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BDP WINS $45M DUBAI
SCHOOL PROJECT
Jumeirah College to be relocated with facilities for 2,300 students
2,300
CAPACITY FOR
STUDENTS
TOP STORY
BDP has been commissioned to
design a $45m new building for the
relocation of primary and secondary
school Jumeirah College, Dubai.
The new 30,000m 2 building on Al
Khail Road will provide additional
facilities for 2,300 students and work
has already started on site. It will be
a showcase school for the charitable
organisation GEMS Education.
The three-storey complex contains
three main groups: foundations,
primary and secondary, which are
The school will
cover 30,000m 2
on Al Khail Road.
designed as schools within schools.
These groups are set around the
main shared spaces which comprise
a 600-seat auditorium, administration
and a dining area overlooking a
sports complex.
Project director Wayne Head
said: “This commission provides
an exciting opportunity to create
fantastic new facilities for this wellestablished
school. The buildings
are designed to reduce the solar gain
of direct midday sunlight which can
reach 50°C.
“They each look onto palm filled
courtyards which bring light, fresh
air and planting into the core building
wings. As well as the planting, a series
of fins set to the front helps to shade
the buildings and are coloured in the
seven sands of the Emirates.”
The design is a close collaboration
between BDP’s London and Abu
Dhabi studios, working to a tight programme
- the first phase of completion,
consisting of the foundation and
secondary school stages, is scheduled
for September 2013.
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