United Lisbon International School (ULIS), part of the Dukes Education Group, officially inaugurated the third phase of its campus at Edu Hub Lisbon on Friday 16 January, in a ceremony attended by the Mayor of Lisbon, Carlos Moedas. The event highlighted the continued evolution of ULIS and the broader ambitions of Edu Hub Lisbon as a connected urban ecosystem for learning, innovation and community life.
The newly delivered phase introduces the Centre for the Arts & Sports, comprising approximately 3,600 square metres of specialist facilities including a 300-seat auditorium, an indoor multipurpose sports hall, a rooftop football pitch, and a dedicated dance studio. These spaces are designed not only to support the school’s creative and sporting activities but to enable new forms of collaboration, performance and physical expression for students.
At the inauguration, Mayor Moedas spoke passionately about the intersections between arts, science and education. He reflected on how environments that bring people together across disciplines often produce the most remarkable outcomes; noting that “the greatest people I have met in the world come from the intersection of arts and science.” His remarks emphasised the value of long-term investment in education and infrastructure that encourages both creativity and analytical thinking.
ULIS opened its doors in 2020 in the heart of Lisbon’s Oriente district, in East Lisbon, launching during a period of global uncertainty with an initial cohort of 150 students. Over the past five years, the school has grown into a vibrant international community, with around 650 students representing over 50 nationalities from early years through to senior levels.
The campus design, led by architect Eduardo Capinha Lopes, was recognised with a World Architecture Festival (WAF) award for Lisbon when the school was founded, reflecting a thoughtful approach to urban education environments that integrate indoor and outdoor spaces with the surrounding city.
This third phase builds on earlier developments at the campus, including a 2024 expansion that delivered new academic wings with additional classrooms, labs and student spaces. It also serves as a visible example of how educational facilities can evolve incrementally to support changing opportunities for students, linking learning, creativity and physical wellbeing within one integrated setting.
Edu Hub Lisbon itself is envisioned as more than a single school campus. It forms part of a wider masterplan, scheduled for completion in 2027, with the final phase expected to bring new accommodation and community components to life. In this way, the project exemplifies how places for education can also catalyse broader social and economic activity in an urban context.
The focus on collaboration and interdisciplinary thinking, championed by the Mayor in his remarks, speaks to the broader ethos shaping Edu Hub Lisbon; one that recognises the value of blending arts, sciences, sport and community engagement to prepare young people for the complexities of the future.
Reflecting on the milestone, Edu Hub Co-Founder Chitra Stern said:
“We have always believed that schools shape cities as much as cities shape schools. The Centre for the Arts & Sports is designed to inspire higher standards, from the events that teachers create, to the performances and teamwork that students bring to the stage and the sports fields. And as Edu Hub Lisbon continues to evolve, it has the potential to become one of Europe’s most meaningful ecosystems for learning, innovation and long-term community benefit.”
The inauguration of this phase not only celebrates the latest physical additions to the campus but also underscores the ongoing ambition for Edu Hub Lisbon; to support environments where education, innovation and community life thrive together over the long term.
