As part of International and Private Schools Education Forum (IPSEF) 2018 that took place recently, a ‘Fit for Purpose’ panel opened an interesting discussion on what this means – from building design and operation to provision of a modern curriculum that excites and engages both teachers and learners.
Head of Project Controls at Arcadis Middle East, Tim Shelton was one of the speakers on the panel, explaining why sustainable structures and facilities in schools promote greater integration with the community and how Arcadis works collaboratively with schools to support this mission.
Tim Shelton, Head of Project Controls said: “Today we live in a rapidly evolving world, and it has never been more important for institutions to adopt a sustainable approach. Sustainable structures and facilities in schools will enable and promote greater integration with the community, offer better space utilization and higher energy efficiency, promote industry participation and collaboration, creativity and teamwork between students.”
“In the Middle East, we are actively engaging in collaborative partnerships where the focus is on developing the workforce of the future in a practical, vocational and hands-on manner. Recently, we partnered with Class of Your Own, a UK-based non-for-profit organization, and supported them in introducing their ground-breaking Design Engineer Construct! (DEC) curriculum to the Middle East. DEC is heavily STEM and project-based learning focused and it was the first time it has been introduced outside of the UK.
We successfully hosted a four-week work experience programme with a group of high-school students from the Swiss International Scientific School in Dubai, where the students completed a series of modules spanning the full lifecycle of a construction project from design, through to build and operations. Some of the contemporary subjects covered included sustainable design, the application of digital solutions, best-practice procurement, and how to build the benefits case for a project. At the end of the programme, the students worked together to produce a Revit model based on a design they created for an ‘eco-classroom’. The innovative design was founded on the principles of sustainability, flexibility, user experience and modular construction and was entirely driven by students,” he added.
Tim is a passionate advocate and supporter of initiatives that develop the required skillsets and inspire the next generation of AEC industry talent through collaborations with schools, universities and private sector partners.
Click here to read the full interview of Tim Shelton with Edarabia and learn how he concludes that knowledge-sharing is one of the keys to success in a rapidly changing world.
