building for the 'green' generation
SUSTAINABILITY PROJECT UPDATE
BUILDING FOR THE ‘GREEN’ GENERATION Sustainability begins with education. With GCC countries increasingly investing in green building in an effort to reduce carbon footprints, a new type of school in Dubai plans to set the standard for the future. By Jumana Abdel-Razzaq
D
iamond Developers, the company behind the Sustainable City in Dubai, will be launching the first ever “Green School” in the Middle East next year. It promises to support actively the shift towards sustainability by helping children understand the environment and how to minimise damage. “The concept for the school was initially inspired by the first-ever green school in Bali, which we looked at as a model for what we are now doing at the Sustainable City,” said Alya Al Hamad, Education Project Manager, Diamond Developers. Alya explained how the school, though inspired by the idea, has no direct affiliation with its Bali-counterpart and instead has its own unique concept. She said: “We wanted to create the first-ever high-tech and completely smart school that focuses on the environmental sciences and offers a ‘green’ curriculum for students both within the community and from other areas in the UAE.” The school, which is set to be completed in September 2016, will be part of Phase 2 of the two-phased Diamond Developers 16 | THE BIG 5 HUB QUARTERLY | SEPTEMBER 2015
SMART SCHOOL: E-learning, e-text books and a completely digitised school
Alya Al Hamad, Education Project Manager, Diamond Developers.
www.thebig5hub.com
SUSTAINABILITY PROJECT UPDATE
GREEN BUILDING: 100% water and waste recycling, 100% energy from solar power: completely net zero
“We want to be able to foster the next generation of scientists or engineers so they could come up with progressive and innovative ideas for renewable energy in the future.” Alya Al Hamad, Education Project Manager, Diamond Developers.
GREEN EDUCATION: Students will be fluent in ideas and technologies relating to sustainability, including a green curriculum www.thebig5hub.com
The city features community centres, amenities, walking, running and bicycling tracks that will accommodate 500 villas.
Sustainable City development in Dubailand. As the first and only full-fledged environmentally and eco-friendly neighbourhood, the city features community centres, amenities, walking, running and bicycling tracks that will accommodate 500 villas and town-houses on a 500,000sqm space. One of the aims of the school is to create environmental awareness for future generations of children living in the gulf, the highest consumers of energy in the world. Alya explained: “We want to be able to foster the next generation of scientists or engineers so they could come up with progressive and innovative ideas for renewable energy in the future.” With this focus on ‘green’ learning, the school also looks towards teaching healthy living and self-sufficiency, introducing a connected farm that teaches students how to grow their own herbs and plants. Education takes on a holistic approach at the sustainable school with outdoor and experiential learning taking place. It does not only rely on conventional instructional classroom learning as a way to develop a generation of critical thinkers, but also focuses on extracurricular activities to give a well-rounded approach to learning. Once built the school will be 40 per cent more efficient than a similar size building, aiming to be self-sufficient in electricity from solar energy and will be the first school building with 100 per cent waste and water recycling in the GCC. Alya said: “Students will have full access to The Sustainable City (TSC) which will be their Living Laboratory as well as The Sustainability Centre of Excellence where high level professional training and research activities will take place and The Science Museum where our students can be our ambassadors and guide fellow SEPTEMBER 2015 | THE BIG 5 HUB QUARTERLY | 17
SUSTAINABILITY PROJECT UPDATE young people.” Green building policies and initiatives have been around for almost a decade now in the UAE, with institutions such as the Emirates Green Building Council and international certification programmes like LEED leading educational platforms in sustainable development across Dubai and the UAE. In the past, government-supported programmes for schools were implemented across Dubai, including “Recycle to Gain” in June 2013 and the Eco-School award programme which provided schools with guidelines to actively engage their staff and students in sustainability projects. In 2013, 23 schools in Dubai were enrolled in the Eco-Schools programme. Alya hopes the same could be possible for the school, saying: “Though we currently do not work directly with the government, we do have plans to work with some government bodies on developing further programmes for the school. “It is still too early to tell what kind of initiatives we will help create in the future, but it is definitely something we are actively working towards.” g
HOLISTIC APPROACH: Developing the ‘whole person’ with outdoor and experiential learning
18 | THE BIG 5 HUB QUARTERLY | SEPTEMBER 2015
One of the aims of the school is to create environmental awareness for generations of children living in the gulf.
EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES: Keeping kids active, curious, and adventurous with access to the equestrian centre, The Science Museum and the Centre of Excellence
BUILDING FOR THE ‘GREEN’ GENERATION Sustainability begins with education. With GCC countries increasingly investing in green building in an effort to reduce carbon footprints, a new type of school in Dubai plans to set the standard for the future. By Jumana Abdel-Razzaq
D
iamond Developers, the company behind the Sustainable City in Dubai, will be launching the first ever “Green School” in the Middle East next year. It promises to support actively the shift towards sustainability by helping children understand the environment and how to minimise damage. “The concept for the school was initially inspired by the first-ever green school in Bali, which we looked at as a model for what we are now doing at the Sustainable City,” said Alya Al Hamad, Education Project Manager, Diamond Developers. Alya explained how the school, though inspired by the idea, has no direct affiliation with its Bali-counterpart and instead has its own unique concept. She said: “We wanted to create the first-ever high-tech and completely smart school that focuses on the environmental sciences and offers a ‘green’ curriculum for students both within the community and from other areas in the UAE.” The school, which is set to be completed in September 2016, will be part of Phase 2 of the two-phased Diamond Developers 16 | THE BIG 5 HUB QUARTERLY | SEPTEMBER 2015
SMART SCHOOL: E-learning, e-text books and a completely digitised school
Alya Al Hamad, Education Project Manager, Diamond Developers.
www.thebig5hub.com
SUSTAINABILITY PROJECT UPDATE
GREEN BUILDING: 100% water and waste recycling, 100% energy from solar power: completely net zero
“We want to be able to foster the next generation of scientists or engineers so they could come up with progressive and innovative ideas for renewable energy in the future.” Alya Al Hamad, Education Project Manager, Diamond Developers.
GREEN EDUCATION: Students will be fluent in ideas and technologies relating to sustainability, including a green curriculum www.thebig5hub.com
The city features community centres, amenities, walking, running and bicycling tracks that will accommodate 500 villas.
Sustainable City development in Dubailand. As the first and only full-fledged environmentally and eco-friendly neighbourhood, the city features community centres, amenities, walking, running and bicycling tracks that will accommodate 500 villas and town-houses on a 500,000sqm space. One of the aims of the school is to create environmental awareness for future generations of children living in the gulf, the highest consumers of energy in the world. Alya explained: “We want to be able to foster the next generation of scientists or engineers so they could come up with progressive and innovative ideas for renewable energy in the future.” With this focus on ‘green’ learning, the school also looks towards teaching healthy living and self-sufficiency, introducing a connected farm that teaches students how to grow their own herbs and plants. Education takes on a holistic approach at the sustainable school with outdoor and experiential learning taking place. It does not only rely on conventional instructional classroom learning as a way to develop a generation of critical thinkers, but also focuses on extracurricular activities to give a well-rounded approach to learning. Once built the school will be 40 per cent more efficient than a similar size building, aiming to be self-sufficient in electricity from solar energy and will be the first school building with 100 per cent waste and water recycling in the GCC. Alya said: “Students will have full access to The Sustainable City (TSC) which will be their Living Laboratory as well as The Sustainability Centre of Excellence where high level professional training and research activities will take place and The Science Museum where our students can be our ambassadors and guide fellow SEPTEMBER 2015 | THE BIG 5 HUB QUARTERLY | 17
SUSTAINABILITY PROJECT UPDATE young people.” Green building policies and initiatives have been around for almost a decade now in the UAE, with institutions such as the Emirates Green Building Council and international certification programmes like LEED leading educational platforms in sustainable development across Dubai and the UAE. In the past, government-supported programmes for schools were implemented across Dubai, including “Recycle to Gain” in June 2013 and the Eco-School award programme which provided schools with guidelines to actively engage their staff and students in sustainability projects. In 2013, 23 schools in Dubai were enrolled in the Eco-Schools programme. Alya hopes the same could be possible for the school, saying: “Though we currently do not work directly with the government, we do have plans to work with some government bodies on developing further programmes for the school. “It is still too early to tell what kind of initiatives we will help create in the future, but it is definitely something we are actively working towards.” g
HOLISTIC APPROACH: Developing the ‘whole person’ with outdoor and experiential learning
18 | THE BIG 5 HUB QUARTERLY | SEPTEMBER 2015
One of the aims of the school is to create environmental awareness for generations of children living in the gulf.
EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES: Keeping kids active, curious, and adventurous with access to the equestrian centre, The Science Museum and the Centre of Excellence
