The programme developed by RCR Arquitectes is organised into areas differentiated by colours, depending on the needs of the students it will serve. The complex has different exchange points from which to enhance the creativity of the students, offering a place to share concerns and knowledge.
"Donated by Ibrahim Al Ghurair and his family to their local district in Dubai and designed by RCR Arquitectes, the Dar Al Marefa School provides children and staff with a visionary campus designed to stimulate discovery, learning, growth and creativity for students of all ages."
RCR Arquitectes.
Dar Al Marefa School by RCR Arquitectes. Photograph by Hisao Suzuki.
A lattice surrounds the modules that shape the complex, filtering the light that enters the interior, enriching the architectural space and thus the interior experience through a play of light and shadow that also serves as a solar protection strategy in response to the local climate.
The path marked by pergolas made of textile and metal mesh connects the different volumes of the complex, serving at the same time as external protection from solar radiation for the students and continuing the play of light and shadow that we find in the interior spaces.
"A cheerful, lively hive in a setting where everything is waiting to be discovered."
Rafael Aranda Quiles, RCR Arquitectes
Dar Al Marefa School by RCR Arquitectes. Photograph by Hisao Suzuki.
Dar Al Marefa School by RCR Arquitectes. Photograph by Hisao Suzuki.
The campus is designed to maximize the learning potential of students, a complex designed to be an open space that encourages creativity, collaboration and innovation. The architecture, volumetry and composition of the different spaces of the school generate a set of shadows, accompanied by colours and shapes that, together with the facilities and the interior vegetation, build a set of intertwined patterns and winding paths, creating a lively and joyful environment that stimulates discovery, learning, growth and creativity in young students.
"A city of discovery, learning, growing, creating. For 0 to 18 years old. A school for all ages, in a shared setting. Each age discovers its own special colour, position and creativity. Each age creates its own shadows and meeting spaces. The shared services -theaterette, canteen library and sports facilities- generate paths and squares that hold others. Modulation and standardization seek an economy of resources in the production of the whole. A cheerful, lively hive in a setting where everything is waiting to be discovered."
RCR Arquitectes.
