Dubai’s Ladybird Nursery is only the second in the Middle East to achieve LEED Gold Certification. Located in Al Barsha, Dubai, and designed by Godwin Austen Johnson (GAJ), it is the sister nursery to the first Ladybird Early Learning Centre, also designed by GAJ, which achieved certification in 2016. Both nurseries have achieved the highest scores for a pre-school outside of the United States, with scores of 72 points and 68 points respectively, and are the only LEED-certified nursery schools in the UAE.
Both nurseries have achieved the highest scores for a pre-school outside of the United States
Jason Burnside, Managing Director at Godwin Austen Johnson, commented: “Creating sustainable, healthy buildings is more about being clever with the design, understanding and working with the local vernacular architecture air infiltration and by utilising natural lighting where possible. It doesn’t need to be overly complicated.” Completed in August 2022, the Ladybird Nursery is a single-storey building with indoor and outdoor play areas. Each of the three age groups that attend the Ladybird Nursery has its own separate area and all the spaces are accessed through the main reception for security and supervision.