Arc Middle East Architect Events
Networking with the Middle East's Leading Architects
February 6-9, 2026
Abu Dhabi, UAE
How do you get the Middle East’s top commercial architects to specify your products?
You need to come and ask them…
Arc Middle East is the event for manufacturers who want an edge in winning high-value construction projects throughout the Middle East.
Since 2010, it’s been chosen by discerning manufacturers as their most effective way to connect with Principal-level architects throughout the Gulf and beyond.
It is three days and nights of 1-on-1 meetings and relaxed, natural networking with the architects directing the Middle East’s headline construction projects.
The quality of attendees, the projects they’re working on and the access you get are guaranteed.
Manufacturer places are strictly limited and sell out quicker every year. If you want to know who’s coming, what they’re working on and how to get you and your products in front of them, get in touch right now:
The Middle East's Top Commercial Architects. Guaranteed.
Months of research and prospecting goes into building the guest list for Arc Middle East. Our dedicated search team identify and recruit only the most qualified candidates, following a three-stage process:
Step 1) Pinpoint the largest commercial projects in the Middle East in design stages
Step 2) Identify the architectural firms involved and the Principals leading the design and specification
Step 3) Invite those Principals to submit an application outlining their credentials. Accept and enrol pending final QC.
Arc Middle East regular attendees include:
Ala Hason
Vice President
HKS
Khaled Al-Doghry
Principal Architect
Saudconsult
Matthew Utley
Principal
Grimshaw
Dr. Mustafa Alper Alhan
Director / Principal
Tabanlioglu
Ralf Steinhauser
Director
RSP Architects
Fadi Jabri
Principal
Nikken Sekkei
Arun Puri
Head of Architectural Tech Services
Gulf Consult
Mariska Stoffel
Director of Design & Development
Killa Design
Large-Scale Commercial Projects Throughout the Middle East
The construction pipeline across the Middle East over the next few years is mind-blowing. Saudi Arabia’s construction market alone is valued at $1.7 trillion, with another $700million of projects in the pipeline across the UAE.
And, in the thick of it all, the big architecture and construction firms attend Arc Middle East to find the building product manufacturers who can help them deliver their clients’ visions.
Whether it’s hospitality, healthcare, workplace, sports, education, public or government, Arc Middle East delivers the true commercial project influencers.
Scroll down to get an idea of the commercial projects that will be on the table at Arc Middle East this year.
Every single architect and specifier you’ll meet has a winnable portfolio of major commercial projects and the clout to influence who gets specified and who doesn’t.
That’s how BOND delivers an unmatched event experience and the best ROI in the Middle East architecture event space.
So much more than a trade show
You know exactly who’s going to be here and you will have a number of guaranteed, pre-scheduled 1-to-1 meetings with the ‘buyers’ of your choice. And this is just the start.
You are all together for three days and nights at a luxury resort, so you’ll find these busy architects more relaxed and open here and any number of conversations can open up the commercial project trail right in front of you – you’ll see!
We will deliver the Middle East’s true commercial project influencers with time and space to have the conversations you’ve been waiting for.
What happens from there is your story…
If you are trying to expand your company’s sales opportunities in the Middle East and you want the most pre-qualified, established and renowned set of design professionals, I don’t know of a better forum that you could get involved in.
If you are trying to expand your company’s sales opportunities in the Middle East and you want the most pre-qualified, established and renowned set of design professionals, I don’t know of a better forum that you could get involved in.
Dean Moilanen
Program
Seminar timings and/or content may be varied at our discretion.
- Day 1
- Day 2
- Day 3
- Day 4
Friday, February 6
Saturday, February 7
Seminar - AI in AEC: How to Save $4.5 Million USD with AI (Case Study)
Stjepan Mikulić | CEO, AI in AEC
Synopsis
Learn about a real and practical AI Implementation Case Study at a 250-person interior design firm, where Stjepan, the founder of AI in AEC, helped the company save $4.5 million USD through optimizing their technology. Hear about some surprising insights on why BIM isn’t as needed as we might think, but AI and automation are. Stjepan will present his vision for the AEC as well as the 9-step process on practical AI implementation applicable to any AEC firm.
Biography
Stjepan is the founder of AI in AEC, a global training provider serving architects, engineers, and construction professionals in over 60 countries. Stjepan worked as a Constructing Architect at Europe's largest engineering practice Sweco, and as a Project BIM Lead in the world-renowned architectural studio BIG (Bjarke Ingels Group). AI in AEC maintains the world's largest database of AI tools for the AEC industry, the AEC AI Hub, accessible to everyone for free and recognized by more than 26k LinkedIn professionals.
Seminar - Designing Spaces for Longer, Healthier & Happier Living!
Alyaa Al Mulla | Founder, Longevity
Synopsis
This session will explore the concept of healthy longevity, providing a comprehensive definition and examining current global and regional trends in lifespan and well-being. It will delve into existing frameworks that support the design of environments promoting healthier, longer lives. The session will also introduce the science of longevity, drawing valuable lessons and insights from centenarian communities and human living labs. These examples will offer practical guidance for conceptualizing and creating spaces that foster healthy longevity.
