‘Lead, don’t follow’ – Design Middle East
Govind Shepley, Twentyone06’s founder and creative director, discusses the firm’s triumphs, struggles, and key lessons learned over the last three years
Creating my boutique design firm, Twentyone06 has been one of the most interesting journeys I’ve ever taken. I’ll happily admit that in my first year, there were many breakdowns and doubts, as well as many unexpected obstacles, but I’m truly proud of what we have achieved in these three years As I mark three years since the company’s inception, I’d like to applaud our success and encourage other small businesses to do the same, while also remembering that failures are merely learning experiences, so here are a few of mine. We launched in 2019, and for the first year, I worked relentlessly to learn about finance by reading books, listening to podcasts, and getting advice from professionals in the financial field. But seeking advice wasn’t enough; I discovered that I needed to know how to manage money as well. I used the most accessible source of knowledge, the internet, to obtain additional understanding. We live in an era where information is so easily accessible.
Understanding finance is essential when running a business, as is ensuring that your income balances your outgoings. I’ve seen businesses fail due to poor financial management, excessive spending, poor management, and a failure to forecast cash flow. This is also detrimental to project management, as it ensures you have the monetary value to manage your resources. When gaining clients, it is critical to understand the small details of a project, and we work just as hard to understand which clients are right for us as we do on the project itself. I’ll admit that throughout our journey, we’ve worked with some wonderful clients and achieved fantastic results, but we’ve also had some difficult accounts that involved pitching for projects only to discover that they weren’t right for us, and I’m quite ok to admit that. This knocked our confidence and reputation, but we’ve overcome it, and we now have far more success stories than failures. What I discovered was that what I knew would only be understood if I shared it with the right people. Given this, I refuse to focus on my agency’s USPs (Unique Selling Points) and instead consider UBTs (Unique Buying Tribes) who value what I do, how I work, and what I can achieve. Owning a boutique agency allows me to work closely with my clients on a very personal level, and often I gain recommendations due to this approach as many people prefer personal over powerful.
I’ve learned to be thick-skinned, which is essential when dealing with difficult colleagues and clients. I’ve had clients question my ability in passive-aggressive ways and dictate when they will pay me, but confidence in what you do and your ability to do it is your best defense against these attacks. By the second year, I had ironed out many creases but needed to assess my management abilities and build my team. Many people in this region believe that a larger team is more efficient when it comes to managing larger projects, but I disagree because an efficient team is always far superior. When running a business, it is critical to focus on your own growth as well as that of your clients. I focus on leveraging my team’s distinct personality to attract like-minded clients.
During the pandemic, I quickly accepted that we would not grow by accumulating clients, but rather by looking within and evaluating our internal processes and structure. TOP TO BOTTOM Secret mocktail bar surrounded by greenery and water features, perfect space to have a refreshing beverage. TwentyOne06’ focusses on projects in the hospitality industry, and has already built a reputation as a market leader in F&B design, having completed projects with some of the region’s and world’s largest international hospitality brands in just three years. Transition from Tradition a juxtaposition of materials using traditional Japanese construction designs with modern materials. My final piece of advice is to find your niche because there will always be competitors who have been around longer, have better relationships, and have more resources. Finding your groove within and being confident in it will always be your strength. It’s no longer enough to be able to execute a project with solid design; it’s now necessary to examine both macro and micro trends for the coming years. You must be ahead of the curve for your client and provide them with data-driven design in order to be sought for. Do not follow the parade, but rather lead it.
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Amer Mneimneh replaces Janus Rostock to lead Urbanism + Planning at AECOM Middle East
AECOM is promoting Amer Mneimneh to Vice President, Urbanism + Planning (U+P) for the Middle East & Africa.
Mneimneh has over 20 years’ architecture, master planning, and urban design experience gained in the Middle East, the last 14 of those with AECOM. Transformative projects on which he has worked include Dubai Expo 2020, Saadiyat Island Masterplan, Dubai Harbour, Jeddah Strategic plans and NEOM.
In his new role, Mneimneh will lead the 93 staff within AECOM’s U+P practice and drive growth by ensuring clients receive the best of the firm’s technical practice, quality design and innovative thinking.
Mneimneh is currently the Operations Director for the U+P practice and the Dubai Design Studio Lead. He is taking over from Janus Rostock who is leaving AECOM in mid-June to take up an opportunity in his home country of Denmark. The transition of responsibilities from Rostock to Mneimneh is underway.
Mario Pishiri, Managing Director, Buildings + Places, Middle East & Africa, said: “While we are sad to be saying goodbye to Janus, I am delighted that we have been able to appoint his replacement from within our talented team. Amer will be responsible for proactively positioning, developing and growing urban development opportunities to support the growth of our regional business.”
Commenting on his promotion, Mneimneh added: “I am excited to lead our Urbanism + Planning business and our very talented and diverse team as we continue to enhance urban developments and create long-lasting benefits for the communities we serve.”
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Amer Mneimneh replaces Janus Rostock to lead Urbanism + Planning at AECOM Middle East
AECOM is promoting Amer Mneimneh to Vice President, Urbanism + Planning (U+P) for the Middle East & Africa.
Mneimneh has over 20 years’ architecture, master planning, and urban design experience gained in the Middle East, the last 14 of those with AECOM. Transformative projects on which he has worked include Dubai Expo 2020, Saadiyat Island Masterplan, Dubai Harbour, Jeddah Strategic plans and NEOM.
