United World College, Dilijan

The United World College is located in Dilijan, in the mountains of the Lesser Caucasus and has been in operation since October 2014. In 2016 more than 200 students from over 40 nations were accommodated and trained there. In the near future this number is to be increased to 650. The challenge for the architects was to integrate the building as far as possible into the surrounding environment. The former orchard in a fertile valley was to be re-established as soon as possible. Therefore, the project includes green roofs and facades consisting to a high degree of locally available raw materials. A build-up based on the drainage element Floradrain® FD 40-E was realized on the entire roof surfaces. Since Armenia’s soils contain material of volcanic origin, the substrate was mixed from local material. Strips of turf were peeled manually from nearby flat pastures and were laid along the edges of every roof to achieve protection from wind. On the inner surfaces seeds were brought out.