The Middle East’s First Low-Energy School Pioneers Leading E Initiatives to Drive a Sustainable Future

 To commemorate Earth Hour on March 19th, the Swiss International Scientific School in Dubai (SISD) is proud to be home to an array of innovative sustainability initiatives which serve to provide a safer and inspired learning environment for students. The school is the Middle East’s first low-energy building in the education sector, with unique environmental elements such as a lush organic garden, SageGlass dynamically controlled tinted windows, recycling bins, movement responsive light sensors installed throughout the building, a BMS recycled air system which helps purify the air students breathe. The moss walls are also a natural decorative addition to the sustainability spirit of the building. 

A member of the Clean Energy Business Council’s “UAE Schools Environment Protection Program”, SISD is committed both to optimising learning conditions for students in support of better comfort and health and providing an educational setting which promotes sustainability and environmental protection. The school building, which earned the region’s first MINERGIE Certificate, is a breakthrough in the creation of sustainable standards, and consumes only 30% of energy compared to similar-sized local buildings. In further promoting the school’s unique link between environmental health of students and their education, the school announced upon its September 2015 launch that the energy cost reduction would be translated into savings funding academic scholarships on offer to students within the second year of operation. 

SISD Head of School Beat Sommer said Earth Hour was a great opportunity to remind the community that sustainability was not just about minimising the environmental footprint, but about fostering a healthy, comfortable learning environment for the children: “a commitment to sustainability and environmental awareness is not just part of our conscience as a school community, it is also intrinsic to our physical presence here in Dubai, embedded in the walls of the school and forming a practical part of our daily lives.” 

The combination of a sustainable architectural design, with smart energy saving, recycling initiatives, and environmental education provides an unprecedented opportunity for students, parents and staff to learn and experience a more responsible use of natural resources – an ambition well suited to schools around the world, and undoubtedly a statement set to become a benchmark of sustainability and innovation for the Middle East.