Saigon South International School (SSIS) recently opened US$30 million facilities -- a STEAM Design Center and a custom-designed Middle School -- each improving the quality of science and technology training.

7,100m² STEAM Design Center

The two new modern and spacious facilities are located in Phu My Hung, at the 27-year-old school’s SSIS campus.

Devoted to students’ holistic education, the SSIS programs support each student's intellectual and personal development.

The aim is that each SSIS graduate acquires high knowledge and skills, especially in the fields of science, technology, engineering, arts, and math, preparing them to lead change in the future.

VICONS and Phu My Hung construction company led the impressive construction of the new Middle School (10,600m²) and the STEAM Design Center (7,100m²), which were designed by Flansburgh Architects from Boston, USA.

The STEAM Design Center includes 17 learning spaces, two maker space rooms, independent science research labs, and labs for physics, biology, and chemistry.

In addition, the building houses four art rooms and many private collaboration spaces.

The new Middle School building contains a Blackbox theater, a double gymnasium, a dance room, as well as 35 classrooms with flexible seating, ten collaboration rooms, and a library with more than 6,000 books and 18,000 online publications.

The school’s founders, Lawrence Ting and Ferdinand Tsien, believed that education is the foundation of progress, and should help each individual maximize their potential.

During the inauguration ceremony, Dr. Catriona Moran, Head of School at Saigon South International School, shared how the design of the new buildings was meticulously developed to maximize creativity, new initiatives, and collaboration skills.

"Considering the learning space as a 'third teacher,' along with training programs and highly specialized teachers, we want to help students develop comprehensive knowledge intellectually and personally," she emphasized.

"Our students will grow up talented in science, technology, engineering, art, mathematics, and more."

As part of the new STEAM Design Center, SSIS is adding 12 new STEAM-related courses to the curriculum.

Starting from the 2024-2025 school year, the school will teach design technology, artificial intelligence, robotics and automation, and fashion and textiles.

In parallel, SSIS's new facilities significantly support the VEX Robot competition, and will prepare students for the FIRST Robotics Competition with classes starting in 2025-2026.

Dr. Moran further shared that the opening of the new Middle School and STEAM Design Center gives SSIS students the opportunity to learn and improve their knowledge, applying their skills in hands-on real-world situations.

Interdisciplinary knowledge of STEAM subjects, including science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics, plays an important role in today's society.

Therefore, with the STEAM Design Center, students can experience practical, creative tools, thereby developing creative thinking in an era of rapidly developing technology.

Participating in the ceremony, Nguyen Van Hieu, director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training, said that Saigon South International School is the first local unit to invest in building a STEAM Design Center equipped with necessary physical conditions for students to focus on learning using the STEM method.

He praised the living, learning, and research environment at the center, noting that it provides students with numerous experiences and opportunities to exchange and apply their subject knowledge to solve practical problems.

"They can work together in groups. With each individual's creativity, they research to create products that serve learning and are useful to the community," Hieu added.

In addition, Saigon South International School aims to continuously enhance its programs and establish the STEAM Design Space as a hub where teachers and students from across Ho Chi Minh City can learn, discuss, and share knowledge together.