The construction of the new Philippine School of Doha (PSD) building at Abu Hamour will be completed by January 12, 2017, ahead of the expected deadline of mid-2017, principal Alexander Acosta has said.
Speaking to Gulf Times during a site visit yesterday, he expressed confidence that they would be able to start the academic year 2017– 2018 at the new complex, in time for PSD’s 25th anniversary celebrations in October.
“Our school is now ‘K-to-12’ with  Grade 11 and 12 added recently. We also got the approval of the Department of Education to be the first Philippine Science School in the Middle East,” Acosta said.
Designed with 136 classrooms (24 for pre-elementary and 112 for primary, secondary and intermediate) and several facilities, the new building will also have environment-friendly features.
The school will use a technology that supports minimal power consumption, working within the load requirements in the building, to save more energy.
Besides using LED lights, the building will also use toilet fixtures that dispense minimal water.
Ismael U Erasmo, the civil engineer from Almana Design Consultants International, who is in charge of the project, said they have completed 15.6% of the construction, which started on November 1 last year.
“It is also designed to be earthquake resistant and has several safety features recommended by the General Directorate of Civil Defence (GDCD) and other government agencies concerned,” he added.
Six elevators will be installed in the building and there will also be an Olympic-size swimming pool – a first among all Philippine schools in the Middle East.
“Even in the UAE, they have the building but it is not as sophisticated as this one. That is why we are fortunate to have this kind of design,” Acosta said. “We can hold our swimming contests here.”
The 14,374 sqm lot includes a 272-capacity parking facility  (192 in basement and 26 ground) which can also accommodate seven buses, according to architect Antonio De Leon, who handles the design and supervision  of architectural works. He said all the materials used in the building had been approved by GDCD and complied with government regulations and guidelines, including planning for the fire exits.
The basement will house a parking area, the swimming pool and other utilities while the ground floor will have the pre-elementary, elementary, home economics and physical education rooms, a clinic, library, a 150-capacity canteen, play and open area.
The first floor will house intermediate classrooms, computer laboratories and another library, while the second floor will include secondary classrooms, audio visual, computer laboratory and a music room.
The new building, which can accommodate more than 4,000 students, will also have several facilities such as speech, chemistry, biology, physics, and general science laboratories. It will also have a penthouse.
The 1,350-capacity multipurpose hall/gym is designed to host cultural events, performances and shows.