Arc Middle East
The Leading Middle East Architects Forum
February 9-12, 2024
Architects and Interior Designers with Commercial Projects Throughout the Middle East
Arc Middle East brings the region’s top architects and interior designers together with suitably qualified vendors for 3 days and 3 nights. That means the busiest, most difficult-to-meet architects and designers in the Middle East in one place, relaxed and ready to talk.
Meet the Middle East’s Commercial Project Leaders
Scroll down the page to get a snapshot of who was with us at the last event. Better still, get the full list of confirmed architects and designers so far for this year.
Around 50 of the Middle East’s top architects and interior designers will be with us next February – all with confirmed commercial projects throughout the Middle East.
Now consider the time, effort and expense it would take to even try to get in front of this number and calibre of decision maker and you’ll start to appreciate what’s on offer here.
Architects and designers with commercial projects throughout the Middle East
Every architect and designer who attends must evidence a portfolio of live, confirmed commercial projects throughout the Middle East or they don’t make the cut. These are the people who decide who gets specified and who doesn’t. If large-scale commercial projects throughout the Middle East are important to your business, these are the people you need in your life and you won’t meet them anywhere else.
Attendees
Yoshiyuki Uchiyama
Design Director
Nikken Sekkei
Ala Hason
Vice President
HKS
Miled Fadel
Senior Architectural Specification Writer
Dar Al-Handasah
Khaled Al-Doghry
Principal Architect
Saudconsult
Arun Puri
Head of Architectural Tech Services
Gulf Consult
Matthew Utley
Principal
Grimshaw
How it Works
As with all BOND Events, the Arc Middle East experience centres around a series of private, one-to-one meetings between architects, interior designers and vendors that each have selected before the event. And this is just the start: you are all together for 3 days and 3 nights, away from the distractions of projects and the office, in a uniquely relaxed set up where you can properly get to know each other, and this is where the Middle East commercial project trail really lights up. Because this is about relationships and connections and all the collaborative possibilities that come from them.
These Principal Architects and Designers are giving us 3 days of their time to come and meet solutions providers who can help them deliver something outstanding for their clients. And if you want to get a true understanding of the needs and aspirations of the Middle East’s commercial project leaders and have some interesting solutions to discuss, you will not find a better platform.
If you haven’t attended a BOND event yet, we can forgive you for being a tiny bit cynical at this stage. Some testimonials might help. Reasons to attend? Better still, have a conversation with us because it’s hard to make this real for you simply through words on our website. You might want to talk to some people who have already attended a BOND event to get things from their side and we’d be happy to point you in the right direction.
For suppliers, Arc Middle East is the best way, bar none, to win hearts and minds at the Middle East’s leading Architecture and Design firms.
For architects and interior designers, the value lies in re-connecting with peers and discovering the best solutions to commercial project challenges from the experts who will be your lifeline.
The setup allowed focused attention on the supplier meetings without the external distractions which occur in an office environment. I established new professional relationships with suppliers and senior architects throughout the region.
Khaled Al Safi
Program
PLEASE NOTE: This is last year’s program. Check back soon for the 2024 schedule.
Seminar timings and/or content may be varied at our discretion.
- Day 1
- Day 2
- Day 3
- Day 4
Seminar - Masterpieces from the Louvre
Andrew Graham-Dixon
Synopsis
A free-ranging exploration of a select group of master paintings from the Louvre Museum, from the age of Louis XIV to the age of Revolution and into the nineteenth century. Examining the ways in which art reflects the values of culture and society and can be a medium for the expression of philosophical, ethical and political ideas and ideals.
Biography
Andrew is an expert on Italian Art and Architecture. In his home country, he is best know for a massively successful BBC series ”Italy Unpacked” which he presented with the Chef Giorgio Locatelli. In fact, he has presented more television documentaries about art for the BBC than anyone else in the Corporation's history. He is one of the world’s leading art critics with a weekly column in the Sunday Telegraph (one of the UK’s leading newspapers), having written more than a million words on all aspects of the visual arts.Seminar - Building Civilization in the Age of Globalization
Marwa Al-Sabouni | Architect & Author, Sibat Architects
Synopsis
Throughout the history of human civilization, architecture has been the tool by which we have our left our mark on the earth. However, in a time when architectural merit is most often measured according to size, scale, and quantity, accompanied by our conflicting realization of the perils consumerism and global growth represent, we need to remember that the way we build not only marks human existence but also defines the way forward for our continued existence. With pandemics, conflicts, climate and economic crises, humanity is being forced to rethink its choices. Architecture must be at the forefront of this process. It’s not enough to merely build for shelter or to impress, the responsibility of building must address the key questions that led to the building of civilizations, the pinnacle of human achievement, without leading to it’s destruction that we are witnessing around the world. How do we find balance in an age that is notorious for its speed and connectivity which are surpassing all of our endeavors to tame their negative impacts on civilization? We realize that in order to reap the fruits of our globalized progress for humanity, we are placing too much on the alter of technology. What architecture can do about it, is the question.
Biography
Dr. Marwa Al-Sabouni is an award-winning architect, author and an international speaker from Syria. She has received the Prince Claus Award in 2018, and ranked in the BBC 100 Women 2019.
Her acclaimed book The Battle for Home was chosen in the Guardian as one of best architectural books 2016, and was named by the UK Prospect Magazine as one of the Top 50 thinkers around the World.
