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Whether it’s the concept for a new skyscraper, the upgrade of a rail network, the modelling of a flood defence system or the improvement of a management process, we plan, design and enable solutions.

Founded in 1938 by Sir William Atkins, Atkins employs over 18,000 staff based in more than 200 permanent offices worldwide. Projects have been undertaken in more than 150 countries. As of June 2009, Atkins generated an annual turnover in excess of £1.5 billion.

Atkins is the UK’s largest engineering consultancy, the largest multidisciplinary consultancy in Europe, the 4th largest multidisciplinary consultancy in the world, and the largest UK engineering consultancy in the Middle East. Our size brings significant value to our clients, allowing us to harness an unrivalled pool of creative, professional people to produce outstanding solutions to challenging problems.

Who we are> Atkins is a multinational engineering

and design consultancy, providing expertise to help resolve complex challenges presented by the built and natural environment.

Atkins implements a comprehensive range of fully certified and integrated quality, safety and environmental management systems that distinguish us from our competitors. This means we can guarantee unrivalled performance standards. All of our Middle East & India operations are externally certified to all three internationally recognised QSE management systems:

BS EN ISO 9001:2000 – Quality Management System

BS EN ISO 14001:2004 – Environmental Management System

OHSAS 18001:2007 –Occupational Health and Safety Assessment Series

We have a regional Business Quality Director to oversee the administration of the business management systems, including the implementation of a Quality Management System (QMS). Each office also has a Quality Manager.

We are able to integrate quality procedures into all the projects that we deliver on behalf of government ministries, local governments, hotel and leisure project operators, major real estate developers, national oil companies, contractors in the oil and gas sector and private clients.

Quality delivery

There is now an unprecedented focus on far-sighted planning, flexibility, adaptability, sustainability, whole life costing and delivering a positive legacy for the changing needs of the community.

The sector where all of these demands are in the sharpest focus is education.

Over 1,500 Atkins people are directly involved in education projects and groundbreaking overseas schemes.

Atkins is able to draw on an international pool of expertise in education, whilst delivering each project on a local level from our regional offices in the Middle East & India. This allows us to combine international and local knowledge to good effect.

Unlike many other leading practices, we put our best designers on education projects and we demonstrate a genuine commitment to the education sector.

Our extensive resources and first hand experience means we are in a strong position to respond to the ever shifting priorities and pressures of the education sector.

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We recognise the changing needs of the education market and have developed tailored services in response. Atkins provides a range of quality services to local government education authorities, schools, colleges, learning and skills councils, higher education, and other educational organisations.

Atkins understands the importance of engaging with stakeholders throughout the lifetime of a project and can demonstrate how we have done this successfully in a variety of school and education projects.

We also have extensive experience of co-ordinating teams in partnering frameworks and we know how to manage multidiscipline project teams effectively.

We are in the privileged position of being able to turn ideas into physical entities and we enjoy the responsibility this places on our shoulders.

Our experience and expertise is unrivalled. In the education sector, we have over 190 clients in 15 countries for whom we provide a range of services including:

Design Architecture Facilitation and collaboration Sustainabilty Masterplanning Planning and approvals ICT consultancy services

What we do

DesignAtkins believes all education buildings should inspire. In every education project we undertake, from ‘small’ to ‘extra large’, we aim to demonstrate our ability to add spark and sparkle to the design – for the same cost.

We believe a school is a high profile community icon which can help to establish or realign expectations within a neighbourhood. That is where inspiring design can begin to make a real and lasting contribution.

Atkins provides multidisciplinary design and project management services in all areas of education - nursery, primary, secondary, universities, colleges and adult / further education establishments. Our projects include design of extensions, refurbishments and new buildings.

Taaleem Greenfield Community School, Dubai, UAE

Flexibility and adaptability

One of the overriding themes of college and university designs is the need to build in high levels of flexibility and adaptability.

