Heriot Watt expands Dubai campus with James Watt Building

As student enrolment rapidly grew, Heriot-Watt needed to expand its existing campus to accommodate the increasing numbers. Having successfully delivered their current campus, JLL was the natural choice as project delivery partner for this expansion.

JLL's Project & Development Services team, comprising project management, interior design, cost management and engineering expertise, was assembled to transform an adjacent ageing building into the new extension.

The design brief was clear: reflect the existing campus's aesthetic identity whilst creating flexible and dynamic spaces that support the institution's growth, embrace modern educational principles and incorporate sustainable practices.

Named after the father of the Industrial Revolution, the James Watt building spans 45,000sqft and serves over 1,500 students. This facility embodies Heriot-Watt's heritage of innovation whilst embracing sustainability through 23sqm of green walls and eco-friendly furniture integrated throughout the design.

The building prioritises student learning and wellbeing through modern facilities and collaborative spaces that maximise natural lighting throughout. Students benefit from classrooms, digital learning environments, a dedicated hub, and learning commons that support both academic work and social engagement.

Specialised areas further enhance the experience, including an active learning room for innovative teaching and a wellness room supporting student wellbeing. Interactive spaces foster collaboration through focus rooms for concentrated study, technology-equipped pod rooms for group work, and flexible seminar rooms adaptable for lectures and workshops. A purpose-built 200-seat auditorium completes the facility, providing an ideal venue for lectures, events, and university gatherings.

Our integrated services eliminated coordination challenges that typically arise with multiple separate consultants. This single-team approach enabled streamlined decision-making throughout the project and facilitated early identification of potential budget and scheduling conflicts, preventing costly design modifications during construction and achieving significant cost savings.

Our team implemented a rigorous multi-stage procurement process to identify contractors and furniture suppliers who were the right fit for the project. This evaluation framework balanced technical expertise with commercial viability, securing partners whose proven capabilities and competitive pricing aligned with the project's sustainability and design goals.

Despite regulatory delays that compressed an already demanding schedule, our team restructured project phases and allocated additional resources to accelerate delivery whilst maintaining the quality standards essential to creating the flexible learning environments Heriot Watt required.