Her TED Talk was among the best of TED talks 2016 and was viewed over one million times. The Architectural Digest listed her as one of the top contenders for the Pritzker Prize 2018. Her second book Building for Hope was published in 2021. And she is a Fellow at Ralston College USA.
She took part on different platforms around the world such as the Sydney Opera House and the World Economic Forum.
Her writings have been published in RIBA Journal, Architectural Review, Financial Times, Standpoint Magazine, ICRC Journal among others.
She runs a private studio with her partner in their city Homs. And co-founder of Arch-news (www.arch-news.net) the world's first and only website dedicated to architectural news in Arabic and the winner of Royal Kuwaiti award for best media project in the Arab World 2010.
Seminar - The True Essence of Upscale Design
Jeremy Heyes | Senior Vice President, Wimberly Interiors (WATG)
Synopsis
In August 2000 WATG welcomed an unexpected visitor to their London Studio. During the ensuing conversation the visitor represented the Abu Dhabi ruling family he described the vision of the UAE hosting the next GCC conference in a purpose-built palace at the end of the corniche in Abu Dhabi. The property was to be the ultimate luxury hotel and conference venue and WATG were invited to compete with two other architectural companies to submit design proposals. So began a 5-year design and process that redefined hospitality in Abu Dhabi and significant architectural gesture that together with the presidential palace next door define a response to a culturally sensitive campus of civic buildings.
• The evolution of the project brief to a conference venue for the UAE Emirs to meet as well
• Clear organisational clarity to meet protocol requirements
• Careful selection of material palette
• The intellectual rigour behind the selection of the Islamic decoration and pattern
• The procurement of the project, construction management/package contractors
and onsite design office
Today the hospitality landscape has changed significantly but luxury destination hotels are still playing a key role in the development and urban fabric of world cities and their architectural and design scene. We shall illustrate this two recent WATG projects within the region that opened in the last year. The Ritz Carlton Amman, Jordan, and the startling different Waldorf Astoria, Lusail, Qatar. Both projects have very similar area programmes and size of development, and both embody the true essence of upper upscale hospitality design.
Biography
With more than 35 years of global experience in planning and architecture, Jeremy has a wide-ranging background. His highly creative design and project management expertise spans hotels, entertainment and leisure resort facilities, and residential developments the world over.
Since joining WATG in 1992, Jeremy’s portfolio has grown to feature some of the firm’s most iconic legacy projects, including the major civic landmark Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi, which encompasses more than 270,000 sqm in built area and a beachside elevation of over two kilometres. He was the senior project architect for the original US$65 million refurbishment of Claridge’s Hotel in London, and was design and development lead for LEGOLand Windsor Resort, England, which is renowned for its innovative design that continues to delight children and adults alike.
More recently, Jeremy has been at the helm of new openings including the Ritz-Carlton Amman and Chedi Katara, as well as the award-winning St. Regis Astana Hotel and Residences and Porto Montenegro.
Jeremy is currently serving his third term on the WATG Board of Directors.
Seminar - How to Design with your Ears
Julian Treasure | Sound & Communication Expert, The Sound Agency Ltd
Synopsis
Sound expert, author and five-time TED speaker Julian Treasure explores the huge opportunity to design sound that’s appropriate, delightful, and congruent with visual branding in hotels. He will viscerally demonstrate the four powerful ways in which sound affects guests and staff alike and show how our senses interrelate so that that design can never be truly complete if it focuses on the eyes alone. He will then explore the shocking extent of a global problem: noise, which adversely affects happiness, effectiveness and wellbeing in many environments – including hotels – and reveal the four simple steps to excellent sound design, including some tips on beneficial sound and a brand-new tool. He will end with an introduction to audio branding with some real-world examples, showing how to create sound that’s not only effective but also iconic and memorable.
Biography
Julian Treasure is a sought-after and top-rated international speaker. Collectively his five (yes five) TED talks on various aspects of sound and communication have been viewed more than 80 million times. His talk How To Speak So That People Want To Listen is in the top 10 TED talks of all time.
Julian's first book, Sound Business, is the seminal work on creating effective business sound, now in its second edition and also published in Japanese. His audio branding company The Sound Agency works with major brands worldwide proving that good sound is good business and pioneering the use of generative soundscapes instead of mindless music in spaces like airports, shopping malls and offices.
His second book, How To Be Heard: Secrets for Powerful Speaking and Listening, is a practical guide to improving the vital personal communication skills of listening and speaking (both public and private), which have been eroded by our ocular culture, including our obsession with screens. The book includes many simple exercises; interviews with experts; and potent, transformational concepts gleaned from 30 years' experience as a speaker with a passion for listening.
Julian has been widely featured as a sound and communication expert in the world's media, including TIME Magazine; The Economist; The Times; and many international TV and radio stations and podcasts. He is a Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Marketors, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and a long time musician, remembering with affection his two 1981 BBC John Peel sessions (the bands were Transmitters and Missing Presumed Dead). He lives in Orkney, Scotland with Jane and their daughter Holly.
It was a really great experience to meet qualified professionals from different parts of the world, sharing their experiences. It has added great value to our product range.
Ashtoush Joshi
Gallery
Venue
Your luxury venue will be announced soon.