June 2025 — As summer vacation arrived on schedule, the campus summer works began. Over the course of fifty-nine days — a holiday marked by frequent extreme weather, including intense heat, thunderstorms and strong winds — we carried out a series of significant transformations across the campus.
Below is a retrospective account of the phases and key events of this period.
Chapter I The jarring din of industrial works
On graduation day, even as the graduation ceremony continued amid the fragrance of gowns, preparatory work for multiple projects had already begun quietly in the academic buildings. Building on the successful upgrades completed last summer, this summer vacation continued with upgrades and renovations across campus buildings and facilities.
After the ceremony, subcontracted crews entered the campus and work commenced in stages. The campus serenity was soon broken by the sound of drilling rigs breaking ground, punctuated by intermittent cutting and grinding machines; this explosive, percussive noise dominated the campus for roughly two weeks. Staff who remained on site adapted to communicating largely by shouting; brief vocal calls and emphatic gestures became the principal means of coordination.
Chapter II A promising interlude amid humid heat
In early July the loudest phase of construction subsided and the sudden contrast made the campus seem almost deserted. Across the campus various projects continued to advance in an orderly manner. Although the weather remained hot and humid, overall conditions were sufficiently stable to support steady progress. Several time-sensitive projects were completed during this window:
- Landscaping upgrade projects
- Infilling of artificial turf on the outdoor football pitch
- Installation of acoustic panels in Teaching Building B
- Installation of anti-fall cameras
As construction crews began to withdraw, property management simultaneously initiated supporting operations: operational inspections of renovated facilities, final cleaning, placement of axial fans, and ensuring that newly completed rooms were ventilated by keeping doors and windows open.
Flower bed drainage upgrade
Chapter III A Dreadful Symphony in the Wake of the Typhoon
Since mid-July temperatures climbed steadily and Shenzhen issued multiple orange high-temperature alerts. Despite the heat, key floor-surface renovation projects in academic buildings, drainage works in student dormitory rooms, and wall and floor renovations in washrooms and shower areas proceeded in earnest.
Under humid conditions of thirty-seven to thirty-eight degrees Celsius, merely standing still was enough to be drenched in sweat; site supervisors often complained of the discomfort, yet the workers maintained high-intensity physical labor and quietly pushed the projects forward. A strong typhoon developing over the South China Sea cast a heavy shadow over everyone’s minds — completing more work before the storm would meaningfully reduce subsequent pressure.
On 20 July Typhoon Weipa struck Shenzhen. The storm came suddenly and passed quickly; overall it did not cause catastrophic damage to the construction sites, but the landscaping crew, which had completed work early, experienced notable losses. A tree located at a wind-exposed spot was toppled by the fierce winds; its fallen trunk in turn damaged another tree adjacent to the gymnasium’s main steps. The typhoon also caused leaning and damage to a number of trees and shrubs. As soon as conditions allowed, the landscaping team carried out inspections and emergency salvage work in the rain and began post-event plant care.
During the same period, a second batch of renovation and maintenance works were completed in succession:
- Relocation and ancillary works for the mobile music room
- Floor renovations for offices on the second and fourth floors of the teaching building
- Maintenance and servicing of staff and student fitness equipment
- Maintenance of the school’s audio, lighting and electrical systems
- Maintenance of domestic water tanks
- Inspection of campus power equipment and cabling
- Elevator inspection and maintenance, including repainting of finish coats
- Inspection and servicing of fire-safety equipment
Audio-visual equipment maintenance
Fire equipment maintenance
Minor but meaningful improvements also took place quietly across campus: eleven species of trees and large shrubs received new identification tags; one thousand mosquitofish were quietly introduced into the campus waterways to support vector control; and three new restrooms near G020 were completed during the holiday — these will replace previous prefabricated restroom units that had been prone to failure and will provide reliable support during large-scale examinations.
Chapter IV A vigorous finale amid heavy thunderstorms
At the end of July, persistent thunderstorms affected Shenzhen and brought a full week of continuous heavy rainfall. Work that was approaching completion was forced to adjust as unrelenting rain repeatedly disrupted schedules. Newly painted drain troughs in corridors were immediately soaked; tile-joint finishing and other precision tasks had to be rushed into brief dry intervals. Surface works on the corridors of the fifth and sixth floors of the teaching building could not proceed because the subfloor could not attain the required dryness, and these tasks were postponed until the National Day holiday.
The heavy rains did, however, provide a natural quality test for a number of works. The renovated corridors of Auster Building demonstrated good drainage under repeated downpours; the rainfall also helped to reveal leakage points in the plumbing systems. In addition, the experimental rectification of roof expansion joints on the ninth floor of Auster building has shown initial success. We expect that, with the completion of the full renovation next year, this long-standing issue will be resolved.
Other routine holiday works were completed as planned, including:
- Painting of stairwell walls in teaching buildings
- Cleaning of air conditioners, washing machines and other dormitory appliances
- Exterior cleaning of student dormitory façades
- Inspection of drinking-water dispensers in teaching buildings and dormitories
- Repair and cleaning of dormitory furniture
- Update and improvement of on-campus signage
Before new-student registration, the summer 2025 works and maintenance were brought to a close. After several years of effort, a number of major renovation projects have been completed or are nearing completion across the campus:
- All 31 laboratories have been fully upgraded
- All classrooms, laboratories and functional rooms on campus have completed interior acoustic upgrades
- Interior drainage renovations in student dormitories have been completed
- The dormitory wall and teaching-building floor upgrade projects will be finalized during next year’s summer works
In the past year we also piloted smaller-scale upgrades — the first-floor platform surface renovation, planter upgrades, and improvements to campus waterproofing infrastructure — and attention is already turning to additional upgrade projects. Planning for next summer’s construction is already underway.
The visible impacts of construction are gradually fading across campus. New shoots have begun to emerge along plant stems that were trimmed during renovation; trees that had their crowns reduced after typhoon damage are quietly producing fresh shoots along their trunks; newly planted ornamental hedges along the football field perimeter have begun to form a continuous green screen — a renewed campus landscape is coming into view.
In the course of campus operation, problems will always be identified and new needs will always arise. As the recipient of the “The Sustainable Future Award,” SCIE’s upgrade and renovation work continues year after year. Each year we invest substantial human and material resources: the school administration, property management and contractors — more than a hundred people in total — work together to produce nearly one hundred task items annually, all with the singular aim of ensuring that the Antuo Hill New Campus remains continually renewed and well maintained.
Now entering its 23rd year, SCIE continues to pursue innovation in international education. Looking ahead, whether in teaching or campus life, we will keep exploring and adjusting; the drive for innovation will not stop.
Year after year, cohorts of young people who once watched flowers beneath the trees graduate and move on, and year after year the campus again welcomes new students who come to admire those same trees. We salute youth, passion, the courage to explore new paths, and the wisdom to make measured adjustments after careful reflection. In contemporary terms, at 23 SCIE is at an age to venture boldly.
- Article / Elina Li
- Pictures / Elina Li
