The first classes got underway at the international boarding school UWC Dilijan on September 3. Right now 96 students from 50 countries around the world are studying at the school. By the year 2023 their number will increase to 650.
The first classes began yesterday at UWC Dilijan. Today 96 students 16 to 18 years of age from South and Central America, CIS countries, Central and Eastern Europe, the United States, Canada and Australia. They are studying according to the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program (IBDP), which is recognized by the world’s top universities.
Today the first phase of the international school is fully functional, including 37,000 square meters of space – the main school building; sports center; medical center; football field; volleyball, basketball and tennis courts; student campus; multifunctional center and more. The construction of the school will be fully completed in 2017 and the area of the educational complex will total 69,000 square meters.
Dmitry Letov, Project Director, UWC Dilijan:
“This was a challenging project. The school is situated in a mountainous area, so we encountered a number of complications. They include the high level of seismic activity, ground water and steep slopes. In order to ensure the safety of the facility, we carried out various modeling of the behavior of the river which passes near the school, and then installed the appropriate drainage system for the territory. A total of 120 ground support walls were constructed to protect the school from landslides. The buildings of the complex are capable of withstanding an earthquake with a magnitude of 9.0.”
RD GROUP’S ROLE IN THE PROJECT
Through the project of the international boarding UWC Dilijan, RD Group has demonstrated the core principle of its work – full-cycle development: investment, construction and management. RD Group became a co-investor in the project; the project management role is being carried out by RD Group; RD Management will fulfill the facility management role.
WHAT IS UWC DILIJAN
The international boarding school UWC Dilijan is a philanthropy project initiated and founded by the well-known businessman and philanthropist Ruben Vardanyan together with his wife Veronika Zonabend. The construction of the school is being supported by the government of Armenia and personally by President Serzh Sargsyan. UWC Dilijan was build according to the designs of a leading London architecture bureau – Tim Flynn Architects.