Bahrain’s Ministry of Works, Municipalities Affairs and Urban Planning (MoW) said that work on constructing an additional academic building in West Riffa Intermediate Girls School has begun, a media report said.

The construction contract was awarded to Zaedon Building Construction at a total cost of BD787,639 ($2.07 million), Mariam Abdulla Ameen, construction projects director, was quoted as saying in the Bahrain News Agency (BNA) report.

Work is expected to be ongoing for 18 months, according to the report.

The director said that the MoW has completed the design work, and is now supervising the project, adding that the Ministry of Education is keeping pace with the constant demand of building many schools with the current expansion of schools in different areas. This is in order to provide education to as many students as possible, and to have school closer to their residences.

Ameen added that with the building’s design, the MoW has considered the modern needs for the Ministry of Education to provide a convenient and engaging environment. The building will be built on a 2,238-sq-m space, with three floors that contain 16 classes in total, provided with modern educational equipment as well as special classes for family education and art subjects, in addition to service facilities.

The building is designed for longevity with the concept of green buildings and energy rationalisation in order to preserve the environment and natural resources. Thermal insulation for surfaces, walls and roofs, and windows will be used to reduce electricity costs, of which air conditioning is a big part.

The design also provides ease of movement for students and teachers of special needs or pregnancy, by implementing slopes at the entrances of the building in addition to providing elevators to facilitate movement between floors, as well as spacious restrooms that fulfil their needs.