At the end of 2025, the 16-day Christmas holiday began, and the school’s Christmas renovation works were carried out in an orderly manner as planned.
Due to the relatively short duration of the Christmas break, most of the projects scheduled were small-scale works with short construction periods, the completion of projects left unfinished during the summer or National Day holidays, as well as sample or pilot phases of larger renovation projects. The scope of work mainly focused on the upgrading, renovation, and maintenance of various campus venues and facilities.
Sports Venues
During this holiday, the surface layer of the 1st floor volleyball court was completely renewed, and the pickleball court on the rooftop of Building B was repainted. Drawing on successful examples of sports venue color schemes from both China and abroad, the surface colors of both courts were updated. The volleyball court now features a blue and rose-red color scheme, while the pickleball court has been redesigned in deep blue, light blue, and grey.
Sports Venues
Between the East Gate entrance and the half basketball court, two newly transplanted multi-stem trees have been added, enhancing shaded coverage along the route from the Hill Canteen to the central garden area. With growth through the coming spring, this corridor from the canteen to the teaching buildings is expected to be lined with lush greenery, offering a cooler, more comfortable walking environment.
Meanwhile, the planter boxes along the edge of the 1st-floor platform under the student dormitories were renovated. After removing the original built-in flower pots and improving drainage, winter jasmine and bougainvillea were planted, which will bring new scenery next year.
The corridors connecting the 5th and 6th floors of the teaching buildings, which underwent two phases of construction (during the summer vacation and National Day holiday), were fully completed during this holiday. The new surface layer of the corridors utilizes blue silicone PU, the same material used in outdoor sports venues, creating an echo in space. Drainage ditches were added on both sides to enhance water discharge. When the entire floor renovation project of the teaching buildings is completed next summer vacation, the renovation of other corridors will be carried out simultaneously.
Equipment Upgrades
After multiple rounds of plan discussions and lamp selection, the prototype section construction of the teaching building corridor lighting renovation was carried out during this holiday. The renovation covered the 3rd and 4th floors (designated as international examination venues) and the inner corridors of Floors 5 and 6 in Building B near the library.
Considering the impact of complex cable trays and various pipelines in the corridors, lighting tracks were installed parallel to the cable trays. LED three-wire track lights with grid anti-glare covers and built-in Osram chips were selected to minimize glare on pedestrians’ eyes while ensuring sufficient illuminance.
After the renovation, the above areas will be equipped with an automatic on/off function at scheduled times, and can also sense changes in ambient light due to weather conditions, automatically turning on supplementary lighting when brightness decreases. After completing the prototype phase, we will follow up on feedback on user experience and daily management, make necessary adjustments to the prototype section, and lay the foundation for the subsequent rollout of construction on other floors.
As the parcel lockers at the East Gate were no longer sufficient to meet daily demand, additional collection facilities were urgently required. In full compliance with fire access clearance requirements, new parcel lockers have been installed along the wall area outside the fire access lane on the western side. Matching shelving in the same colour scheme has been added, together with a newly designated returns area, to better support the campus community’s day-to-day parcel collection needs.
Please note: the original East Gate parcel lockers were numbered 1–3, while the new lockers are numbered 4–6. When receiving a collection notification, please ensure you go to the correct location to avoid unnecessary inconvenience.
Facility Maintenance & Repairs
During the holiday period, waterproofing rectification works were carried out at more than a dozen locations across the campus, including teaching areas, student residences, basements, and lift shafts. At the South Gate entrance, the inner walls on both sides of the main staircase had long been affected by dampness and water ingress. As part of this project, the step upstands and wall finishes on both sides were removed, waterproofing was reinstalled, and the areas were fully reinstated. The stone finishes before the school starts, to the stair treads were completely relaid and are now open for normal access. The final wall surface painting on both sides will be completed one week after the start of the semester.
To meet the needs of daily activities, cables were pre-embedded, and new sockets were added at the step curbs on both sides of the main steps. In the future, there will be no need to run power cables from other locations for activities near the main steps, and the big Christmas tree may have a new look next year!
Within the student residential areas, balcony railings in 183 rooms were reinforced. Inspections also identified hollow tiles in the bathrooms and shower areas of more than 140 rooms; these were removed and re-laid accordingly. In addition, routine works—including gym maintenance, lightning protection inspections, power interruption testing and maintenance of the CCTV system, as well as descaling and cleaning of domestic water tanks—were all completed as scheduled.
As the holiday period drew to a close, campus work gradually came to an end. With contractors demobilising from the site, the property management team assumed responsibility for cleaning and routine inspections, and the campus transitioned back into teaching mode.
Maintaining a healthy and well-functioning campus environment is a continuous and detailed process, sustained by the quiet dedication of many individuals. Campus improvements arise from operational challenges identified in daily management as well as from emerging needs. While each individual change may feel new at first, it soon becomes part of everyday life as the campus returns to stability—until the next change begins. Every experience along the way, whether a rewarding success or a hard-earned lesson, is recorded, and all such accumulation ultimately forms part of the enduring foundation of SCIE.
With the arrival of the new year, we believe that the efforts of every individual on this campus will bear fruit in the future. May each member of our community shine in their own field.
- Article / Elina Li