Flexible spaces are a key component to allow institutions to respond to the expansion and contraction of departments in response to student demand and to regional and national education imperatives.

In the UK we work closely with colleges, universities, government bodies, local authorities and education specialists to develop a coherent vision for the long term future of each institution.

Cost effective design

Atkins produces designs of the very highest quality and we do not believe ’good design’ equates to ‘expensive design’.

We are experienced in delivering and exceeding client expectations, on time and within budgetary constraints. We use our knowledge and creativity to find additional value and efficiency.

DDA consultancy and inclusion

Atkins has extensive knowledge of DDA (Disability Discrimination Act) and accessibility requirements and can call upon the services of specialist DDA consultants when needed to augment the working knowledge of our design team.

Creating an inclusive environment is a core design aspiration for Atkins and we believe that only a fully inclusive design can be considered a success. The need to place people, regardless of a disability, age or gender at the heart of each design is fundamental to our approach.

Enhancing identity

Our aim is to respond to the unique attributes of each site and its circumstances, producing designs which are tailor-made to reflect the context, the client vision and expectations.

We are dedicated to providing environments which are uplifting, welcoming and a true reflection of each establishment’s ethos for education. Our intention is to create grounds that have a strong identity and engender a sense of pride and respect in students and the wider community.

The concept of the Greenfield Community School highlights the academic progression of the students from the kindergarten in the north of the site to secondary school in the southern portion.

A symbolic break between the primary and secondary blocks is represented by the landscaped loop where the school sign is located.

The spaces between the buildings, whether dedicated to playgrounds, amphitheatres or simply landscaped areas are designed to be as much part of the school as the buildings themselves.

Buildings interface with the courtyards and open spaces, allowing natural lighting and promote close interaction between areas for the supervision of student activities or simply to establish visual contact between students.

Working very closely with an executive team from the client our designers focussed on the creation of a school which will aid the teaching staff in their daily task of educating and stimulating the students.

Atkins has addressed the issue of sustainability within the Greenfield Community School design to help future proof against changes in energyprices and customer demand.

Taaleem Greenfield Community School, Dubai, UAE

ArchitectureAtkins is perhaps best known as an engineering consultancy, but we are also one of the world’s leading architectural firms. Our work spans the pragmatic, practical design of schools and hospitals to the glamour and visual excitement of high-rise commercial and residential towers.

As designers, we are driven by the belief that our surroundings directly influence the quality of our lives, whether in the work place, at home or in the public spaces in between.

The emphasis on the social dimension is fundamental to our design philosophy, which takes as its starting point the acknowledgement that architecture is generated by the needs of people.

These needs may be spiritual as well as being material and physical. If you believe, as we do, that our environment has the ability to inspire and nurture us, then there are few more significant places than the ones in which we learn.

Atkins is committed to producing cutting-edge, sustainable architecture. Our aim is to create environments where students will want to learn and staff will want to teach.

Atkins does not have a house style. Fortunately, our work is diverse and the demands of our clients are unique. This allows us to approach every new project with the intention of creating bespoke and vibrant design solutions which are demonstrated in our portfolio.

Jumeirah English Speaking School, Dubai, UAE

Atkins was commissioned to provide full architectural and structural, mechanical, and electrical services for Jumeirah English Speaking School (JESS) which is an integrated primary, six-form entry secondary and sixth-form school.

In order to harmonise with the school’s location within the Arabian Ranches residential development, the design borrows from a Spanish theme and reflects a medley of architectural style, creating the impression of a village that has developed over a period of time and at the hands of different artisans.

Working very closely with an executive team from the existing JESS school, our designers focused on the creation of a friendly learning environment that, above all, will aid the learning process and stimulate the students.

Our education design teams are dedicated to creating buildings and campuses that work on a practical level and create or reinforce a sense of place that will be part of the legacy for future generations. We aim to capture the client’s vision in our designs and to energise the ‘wider team’ – including construction teams and suppliers.

