King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC) has signed a SR48.6 million ($1.29 million) contract with IHCC to complete the third phase of The World Academy (TWA), the city’s internationally accredited school. The new facilities will propel TWA to the forefront of education in Saudi Arabia.
“The World Academy is a standout educational facility that places KAEC at the center of human capital development for Vision 2030,” said Fahd Al-Rasheed, group CEO and managing director of KAEC. “The school is an essential pillar of the community, providing children with a first-class education and parents with a unique level of involvement and participation in student life.”
The new extensions will add additional classrooms to increase the student capacity of the school from 750 to 2,000 students by September. Currently, the number of students is 533. The current number of classrooms is 31 plus three labs for chemistry, biology, and design and technology.
The new development will provide a wide array of innovative facilities to equip students with essential life skills for the future, including an Entrepreneurship Center, a college for grades 9-12 and a robotics lab for the school’s design and technology center.
There will be amphitheaters for large group events, marketplaces providing classrooms with a communal meeting place and a forum to exchange ideas and experiences, dedicated facilities to enhance cultural awareness, and an achievement center to help students prepare for key examinations and aptitude tests such as SATs. An important feature is the widespread use of natural light, which has been shown to enhance productivity and learning.
IHCC, a design-and-build turnkey solution provider, specializes in health care, education and mixed use projects based on international standards. For more than 21 years, it has satisfied its major clients in different countries as per the specific requirements of the respective nations. This makes it a company with unparalleled experience in building across the borders of the MENA region.
The interior was designed by Innocad, an internationally renowned architect and designer headquartered in Graz, Austria.
Mazen Tammar, senior director — corporate business development, health care & education at KAEC, said “The World Academy meets the needs of parents seeking to provide their children with a high-grade education here in Saudi Arabia that is attuned to the local culture while equipping them to compete in the fluid workplace of the future by offering an unmatched combination of facilities and educational experiences designed to help students compete in the new world of work.”
Sultan Batterjee, CEO of IHCC, said: “IHCC has always been a believer and a partner in KAEC, it’s purpose, vision and strategy. Innovative projects like TWA school are the birth of an inspired new generation.”

Source: Arab News