Captains of Industry Call for more professionalism to maintain paradigm shift
Dubai UAE: Architecture and design firms operating in the UAE have experienced a definite shift to more sustainable projects in the past year as local businesses adjust to the new global economy. That was the broad consensus at the Design Executive Roundtable, held last week at The Office Exhibition 2011 in Dubai.
The session was convened by the International Interior Design Association and chaired by Mr Peter Di Sabatino, Dean of the College of Architecture, Art & Design at the American University of Sharjah, who challenged participants to consider how the new business climate was impacting the way they practiced design in the Middle East.
Most delegates agreed that the new global economy, in which emerging market forces are affecting competitive advantage and pushing businesses to do more with less, was driving demand for sustainable architecture and interior design in the UAE. However, they questioned the extent to which clients fully understood the wider benefits of going green or whether economic necessities were more at play.
"There's no doubt that the current status of building practice has improved. Clients have a better understanding of the long-term viability of projects. The economic situation has created a wonderful paradigm shift and is perhaps the greatest contribution to sustainability in the longest time," said Joseph Romano, Developer Sector Leader at RW Armstrong.
Rashida Rajkotwalla, lead design consultant at Design Work Portfolio agreed: "If we do not propose concepts efficiently, most of it will get value engineered anyway so we owe it to ourselves to create sustainably."
Daniel Hajjar, Senior Vice President & Regional Manager MENA at HOK cautioned that "overstating the great sustainability debate runs the risk of green fatigue." Rather, he urged the local design community to treat sustainability as a professional responsibility.
"It is our job and responsibility to educate our clients about the bottom line benefits of sustainable design. This is how we can ensure the practice of sustainability becomes a fundamental market shift rather than simply a reaction to economic imperatives," said Hajjar.
The group highlighted a lack of local market understanding of the requirements of LEED certification, a provision of UAE green building codes, with some participants calling for greater legislation. However, Van Tran, Head of Development & Marketing at the UAE Business Council for Sustainable Development said a stronger environmental consciousness among end-users is more likely to drive compliance.
"It is only a matter of time before companies comply with sustainability. There is definitely more awareness about the importance of environmental responsibility here in the UAE. It even influences purchasing behaviour in supermarkets. Legislation will follow, but I think we'll see more companies voluntarily comply with green building codes before then," he said.
While the group largely agreed that sustainable design practice needs both public and private sector support, Ben Corrigan, Principle & Founding Partner of interiors consultancy Bluehaus, said a lack of professional qualifications among design practitioners in the UAE remains a threat to the process.
"We need legislation in the UAE to ensure practising designers have the right qualifications. At the moment, a contractor who has an engineer with a trade license can also practice design. There's no clear way of understanding who is doing what and that undermines market maturity."
The group also welcomed the recent arrival of international professional associations like the Royal Institute of British Architects and the American Institute of Architects to the UAE, viewing their presence as a sign of confidence in the market and an opportunity to promote design discourse to the level of national policy. However, they also highlighted the importance of improving critical thinking capabilities at local universities as a fundamental grassroots approach for strengthening the UAE's creative economy.
Following the success of the inaugural Design Executive Roundtable, organisers of The Office Exhibition announced plans to host a two-day Design Summit in Dubai in January 2012. For more information visit www.theofficeexhibition.com
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About The Office Exhibition
The Office Exhibition is the Middle East's premium showcase for high-end products and services which combine to create outstanding working environments. Organised by DMG Events, the show attracts thousands of top tier architectural and interior design firms and end-users from the Middle East and beyond.
Now encompassing a wider range of products and services to reflect the ever expanding market and with the addition of the International Interior Design Association (IIDA) as official knowledge partner in 2011, the event has become the most important exhibition for commercial interior design professionals in the GCC region.
For more information visit http://www.theofficeexhibition.com/
© Press Release 2011
