Asia, Eastern Europe to See Heavy Investment in Educational Facilities
Major Asian and Eastern European countries are set to invest heavily in educational facilities in 2008, says Randall Fielding, AIA, REFP, chairman and founding partner of Fielding Nair International, an international school planning and design firm. Growth is forecast for China, India, Indonesia, Kuala Lumpur, Korea, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Thailand.
“The reason for this is because of booming economies, cheap labor and oil wealth in some countries,” he said.
 Randall Fielding |
Fielding expects facilities in these countries to be more advanced in terms of design and infrastructure compared to the US.
“This is because they recognize that success in the 21st century is dependent on the ability to innovate.”
He cited the example of Sony Corp. “Sony doesn’t manufacture anything – they are a design and marketing company – they outsource all production.”
“Asian clients want to encourage students to be innovators, which means a new design model. With a less developed infrastructure, it’s easier to reinvent than with a “successful” or large, well developed infrastructure. Developing countries have the opportunity to leapfrog the west,” Fielding noted.