Open Minds and Open Floor Plans: Gensler Unveils Textbook-Free “iPad Academy” in Qatar

Many architects would look back on their K-12 school buildings and shudder. Overcrowded, poorly ventilated rooms, glazed windows that prevent “distraction” by obscuring healthy sunlight and hallways covered in garish murals dominate the traditional American public school. Luckily it is the people, not the buildings, that make or break one’s school experience. Still, one cannot help but imagine things would be improved if more schools resembled modern, state-of-the-art offices.

The founders of Eastwood College, an international baccalaureate school based in Beirut, Lebanon, seem to agree with the notion that design has an important place in pedagogy. The organization has teamed up with Gensler‘s São Paulo office and owner/developer Buzwair Holding to create a new K-12 school in Lusail, Qatar, that brings the best, most thoughtful design to the world of education.

Eastwood has long been noted for its use of technology in the classroom. Apple granted the school distinguished educator status due to its use of iPads in place of textbooks, which allows more opportunities for student initiative. The new school, too, will make ample use of technology. “Like the home campus in Beirut, Eastwood Academy in Doha is imagined as a tight-knit community guided by a sense of family,” noted a representative from Gensler in a statement.

The building design is modeled on the traditional Arabic sailboat or dhow. It is comprised of four levels and seeks to provide a balance of lightness, shade and transparency. Schools are multipurpose structures after all, and Gensler’s design ensures that educators and students alike will have a diverse array of spaces at their disposal to meet their individual needs.

Each floor is specially designed to meet the unique needs of the grade level it serves.

“A full floor is dedicated to each age grouping, with kindergarteners at the ground floor and high-schoolers occupying the top,” explained a representative of Gensler. “Each floor plate operates independently and is laid out to suit the group’s pedagogical needs.

“As students progress in grade, they experience spaces that are brand new to them, with more open classrooms designed to increase collaboration between students. While the kindergarten is a more enclosed, cozy environment meant to provide comfort and room for imagination, the high school is designed like an open workplace with mobile workstations and meeting rooms.”

In addition to ensuring their design fits the school’s pedagogical needs, Gensler was highly attuned to questions of sustainability. In order to provide low-impact cooling in Qatar’s hot climate, the building was designed with a large central atrium to aid passive ventilation. Wraparound overhangs on each level provide functional, shaded outdoor space and facilitate additional airflow.

Eastwood Academy in Qatar is slated to open in 2019.

All images courtesy of Gensler