Cranleigh School – New Campus in Abu Dhabi, UAE
At a glance
With the demand of schools in Abu Dhabi increasing over recent years, GHD was tasked with the design and construction of a state-of-the-art campus for Cranleigh School, tailored for pre-prep children aged 3-7 years.
Located in the Saadiyat Reserve of Abu Dhabi, Cranleigh School aims to provide children with a balanced curriculum with valuable experience-based learning opportunities within a structured learning environment. The new campus is representative of the school’s mission, while aligning with GHD’s commitment to provide thriving places and spaces that put people first.
The challenge
With high demand for schools and education in the UAE, and a campus too small for the number of students expected in the new academic year, GHD had a tight timeframe of just over a year to deliver on the new Cranleigh campus, situated in close proximity to the existing campus. With a waiting list for the pre-prep school before it had even been constructed, the campus not only needed to provide a nurturing space that delivered on Cranleigh School’s mission but also achieve compliance with authority requirements and regulations.
As a building designed for children, we worked closely with Abu Dhabi authorities, namely the Abu Dhabi Education Council, to facilitate adherence with heightened compliance regulations such as closed-circuit television (CCTV) systems in commonly used areas, such as main entrances, pick-up and drop-off points, corridors, and playgrounds and differing lighting levels in each area.
Our response
In a collaborative effort, multidisciplinary GHD teams worked closely with the client throughout the project, conducting weekly site visits to deliver satisfaction every step of the way, as well as a team being situated onsite during construction to supervise.
Building on top of the requirements set out, we also designed and constructed the campus to achieve the Estidama PBRS '3 Pearl' rating. This rating, part of a sustainability initiative by the Abu Dhabi Urban Planning Council, assesses a building’s environmental performance in relation to economic, cultural, and social factors. The primary aim of Estidama is to preserve and enrich Abu Dhabi's physical and cultural identity while continuously improving the quality of life for its residents.
The human-centric design of the campus used innovative solutions to prioritise people, including the children, their teachers and caregivers too. Split into four cojoined buildings to separate age groups, with a play space in the middle, each area had folding doors to create an open circulation path. This maximises movement between inside and outside, decreases limitations and increases opportunities to socialise. The modular classrooms allow teachers to add individuality and cater their space to their children’s needs.
The experience and safety of the children is at the heart of this design, with the building all being one floor to avoid any stairs. There is also an elevated playground, so the children can enjoy the increased breeze outdoors and are away from any ground level traffic.
By placing the parking area underneath an elevated playground, GHD were able to maximize the footprint of the space whilst also improving the visitor and caregiver experience. The building was also carefully positioned close to a roundabout to reduce traffic build up.
Taking learnings from different projects, the campus design also promoted energy efficiency by utilising round light wells to increase the amount of natural light into the building, creating a cloud like experience to decrease the heat from the sun, with the aim of the campus using less energy to power air-conditioning and lighting.
The impact
The result is a modern campus that boasts exceptional facilities, including a swimming pool, a versatile multipurpose building, playgrounds, and a dedicated music room.
In addition to delivering on with Cranleigh School’s mission and requirements, the building exemplifies our commitment to building sustainable communities by facilitating access to education.
After successfully completing the project, our client opened the doors of the new pre-prep campus in January 2024 to 730 children.
Cranleigh Abu Dhabi has combined the power of dedication, teamwork, and a shared commitment to excellence, and left me with invaluable lessons and a strong sense of accomplishment. Together, we’ve built more than a school – we’ve built a foundation for the future!”
At the beginning of each project, we set common guidelines and targets to ensure its successful delivery. It relies on teamwork, one goal, one GHD; a cooperative and proactive approach, tight and challenging timelines, high quality standards; risk management and lessons learned. I am proud to have been part of the “Cranleigh Abu Dhabi Project” which is a testament to our GHD Power of Commitment.”