State of the Art School – Campus Facilities

Unique to Mumbai, this spectacular new state of the art facility, designed by award winning architect, Don Carlson, of Mithun Architects in Seattle, Washington, is located in the Banda Kurla Complex across the waterway from the Bombay University midtown campus. AIS's unique educational spaces are designed to emphasize collaborative work amongst students. Our interactive classrooms are cutting edge, open and purposeful. On each floor, classrooms cluster around central multi-purpose "learning studios".

The school is a multi-story facility that includes classrooms, labs, the central administration offices, the multi-purpose hall a rooftop swimming pool and apartments for faculty and visiting scholars. The intent is to "grow students through the school" so that, at an early age, students acquire a love of learning and the sense of curiosity and discovery.

The ground level of the school is dedicated to outdoor play areas with a play field, playgrounds, quieter gathering areas, lush plantings and a separate area with a tricycle track, sand area and a discovery jewel garden for the youngest students. The building floats above the ground with a high "stilt" area with expanded play areas underneath. A series of pools, weirs and a waterfall wall expand the learning/play experience providing opportunities for creative experimentation.

The multi-level facility is designed to be a "campus on many levels" - from ground-level play areas to the rooftop swimming pool. As you ascend upward through the school, outdoor terraces provide spaces for educational purposes at every level - for art, science, technology - spaces for collaborative work, for gathering, for projects and for experimentation. The entire learning environment is designed as an airy light-filled "learning world" of classrooms, multiple open studios, quiet nooks and loft spaces, interconnected studio classrooms and a "private zig-zag stair to the playground below.

At Ascend International School, the classrooms are designed specifically for the "learning by doing" educational model. Therefore, learning spaces do not resemble traditional classrooms. Classrooms are larger and function more as studio workshops with worktables, informal gathering places and private study nooks. The classrooms of each grade form a "cluster" with unique interconnected passage doors allowing cross-class work and sharing of discoveries. Clusters of classrooms gather around central studio workshops for collaborative projects and mentoring between classes, grades and levels.

The third floor is the "hub" of the school - the "town center" - where the Library wing is located and where all grades intermingle for Specialty classes - art, music, science, and yoga. Like the classroom floors, the library and specialty classrooms are clustered around a central studio workshop area complete with outdoor project and experiment terraces.

The interconnectedness of the school - both horizontally on each floor and vertically from ground to sky create a unique experience for each student to learn from their fellow students through communication and observation of the collective creativity. The school will be a living organism that is an inspirational place for learning and growing.