and relevance to diverse learners.

International School of Brussels High School

“The Common Ground Collaborative (CGC) is a global,
non-profit network of educators, schools and
social entrepreneurs. We see learning as
the key human capacity and are committed to
building that capacity in ways that
are simple, smart and sustainable;
the Common Ground Curriculum
is designed for learning."

A floor plan shows the varied spaces needed to support the Common Ground Curriculum,
and the movable furnishings that allow for many learning modalities to happen in a
flexible space. Note the two level atrium located in the main entry at the lower left.

International School of Brussels High School

“The Common Ground Collaborative (CGC) is a global,
non-profit network of educators, schools and
social entrepreneurs. We see learning as
the key human capacity and are committed to
building that capacity in ways that
are simple, smart and sustainable;
the Common Ground Curriculum
is designed for learning."

This double height Gathering Atrium with bleacher steps unifies the spaces and repre­sents the
Common Ground Curriculum philosophy. The school opted to forgo a traditional auditorium
in favor of a space with more flexibility.

International School of Brussels High School

“The Common Ground Collaborative (CGC) is a global,
non-profit network of educators, schools and
social entrepreneurs. We see learning as
the key human capacity and are committed to
building that capacity in ways that
are simple, smart and sustainable;
the Common Ground Curriculum
is designed for learning."

The Gathering Atrium is also used as an informal congregation and presentation space throughout
the day. Because of the windows, it’s far more inviting and useful than
a formal auditorium.

International School of Brussels High School

“The Common Ground Collaborative (CGC) is a global,
non-profit network of educators, schools and
social entrepreneurs. We see learning as
the key human capacity and are committed to
building that capacity in ways that
are simple, smart and sustainable;
the Common Ground Curriculum
is designed for learning."

The Learning Commons allows small group work to happen within sight of this Learning Studio.
The garage door can be moved up and down easily to control acoustics, or allow a larger group
to spread into the Commons.

International School of Brussels High School

“The Common Ground Collaborative (CGC) is a global,
non-profit network of educators, schools and
social entrepreneurs. We see learning as
the key human capacity and are committed to
building that capacity in ways that
are simple, smart and sustainable;
the Common Ground Curriculum
is designed for learning."

This nook area has the furnishings arranged for working one-on-one
with a teacher or a peer.

International School of Brussels High School

“The Common Ground Collaborative (CGC) is a global,
non-profit network of educators, schools and
social entrepreneurs. We see learning as
the key human capacity and are committed to
building that capacity in ways that
are simple, smart and sustainable;
the Common Ground Curriculum
is designed for learning."

Every space in the building is set up for learning; with few corridors, areas like this one
are available for individual study. Note the wonderful connection to the trees
just outside the large windows.

International School of Brussels High School

“The Common Ground Collaborative (CGC) is a global,
non-profit network of educators, schools and
social entrepreneurs. We see learning as
the key human capacity and are committed to
building that capacity in ways that
are simple, smart and sustainable;
the Common Ground Curriculum
is designed for learning."

The commons is designed to promote the kind of casual learning experiences that happen
when students congregate in a comfortable setting, and get to choose
the seating they prefer.

International School of Brussels High School

“The Common Ground Collaborative (CGC) is a global,
non-profit network of educators, schools and
social entrepreneurs. We see learning as
the key human capacity and are committed to
building that capacity in ways that
are simple, smart and sustainable;
the Common Ground Curriculum
is designed for learning."

In the library, acoustical ceiling treatments create a quiet zone to promote more contemplative work.
Varied styles of ceiling panels are used to control sound throughout the facility, an
important feature in a building with open spaces.

International School of Brussels High School

“The Common Ground Collaborative (CGC) is a global,
non-profit network of educators, schools and
social entrepreneurs. We see learning as
the key human capacity and are committed to
building that capacity in ways that
are simple, smart and sustainable;
the Common Ground Curriculum
is designed for learning."

This commons kitchen studio provides a place for hands-on learning that may be a bit messier.
Rugged surfaces and floors in a space just outside a teacher workroom makes for a
place that can easily be cleaned and supervised.

International School of Brussels High School

“The Common Ground Collaborative (CGC) is a global,
non-profit network of educators, schools and
social entrepreneurs. We see learning as
the key human capacity and are committed to
building that capacity in ways that
are simple, smart and sustainable;
the Common Ground Curriculum
is designed for learning."

At ISB, teachers work in professional collaborative spaces rather than owning a desk in one classroom.
The teachers report that this is their favorite concept in the new building.

International School of Brussels High School

“The Common Ground Collaborative (CGC) is a global,
non-profit network of educators, schools and
social entrepreneurs. We see learning as
the key human capacity and are committed to
building that capacity in ways that
are simple, smart and sustainable;
the Common Ground Curriculum
is designed for learning."

The transparent walls throughout the building are used for learning. Note the locker stacks
in the image; rather than corridors lined with lockers, these stacks are placed
unobtrusively and used to designate areas within the Commons.