While Kusto Group’s city-within-a-city project, Koktobe City, will only be finalized later this year, the neighborhood’s private school, the High Tech Academy, has already been running since 2017.
Located just outside of Almaty, Kazakhstan, Kusto Group’s founder, Yerkin Tatishev, built Koktobe City with European design and quality of life in mind.
Therefore, High Tech Academy is also inspired by Finnish teaching methods.
Before deciding on Finland, Yerkin Tatishev and High Tech Academy’s principal, Tatiana Magambetova, visited schools in Europe, the United States and Singapore to gather inspiration and input.
They fell for the Finnish approach, where a lot of emphasis is being put on children’s physical and emotional safety, creating a comfortable environment for their learning.
The Kusto Group founder and the High Tech Academy principal also found American methods interesting.
“High Tech Academy is based on the Finnish method in elementary school and the American method in middle and high school. The main idea is to learn something so deeply that you can apply it in a different context. Our priority is to prepare children for real life,” Tatiana Magambetova explained.
Yerkin Tatishev: “School facilities are for everyone”
The school itself was also designed by Finnish architects.
While Tatiana Magambetova dreamt of a wooden school, she had to settle for an alternative in order to get the construction approved by Kazakhstani authorities.
“Few people know that I dreamed of a completely wooden school. A few years ago, such a school for 800 students was built in Finland. I managed to visit it two months before the opening. Unfortunately, Kazakhstani SNIPs and other requirements did not allow us to implement something like this,” the principal stated.
She, Yerkin Tatishev and Kusto Group placed great importance on providing the school with cutting-edge amenities that cater to the comfort and requirements of the children.
Consequently, emphasis was placed on the quality of lighting, sound, flooring and wall coverings. In addition, the school includes designated areas for various activities such as music and art classrooms.
The project also entails the construction of sports halls for team sports and martial arts, a pool and an assembly hall that is accessible to all residents of Koktobe City.
“In Finland, school infrastructure, like sports halls and sports fields, is for students until 6 PM, and after that, they are for everyone. Here, the residents of the complex will have the opportunity to engage in art or sports. The complex will be family-oriented,” Yerkin Tatishev said.
Shoe-free school and Soviet-inspired sports center
The school compound comprises five blocks: preschool, elementary school, middle school, high school and the Budokan sports and arts center. All of the blocks are connected by a big atrium.
Each block is equipped with a locker area, clothing hangers and shoe shelves. The interior of the school was specifically designed to enable students to walk around without shoes on in accordance with the Finnish shoe-free method commonly practiced in schools.
As lighting was important to Tatiana Magambetova, Yerkin Tatishev and Kusto Group, there is a light well in the middle of each block to make the lighting as natural as possible.
All of the specialized classrooms are in the middle and high school blocks. There, students can explore the chemical lab, the kitchen, music halls and an art space, among other things.
The block that really stands out is the Budokan sports and arts center.
“We, the children of the Soviet Union, remember that there was such a cool place – the House of Pioneers. There, you could swim, do aeromodelling and look at chess along the way,” Tatiana Magambetova said.
The Budokan sports and arts center is a mix of the House of Pioneers and a community center.
Kusto Group’s eco-friendly approach
Yerkin Tatishev and Kusto Group chose the construction materials of High Tech Academy with environmental sustainability in mind, using eco-friendly options whenever possible.
Sawdust was utilized for the false ceilings, while natural viscose was used to create flooring that resembles linoleum. The building allows ample natural light to penetrate through the skylights and large windows.
Additionally, gas-powered water-heated floors help to save electricity. Although the plan to install solar panels on the roof was considered, it was ultimately rejected by the regulatory authorities.
Environmental projects are included in the curriculum, and once a year, pupils and students aged 5 to 18 showcase their own solutions to environmental issues.
In keeping with the school’s eco-friendly approach, the children take buses to and from school. This also contributes to the equality of pupils and students.
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