School building in Al-Laseeli: white notebook in the desert

A public school building in Al-Laseeli embodies BIM modularity with a playful and inclusive language.

BIM Modularity and Childlike Inspiration

A school complex designed to welcome girls in the small town of Al-Laseeli, south of Dubai. The project, signed by the UPA Group, stands out for being the first public building designed in BIM in the United Arab Emirates. The rigidity of the 1.5-meter module translates into a playful architectural system, made of white volumes, colored geometries, and courtyards as central spaces of school life. The 1.5-meter module, a constraint imposed by the Ministry of Infrastructure and Development, becomes the basis of a playful architectural language. The white aluminum facades transform the entire building into a kind of large squared notebook. The colored window frames, detached from the facade plane, break the compositional rigidity, suggesting a play of shapes designed to stimulate the perception and curiosity of the little ones.

Courtyard typology, a proven solution

The entire complex is articulated around two courtyards. To the west, the two-story buildings house the elementary school and overlook a secluded courtyard, also defined by the presence of the gymnasium, a dynamic volume with oblique and curvilinear forms. This project represents a culmination in the evolution of the courtyard typology for school buildings, developed by the UPA Group starting from 2008. An example of how architectural projects can combine functional standards, sustainability, and quality of educational space.

A big white toy for the little ones

To the right of the entrance, highlighted by a bright red element embracing the volume, the kindergarten unfolds. Here, the grid becomes finer and more flexible, creating openings at different heights, calibrated to the children's stature. The pavilion appears as a white toy, with chromatic inserts that evoke elements of the children's imagination: the elliptical tunnel entrance like a den, the colored cylinder like a control tower. An architecture that becomes a sensory and narrative experience.

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