Majid Al-Futtaim Communities, part of Majid Al-Futtaim Properties, has announced the launch of a new child-led design initiative in collaboration with the Royal Grammar School Guildford, Dubai. The Tilal Al-Ghaf Playful Spaces project aims to develop innovative playgrounds created by children, for children, at Majid Al-Futtaim’s flagship community in Dubai — Tilal Al-Ghaf.
To create playgrounds that are child-centric by design, RGS Guildford Dubai pupils of all ages will work closely with Majid Al-Futtaim Communities’ experienced team of architects, designers and urban planners throughout the conceptualization, design and planning process. The first phase of the collaboration, which is planned for early 2022, aims to capture ideas, develop concepts, and produce initial designs through a series of workshops. The output of these workshops will be assessed for feasibility prior to the final concepts and then design models will be presented to participating RGS Guildford Dubai pupils for feedback.
“The Tilal Al-Ghaf Playful Spaces project reinforces our delivery of sustainable communities built to provide an exceptional lifestyle to everyone who lives, works and plays there. To be truly sustainable, however, communities have to be inclusive — and yet children are rarely, if ever, consulted on urban planning or placemaking matters. By not involving the younger generation, we miss a valuable opportunity,” said Hawazen Esber, chief executive officer, Majid Al-Futtaim Communities.
If the Tilal Al-Ghaf project proves successful, potential exists for this to be applied as a model for other Majid Al-Futtaim Communities’ lifestyle destinations across the region.
The project also aims to give children a platform by which their voices can be heard and their contributions valued whilst helping to hone their design-thinking capabilities.
Craig Lamshed, founding principal, RGS Guildford, Dubai, said: “Harnessing and developing young people’s imagination and creative thinking is something that we are passionate about at RGS Guildford, Dubai. The Playful Spaces project is a brilliant initiative that will give our pupils the chance to explore their own creativity, whilst having a direct impact on shaping their own community. We prepare our pupils to be future ready and I can’t think of a better initiative to be involved with, that is really thinking toward the future.”
Since opening in September this year, the school sits on a 40,000-square-meter campus in the Tilal Al-Ghaf development, and has been establishing new benchmarks in quality education.
