dome-like structures house DUbai’s Al Fanar educational facility
Studio EMKAAN creates an environment that feels both familiar and otherworldly for Al Fanar Educational Facility, located in Nad Al Sheba, Dubai. Its all-white dome structures, which the architects liken to a mother’s womb, are conceived as protective, nurturing forms that cradle creativity and growth. The school introduces a spatial language that seeks to resonate with children’s imaginations, turning daily routines into journeys through spaces.
This ability to adapt without losing sight of the original vision became central to the identity of the project. Principal architect Muhammad Obaid compares the school to the koi fish, an enduring symbol of perseverance and transformation. Just as the koi navigates obstacles while maintaining its path, Al Fanar translates challenges into possibilities, ensuring the design remains true to its intent of sparking curiosity and imagination.
Early studies drew from the Cal-Earth technique, where sandbags inspired by rammed-earth construction were stacked to create sustainable domes. Teachers participated in building these first structures, infusing the fabric of the school with their enthusiasm for learning. The intention was that students, too, might one day contribute to the making of their own environment. Yet, when UAE fire safety regulations required abandoning sandbags in favor of concrete, the team embraced the change as an opportunity. Concrete provided greater control over openings and skylights, allowing the architects to refine how daylight enters each space.
images courtesy of EMKAAN
Emkaan Envisions the School as an Evolving Landscape
Light plays a central role in the facility’s design, entering the Al Fanar building through circular skylights that punctuate the domes, carefully studied to follow the rhythm of the sun across the day. These openings frame shifting patterns of brightness and shadow, inviting curiosity and a sense of connection to the natural world. The Dubai-based team at EMKAAN treats light as a medium of learning, encouraging children to observe cycles of change and adapt to them. Around the school, lush greenery has been cultivated to link inside and outside. As the vegetation matures, it reinforces the idea that architecture extends beyond walls, becoming part of a larger ecological and communal framework.
The project’s development relies on a collaborative process that spans architectural design, interior detailing, lighting studies, material selection, and site coordination. Every stage, from structural calculations to inspections, contributes to shaping a facility intended to grow with its community. Feedback since its opening has highlighted this sense of uniqueness, with some children describing it as reminiscent of Star Wars, while neighbors compare it to a Hobbit house.
For Muhammad Obaid, the design draws inspiration from literature as much as from the lived experiences of its young users. Reflecting on Italo Calvino’s Invisible Cities, Obaid compares Al Fanar to Zenobia, a city that continues to evolve with time and memory. In this way, the school is imagined as a place that may one day be reshaped by its students themselves, perhaps by one who becomes an architect, carrying forward the impressions of this environment.
Studio EMKAAN creates an environment that feels both familiar and otherworldly for Al Fanar Educational Facility
the architects liken its all-white dome structures to a mother’s womb
nurturing forms that cradle creativity and growth
lush greenery has been cultivated to link inside and outside
a spatial language that seeks to resonate with children’s imaginations
principal architect Muhammad Obaid compares the school to the koi fish
Al Fanar translates challenges into opportunities
the project’s development relies on a collaborative process
ensuring the design remains true to its intent of sparking curiosity and imagination
light plays a central role in the facility’s design
the design draws inspiration from literature as much as from the lived experiences of its young users
circular skylights punctuate the domes
project info:
name: Al Fanar Educational Facility
location: Nad Al Sheba, Dubai, UAE
principal architect: Muhammad Obaid
team: Ahmed Yousef, Vilena Tarasova, Anastasia Gvozdova, Michael Membrebe, Darwin Regaspi, Ahmed Ismael, Cristopher Ramirez, Darrel Malabanan, Amr Karam
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