British International School Abu Dhabi

Eco ‘Ed-Venture’ began with a simple idea: that the best way for young children to understand sustainability is to experience it, not just be told about it. The British International School Abu Dhabi asked EDI to turn an underused outdoor space into an immersive learning landscape for its Foundation Years children — a place to explore, investigate, and play in direct contact with nature.

EDI designed it as a living laboratory. Sensory pathways, kitchen gardens, food-preparation areas, and habitats for fish and small animals sit alongside a range of ecology and STEAM activities, each one built to invite observation, experimentation, and discovery. The landscape rewards curiosity, and quietly builds environmental awareness from an early age.

Sustainability is also on show as working technology. Solar energy, wind power, hydroponics, and composting are woven into the landscape so children can see ecological systems in action and take part in them directly. Completed in 2024, Eco ‘Ed-Venture’ brings architecture, landscape, and sustainability together so that everyday play becomes everyday learning about the natural world.