Sharjah English School increases capacity

Work has finished on Sharjah English School's expansion project, which includes a new foundation and key stage one building, as well as a new primary multi-purpose hall.

Located in University City, the not-for-profit school tapped Godwin Austen Johnson (GAJ) to design and manage the building of the additional facilities for the existing school.

The initial design ideas for the school were developed in close cooperation with the school principal together with his early years and primary school teams who wanted to increase the capacity from a small primary to a three-form intake that will eventually feed through to the secondary with the addition of a new foundation and key stage one building as well as a new primary multi-purpose hall.

GAJ partner Jason Burnside said: "The school set out a very clear vision for its next stage of growth and development that begins with the creation of a new home for its very youngest students and they wanted the new school block to be one that sends all of its users onto a journey of curiosity and learning. We took this as an opportunity to build on the school's modest size and warm community feel capturing an overall British approach to education and design."

Pallavi Dean Interiors designed a neutral interior that allows student artwork to be displayed and celebrated without competing against the overall environment. Colour is used only as accents to frame and identify the different classrooms and play zones.

The central shared play corridor is a wide space lined with storage and activities that support curricular activity such as a hideaway role play house, a mini stage area and a computer touch down bay. The open play concept encourages children to explore and make their own space for play.

The landscape theme for the outdoor play and teaching areas for the school is based on a woodland garden concept to create an informal and natural space cleverly integrating outdoor play into the learning environment.

The interior design was done in close coordination with Pallavi Dean Interiors while the landscaping was managed by Vero Studio and the services by GAJ MEP.