Together with changes in approaches to education, school architecture is also changing – the spatial solutions are designed to create the most comfortable conditions for the children’s development. The Russian news portal Lenta.ru published a photo gallery of some of the world’s most modern schools, including the international boarding school UWC Dilijan.
UWC Dilijan College, the first international boarding school in post-Soviet space, is located on the boundary of Dilijan National Park in the mountains of Armenia.
Lenta.ru reports that the ambitious architectural design of the British bureau Tim Flynn Architects was brought to life by RD Group. The architects strived to create a congenial atmosphere conducive to learning and discovering the world. The roofs and walls of the building are covered with greenery that resembles the alpine meadows for which Dilijan is renowned. The football field which belongs to the school was built according to FIFA standards.
RD GROUP’S CONTRIBUTION
RD Group performed three key roles in the project to develop the international boarding UWC Dilijan College: the asset management company RD became a co-investor in the project; the construction work was carried out by RD Group; and RD Management will fulfill the facility management role. This reflects the main principle of the holding’s work – full-cycle development: investment, construction and management.
ORDER OF HONOR
In early September Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan awarded Gagik Adibekyan, Chairman of RD Group, with the Order of Honor for establishment, reinforcement and development of friendship with the Republic of Armenia. During the implementation of the project in the country, RD Group introduced new technologies with regard both to the construction work and to the management of the facility.
THE FIRST CLASSES
The first classes got underway at the international boarding school UWC Dilijan College on September. 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.
Today the first phase of the international school is fully functional, including 37,000 square meters of. 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 College:
“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.”
WHAT IS UWC DILIJAN
The international boarding school UWC Dilijan College 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 College was build according to the designs of a leading London architecture bureau – Tim Flynn Architects.