Biography
As an entrepreneur, Alyaa is shaping and designing the longevity landscape in the UAE by driving advocacy and advisory to private sector, investors and the public sector. She specializes in enhancing healthspan, wellbeing, and the longevity economy through innovative public policy frameworks.
Alyaa has led the workplace wellbeing initiative under the UAE’s National Program for Happiness & Wellbeing, creating a robust, evidence-based framework and implementing tools to boost wellbeing in both public and private sector organizations .She was involved in projects to design better spaces for human’s longevity and recently, she co-authored the chapter on Dubai, UAE as a regional longevity hub in the new book “Longevity Hubs: Regional Innovation for Global Aging” led by MIT AgeLab, The MIT Press.
In addition to her policy work, Alyaa serves as a lecturer at the Geneva College for Longevity Science and has previously been a Visiting Senior Lecturer in Positive Psychology & Positive Societies at the University of East London. She holds a Master’s degree in Public Administration from Harvard Kennedy School and was an academic fellow at the Oxford Institute of Population Ageing, Oxford University. Alyaa has also been a member of the World Economic Forum’s Future Council on Human Enhancement and Healthy Longevity.
Saturday, February 8
Seminar - Roads, the Urban Form and Architecture: An Abu Dhabi Story of Contrasts
Dr. Apostolos Kyriazis | Associate Professor of Architecture & Urbanism, Abu Dhabi University
Synopsis
Abu Dhabi has evolved fast from a seasonal post to a global hub. It has now become an archetypal new Gulf city. Whilst oil revenues and automobiles streamlined growth in the first half of those 60 years of contemporary history, tertiary sector forces have taken over and reshaped the metropolis. This presentation attempts to track down and highlight the fine balance between automobile domination, the urban form, architectural imaginaries and social temporalities. A story of elusive contrasts.
Biography
Apostolos Kyriazis was born in Thessaloniki, Greece in 1976. He holds a Diploma (BArch and MArch) in Architecture, an MSc in Urban Planning and a PhD in Architecture and Urban Regeneration from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece. He has been a practitioner since 2000, with three awards in architecture competitions, two participations at the Venice Biennale of Architecture (2016 and 2018), one exhibition participation with the ECC in Venice, Italy in 2021 and numerous housing and urban planning projects in Greece, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Egypt. He has also been an active Scholar/Academic since 2008. He worked as an Adjunct Lecturer from 2008 to 2013 at Schools of Architecture in Thessaloniki, Volos and Xanthi, Greece. He joined Abu Dhabi University as an Assistant Professor of Architecture in 2015 and he recently got promoted to Associate Professor. He has published and presented academic research in numerous Conferences and conducts Research in collaboration with other international institutions. His field of expertise is the Neighborhood scale, urban regeneration, urban morphologies, public space, informality, social housing. He is also an enthusiast photographer with six participations at group exhibitions and three international awards/distinctions. To him, photography goes beyond a simple means of expression. It is a genuine tool of synthesis and representation in architecture and urbanism. He owns a private architecture firm in Volos, Greece. He currently lives with his family in Abu Dhabi, UAE.
Seminar - What Made Buildings Sustainable Then. What Defines Them Now. What the Future Will Demand.
Majd Fayyad | Sustainability Leader & Founder, MajdTalks
Synopsis
What we consider a “sustainable building” has never been fixed. It has evolved in response to context, constraints, and crisis. This session traces the evolution of sustainability and decarbonisation in the built environment, beginning with Ancient Greek solar orientation principles, where buildings were designed to work with climate rather than against it. It then moves through the oil crisis, the rise of energy efficiency, the climate change era, and most recently, the lessons exposed by COVID. The session examines how today’s sustainability frameworks are influenced by these layered crises, and why many current definitions remain fragmented, selective, or vulnerable to greenwashing. The session also addresses why sustainability and decarbonisation have become a core business issue, beyond environmental considerations.The UAE’s approach to sustainability and decarbonisation is presented as a case study, highlighting how national strategies are evolving from ambition to implementation across buildings, infrastructure, and cities.Finally, the session introduces the concept of Absolute Sustainability, which shifts the question from relative improvement to planetary boundaries. It offers a framework for assessing whether buildings truly operate within ecological limits, and why such thinking may be essential to move beyond incremental change toward real transformation.
Biography
Majd Fayyad is a sustainability and decarbonisation leader shaping policy, strategy, and real-world implementation in the UAE and MENA, recognized as Sustainability Champion of the Year (Editor’s Choice, 2025) and among the UAE’s Most Influential Sustainability Leaders (2025). Majd has led transformational sustainability programs across the MENA region and authored multiple first-of-their-kind studies on energy efficiency and net-zero buildings, directly influencing how sustainability is defined and applied in the built environment. He is also the founder of MajdTalks, an educational platform with 70,000+ followers, making him one of the region’s most trusted voices on sustainability and decarbonisation. A frequent speaker at 100+ flagship events, published technical author, and board-level advisor, Majd brings a unique combination of policy insight, engineering depth, and real-world implementation experience.
Monday, February 9
Arc Middle East was fruitful, excellent, concise, productive, yielding positive results and further collaboration. After thorough and fruitful meetings, many are newly integrated in specs.
