Work is nearing completion on Phase I of the Knowledge Village project, a one million sq ft-plus learning and innovation centre off Sheikh Zayed Road within the 400-hectare Dubai Technology, Electronic, Commerce and Media Free Zone (Tecom) which was formerly known as Dubai Internet City (DIC) and Dubai Media City (DMC).

The project, owned by Tecom, is aimed at providing a complete learning environment and infrastructure for a variety of business partners and organisations to develop and disseminate knowledge.

Work on the estimated Dh140 million ($38 million) project started in June last year and is scheduled for completion this July (Phases I and II).

The project comprises 13 buildings each with a basement, ground plus one storey. The buildings, which have Mediterranean architectural features, will house several offices, classrooms and computer laboratories, says Bassam Abi, project manager with Design & Architecture Bureau (DAR) Consulting Architects & Engineers.

The Knowledge Village is divided into two wings with spectacular plaza and tower features joining the wings at the first floor level. The first wing consists of eight buildings with a common basement level providing approximately 475 parking spaces in addition to E-Academies, offices, conference centre, food court and commercial block.

The second wing consists of five buildings with a common basement level providing approximately 340 parking spaces in addition to the Innovative Centre, media corporate schools, media academies, business centre, retail area and dormitories.

The Knowledge Village has an infrastructure that supports both traditional and modern modes of learning. Members of the learning community will have access to a host of shared facilities within a fully-equipped environment with all the necessary systems built up to the latest international standards.

Phase I, scheduled for completion early this month, comprises nine buildings. The remaining four buildings (Phase II) are scheduled for completion by mid-July.