Godwin Austen Johnson (GAJ) have been appointed as the lead design architects for the new Ladybird Nursery located in Al Barsha.
The appointment follows the success of the Ladybird Early Learning Centre in Jumeirah Village Circle designed and handed over by GAJ in 2016 and will provide a purpose-built facility providing world-class early childhood education to children from the ages of six months to four years old, said the firm in a statement.
It added that the new building will comprise two primary wings radiating from a central heart and containing the reception, parents’ café and internal play areas. It will be a practical mix of open plan activity spaces and traditional teaching spaces designed for optimal flexible usage, said GAJ: “Inspired by that of the earlier facility, the design will be characterised by familiar sights from the surrounding landscape mimicking houses, trees, fences and road markings. The three age groups are colour coded and represented by three types of ladybird – red, yellow and orange which will be reflected in both the finishes and the graphics for each of the three departments.”
“Because young children learn through discovery and interaction with their environment, we wanted to provide a safe and stimulating area to help foster this development and growth,” added Jason Burnside, partner at Godwin Austen Johnson.
“Our design, therefore is highly visual with levels of colours and spaces to kindle imagination and promote creativity.”
The new facility is set for completion in May 2022. As with the earlier facility, which was awarded (LEED) Gold certification, GAJ have taken steps to incorporate sustainability into the fundamental design and construction of the project ensuring its impact on its surroundings is minimal with processes in place to conserve water and energy usage.
The sustainability strategies will be carried into construction through project specifications specifically addressing construction waste management, indoor air quality the sourcing of green materials and building level energy metering, explained the firm.