Atkins designs Bahrain’s first LEED-accredited school

Atkins has designed Bahrain’s first LEED-accredited school building, to be built in the new development of Durrat Al Bahrain.

The US$53m project is for Dubai-based school management company Taaleem. Atkins has worked on similar projects in the UAE, including Raha International School and Greenfield Community School.

“In the short-term, achieving LEED accreditation for this school will drive up building costs by roughly 5%,” explained Dr Sadru Damji, academic development director at Taaleem. “In the long term, however, the cost of running the facility will be reduced by 25% a year. This makes the decision to build a green school both environmentally friendly and financially viable.”

The design will use grey water from sinks and air-conditioning to irrigate greenery onsite and make use of recyclable building materials. Plans also exist for the inclusion of photovoltaic panels and wind turbines.

The 85,000 square metre project is expected to be operational by September 2009.

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