About project

Al Karamah School is part of ADEK’s specialized schools in the UAE dedicated solely to children and young people who are on the autistic spectrum. The project involved a rapid redesign and refurbishment of a former boy’s school into a safe, secure, and inspiring learning environment for up to 260 Emirati co-ed learners.

Young people with Autistic Spectrum Condition (ASC) can become highly anxious especially when challenged by small changes within their day-to-day routines, or any stress from the challenges of learning, so it was vital to provide spaces where children could seek security and calm within safe environments. The design approach has been to establish a narrative across the site with clearly defined journeys created to respond to different users. The ‘journeys’ are articulated in a number of ways that allow flexibility in the way they could be appropriated by both staff and students.

The school has been carefully designed as a series of independent learning hubs, each with its own graphic and color identities to instill a sense of place for each pupil. While the teaching hubs are arranged in year group clusters to suggest a clear progression through the school over their education career, the location of the mosque has driven the establishment of a ‘Cultural Hub’ in the heart of the building around which an art space is clustered with space for Islamic Studies – the adjoining exhibition space allows the opportunity for the exhibition and celebration of Islamic heritage and traditions, supported by a library resource space. These learning hubs are centered around a large multi-sensory activity space, or oasis, that offers a variety of settings for each pupil’s learning and activity needs.

About photoshoot

2 days photo shooting, 2-week post-production.

Final deliverables

A total of 30 photos were delivered to the client.