UAE | Environment

Environmental awareness finally becomes a class act

The Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) aims to create a policy which will see all new schools built to the highest environmentally-friendly standards. The authority also plans to set standards for the sustainability of existing schools.

  • By Siham Al Najami, Staff Reporter
  • Published: 23:41 July 25, 2008
  • Gulf News

  • Artist's impression of the first green school planned to open in Dubai in September next year. The environment-friendly concept will encompass everything from the building to the curriculum.
  • Image Credit: Supplied Picture
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Dubai: The Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) aims to create a policy which will see all new schools built to the highest environmentally-friendly standards. The authority also plans to set standards for the sustainability of existing schools.

"Starting with the curriculum and then the infrastructure, we hope to do our part to immerse pupils in these [green] concepts in their first days of learning," said Dr Abdullah Al Karam, Chairman of the Board of Directors and Director General of the KHDA.

Although green buildings are more expensive to construct - some estimates say green technology can add 7 per cent to the construction cost of a building - they can be cheaper to operate due to reduced water and energy usage.

From September, a pilot scheme in seven public schools will begin to put Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) into action. This is a system which introduces green issues into every subject and activity.

According to KHDA, no school in Dubai is built on environmentally friendly standards or for that matter certified by an external organisation.

With this in mind, Taaleem, an education group in the region is building the first environment-friendly school in the UAE, which is certified by the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design System (LEED).

The "flagship school" is expected to operate in September 2009 accommodating 4,000 pupils in its first phase in nursery and primary school and eventually will include the middle and secondary schools offering a combination of IB and British curriculums.

The school will also be one of the very few academic institutions in the country to offer a teacher training centre, special needs centre, a scholarship trust, and boarding facilities.

The environmental features of the 2.7 million square feet campus will include reduced carbon emissions, outdoor walkways, recycling facilities, natural lighting, grey water recycling, and solar powered carts to move people around the campus.

The originally estimated Dh700 million project is 5 per cent more than a non-LEED building incorporating eco-friendly designs.

Construction

"Traditionally when you build schools, generally, they have low design and construction costs and high maintenance costs. What LEED does that it requires putting greater effort into design and construction. So our design and construction costs are typically higher by 5 per cent for our silver authorisation for LEED. In the long run it cuts down on the operational costs by 25 per cent every year," said Dr Sadru Damji, Academic Development Director at Taaleem.

From experience and community involvement, Taaleem realised attracting and retaining good teachers requires building a green school, said Dr Damji while adding that "teachers are very conscious about their environment asking if we're going to use less energy and if the teaching environment is healthy and if we use sustainable materials." Taaleem already has around seven schools in the UAE that follow the environment policy and integrate environmental education into the learning process.

According to Bridge Haug, Senior Sustainability Consultant at ATKINS, provider of professional, technology-based consultancy and support services, the flagship school is estimated to save up to 25 per cent energy and water consumption.

"We are greatly looking into sustainability and innovative ways to conserve energy and methods to benefit from waste products. To have an outdoor environment where people can walk around and enjoy the nature. Student can have classes outdoors in shaded areas," she said.

Dr Damji added that in their latest design there are no indoor corridors because wide indoor corridors have to be air-conditioned. These structures will substantially reduce air conditioning usage.

Among the challenges in maintaining sustainability is through carefully selecting healthy materials while at the same time reducing transport emissions, said Haug. "We are trying to get locally resourced materials to reduce transport emissions," she said.

Infrastructure: Eco-friendly concepts

Eco-friendly design includes:

  • Sun roof to bring in natural light
  • Shaded walkways to minimise air conditioning
  • Landscaping
  • Green areas watered with 'grey water' from sinks, showers and A/C condensate
  • Use native plant species that have low water requirements
  • Photovoltaic panels on the roof, solar thermal panels
  • Use of recyclable materials for insulation
  • Recycling station on site
  • Car parking on perimeter so no heavy traffic goes through campus

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