Good design creates a strong sense of purpose and can generate the necessary momentum and enthusiasm needed to see a project through to a successful and rewarding conclusion.

Atkins was a finalist in the category of Sustainable Architect of the Year at the prestigious Sustainability 07 Awards and we believe this illustrates our commitment to responsible and inspirational design.

Jumeirah English Speaking School, Dubai, UAE

We can advise on a range of targets and sustainability metrics, including LEED, BREEAM, CO2 emissions, energy, water, waste and recycled content targets, embodied energy, environmental impacts of construction materials, social targets and KPIs.

SustainabilitySustainability is at the core of our thinking. All disciplines within our team will weave sustainability into their contribution, rather than treating it as a separate issue. Atkins’ Nobel House project for the headquarters of DEFRA in Smith Square, London is a prime example of a comprehensive approach. On completion it achieved the UK’s highest ever BREEAM ‘Excellent’ rating for sustainable buildings.

Atkins works with stakeholders to develop realistic sustainability targets, and assess their likely cost and the difficulties in achieving them. Our considerable experience helps us to bring an open and creative approach to applying innovative technology and practices.

From an education viewpoint, sustainability is about establishing a confident future for the school, its students, the community and the region.

Atkins will aim to contribute to an attractive, sustainable and flexible building which will add considerable momentum to the creation of an exemplar facility. In turn this will generate new expectations, higher levels of aspiration, an improved reputation, an expanded student population, more community access and sustainable levels of income.

Atkins was commissioned to design and supervise the building of this nursery school, located near Ibn Battuta Mall, 20km south of Dubai. Particular care was taken in providing the high level of security required for supervising young children. Outdoor space provides an especially stimulating learning environment to this age group and was therefore maximised in the design considerations. All outdoor areas will feature shading solutions and all landscaped areas specify the use of planting that will only grow to a certain low level height, again aiding the security of the school.

Taaleem Jumeirah Islands Nursery, Dubai, UAE

Taaleem Jumeirah Islands Nursery, Dubai, UAE

Masterplanning

The design of the Taaleem Flagship Campus incorporates both environmental and functional features.

Masterplans are vehicles for addressing the complex issues that affect our towns, cities and neighbourhoods. They communicate and visualise how our urban environments can change for the better. How we respond to and promote change depends upon the issues that face any particular environment. At Atkins we have been successfully responding to this challenge across the world, for more than 25 years.

Masterplans provide a vision as well as a strategic decision-making tool, with economic and market elements, explaining how a site, series of sites or an area will be developed, including:

How the plan will be implemented The costs

Phasing Timing of the development

The first step is a strategic framework, setting out the baseline physical, economic, social and political context. Then the process needs to move beyond facts and figures in the development of a vision and spatial plan.

The masterplan must make the most of existing assets, for instance historic buildings and townscape, as well as introducing new dynamics. It must capture the imagination of stakeholders and the wider public and realise their aspirations for a thriving, attractive, accessible and people-friendly environment. It must also be the catalyst for attracting funding and inward investment.

High quality and sustainable development, long term economic viability and the protection of the environment are central. The challenge is to develop an imaginative masterplan that will create a sense of identity and inspire change, but is also practical and deliverable.

A successful masterplan therefore requires an innovative and forward thinking approach, underpinned by a comprehensive understanding of the underlying technical issues. At Atkins we respond to this challenge by assembling specialist multidisciplinary masterplanning teams from the UK, Middle East, India and China. Our projects range across:

Major metropolitan masterplans in large cities

Plans for brownfield and greenfield sites of all sizes

Urban design frameworks for market towns and declining district centres

Taaleem Flagship Campus, Dubai, UAE

Atkins has been commissioned to provide full design services for this prestigious educational facility located in Dubailand. These services include masterplanning, architecture, structural and electro-mechanical engineering, landscaping, quantity surveying, and project management. The development comprises complete educational facilities from crèche to junior college, including staff and student accommodation and sports facilities.

