Business & Finance Club - Abu Dhabi: UK-based Wates Construction International has been awarded the Dh150 million ($40.83 million) contract to build a new 1500 place secondary school for Aldar Academies at Al Bateen in Abu Dhabi.

The contract for building the Al Bateen Secondary School is awarded to Wates alongside its joint venture partner Al Fara’a General Contracting.

On completion in mid 2011, the new school will be managed and operated by Aldar Academies, a leading education provider in Abu Dhabi, which currently operates three schools in the city.

Its design concept is based around a less hierarchal educational structure, allowing more student circulation and interaction between different year groups, a statement said.

Measuring 24,000 sq m, the new school will feature state of the art classrooms, a swimming pool, library and extensive outdoor sports facilities, it added.

“We selected Wates and Al Fara’a due to Wates’ pedigree and proven record in the educational sector, combined with the local knowledge of Al Fara’a,” said Sami Asad, Aldar COO.

Wates, which won the Major Contractor of the Year at the 2009 Building Magazine Awards, has a strong track record in delivering complex school and college educational facilities.

The Aldar contract represents the second educational construction contract that Wates has won in Abu Dhabi during the past month. It was recently selected to develop a new extension and upgrade existing facilities at the British School Al Khubairat, Abu Dhabi.

“We focus on creating great learning environments and not on buildings,” said Matthew Kennedy, director of Wates.