The design of the campus incorporates both environmental and functional features. The exterior is intended to be a dynamic piece of architecture with a combination of green/light green tinted glass, light beige stone paint and dark timber screens, pergolas and balustrades.

The total estimated population for the Taaleem Flagship Campus is around 7,000 including students, staff and residents. The landscaped campus and range of facilities will be a leading educational example to all and an exciting centre of excellence for the students and staff alike. It is expected that the school will be fully complete and operational by September 2012, and will be the first LEED Silver accredited school in the region.

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Atkins has extensive experience in taking projects through the planning and approvals process; a process that becomes ever more complex due to the increasing need to closely monitor environmental impacts.

There is also the recognised need to allow greater stakeholder consultation, which is critical in achieving local support for important projects and key investments into a community.

Planning and approvals

A diagram showing our extensive range of core services and additional in-house specialists we can draw upon as needed. We are happy to provide single or multidisciplinary design services to suit our clients.

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Facilitation and collaborative working

In addition to providing cost benefits, collaborative working promotes shared understanding and creates a reciprocal learning process.

When managed and implemented well, collaborative working will produce greater efficiency and economies through resolution of areas of potential conflict, with the outcome of greater client satisfaction and a secure foundation for ensuing design development.

Atkins has used active collaborative working on a number of local authorities, higher education and further education frameworks.

Also, we find that involving contractors at the earliest possible stage, combined with the expertise of the whole team, can produce effective value engineering and cost benefits.

Facilitation and collaboration

Consultation and stakeholder engagement

Atkins places clients at the centre of developing an architectural solution. We work closely with the client and stakeholder groups to ensure that everyone understands and is committed to achieving the central vision of the project. A series of design workshops and ‘theme team’ meetings helps to set the design and cover both broad and specific issues at key stages in the design development.

Briefing

A critical part of every project is securing the right information and conducting thorough feasibility studies. Only then can we agree a clear brief with the client, the stakeholders and the main contractor. Getting the brief right produces incremental efficiencies during the ensuing design stages.

This diagram illustrates the circular nature of acquiring knowledge during a project and feeding it back into the design process.

We have the capacity to build and manage information systems that track pupil and student performance, and can deliver both server- and internet-based educational content. We can procure, install and manage all ICT and computer requirements for home, school or college.

We understand that an Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) strategy must be flexible enough to adopt new technologies which will emerge in future years.

A well-planned and effective ICT provision will help improve the quality and flexibility of learning and teaching. ICT can also strengthen and underpin each institution’s strategy for personalised learning and aid the development of interdepartmental relationships.

ICT consultancy services

In design, Atkins has worked for several educational institutions to design and engineer technology learning environments, designing secure, temperate IT suites and creating environments that are comfortable and inspire.

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Asset management

By managing property-related supply chains we enable our customers’ capital and maintenance programmes.

Our focus is to provide value-added solutions that deliver long term cost savings, strategic advantage and operational efficiency, by understanding our customers’ core property needs.

Atkins provides a wide range of benefits:

Reducing and controlling costs

Providing transparency of service

Controlling and minimising risk

Increasing customer satisfaction

Maximising compliance and providing supporting evidence.

By delivering integrated property management solutions to companies with large, complex or geographically spread estates, Atkins delivers asset management solutions across a broad range of markets from defence and financial services to public sector bodies such as police forces and hospital trusts.

WS Atkins & Partners OverseasPO Box 5620Dubai, UAETel: + 971 4 405 9300Fax: + 971 4 405 9301Email: education.mei@atkinsglobal.comWeb: www.atkins-me.com

© Atkins Ltd except where stated otherwise. The Atkins logo, the strapline “Plan Design Enable” are trademarks of Atkins Ltd.

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Cover image: Jumeirah English Speaking School, Dubai, UAE