In his new role, Mneimneh will lead the 93 staff within AECOM’s U+P practice and drive growth by ensuring clients receive the best of the firm’s technical practice, quality design and innovative thinking.
Mneimneh is currently the Operations Director for the U+P practice and the Dubai Design Studio Lead. He is taking over from Janus Rostock who is leaving AECOM in mid-June to take up an opportunity in his home country of Denmark. The transition of responsibilities from Rostock to Mneimneh is underway.
Mario Pishiri, Managing Director, Buildings + Places, Middle East & Africa, said: “While we are sad to be saying goodbye to Janus, I am delighted that we have been able to appoint his replacement from within our talented team. Amer will be responsible for proactively positioning, developing and growing urban development opportunities to support the growth of our regional business.”
Commenting on his promotion, Mneimneh added: “I am excited to lead our Urbanism + Planning business and our very talented and diverse team as we continue to enhance urban developments and create long-lasting benefits for the communities we serve.”
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10 Design appointed to lead on the design of Shenzhen Pengcheng Laboratory
10 Design has been appointed to realise the design vision of the Shenzhen Government for phase one of the city’s forthcoming flagship scientific research facility, the Shenzhen Pengcheng laboratory. The practice won the project following a national public tender process held by the Shenzhen Government and Pengcheng Laboratory.
Phase one of the schemes’ wider masterplan will manifest in circa 436,500sqm of laboratory space incorporating a series of research spaces, with accompanying recreation, dining, sports and social facilities. 10 Design’s brief is to design a space which promotes social interaction between the researchers who will occupy the site.
Nick Cordingley, design partner at 10 Design commented: “Our plans have been assembled to position social amenity spaces at the heart of the scheme, complemented by a series of elevated connected walkaways which navigate the terrain and the internal movement to allow connectivity and fluidity when passing through. This part of the development will be split into three main sections: the northern campus, the southern campus, and the central social hub with VIP conference facility and a focal sculptural element.”
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CallisonRTKL provides lead consultant design services for Mamsha Al Saadiyat
CallisonRTKL (CRTKL) have provided lead consultant design services from the conception to the completion of the luxury beachfront residential development on Saadiyat Island, developed in collaboration with Aldar Properties, Abu Dhabi’s biggest property firm.
With three plots, consisting of nine residential towers, and one plot, consisting of a beach promenade which overlooks the waters of the Arabian Gulf, Mamsha Al Saadiyat evokes the crisp, clean architecture of the iconic Miami Beach in its design. Located in the Cultural District of Saadiyat Island, properties are only a short distance from the Louvre Abu Dhabi, as well as the future sites of the Guggenheim Museum Abu Dhabi and the Zayed National Museum. A range of dining, entertainment, and retail outlets are available along with the signature element of the project, a 1.4km promenade that stretches along the shoreline of Saadiyat Island.
Matthew Tribe, executive director at CRTKL, commented: “Mamsha Al Saadiyat has been a fascinating project to work on, from the initial conception of the project to its eventual completion. We sought to create a development that provided its residents with much more than a place to live, and made use of the superlative global arts and culture scene available on Saadiyat Island as well as the backdrop of the Arabian Gulf to provide a home quite unlike any other.”
Throughout the development of the project, CRTKL undertook multiple rounds of energy modelling, alongside studies of sustainability and materiality, to ensure that Mamsha Al Saadiyat is as energy efficient as possible in its development. In consequence, Mamsha Al Saadiyat received a 2 Pearl accreditation from the Abu Dhabi Urban Planning Council’s sustainability rating, Estidama.
CRTKL’s teams developed the respective locations of each of the buildings in Mamsha Al Saadiyat to be responsive to local climate conditions, and undertook a range of assessments throughout the design stage to ensure strong views of the Arabian Gulf and Saadiyat Island’s cultural district. Early works commenced in 2015, with main works commencing in 2016. Construction works on Mamsha Al Saadiyat concluded in June 2020, with the first residents of the development moving in shortly thereafter.
SNC-Lavalin’s Atkins business awarded lead design contract for Six Flags Qiddiya theme park in KSA
SNC-Lavalin’s Atkins business has been awarded the lead design consultant services contract from Qiddiya Investment Company (QIC) for the Six Flags Qiddiya theme park project – located within Qiddiya, Southwest of Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia.
Under the three-year contract, Atkins, a member of the SNC-Lavalin Group, will provide integrated lead design consultant, construction supervision, and cost management services. The scope of work includes public realm and necessary infrastructure within the plot area along with validation of the pre-concept design, as well as the development of sustainability and environmental assessment methods, design criteria, and standards of the project.
Six Flags Qiddiya is scheduled for opening during the first phase of Qiddiya – the Kingdom’s Capital of Entertainment, Sports and the Arts. The park will stretch across 32 hectares (79 acres) and feature 28 uniquely themed rides and attractions across six lands: The City of Thrills, Discovery Springs, Steam Town, Twilight Gardens, Valley of Fortune and Grand Exposition. The theme park will provide both recreational and professional opportunities to the Saudi population and boast a number of record-breaking attractions including The Falcon’s Flight, the longest, tallest and fastest roller coaster in the world.
“This win is a testament to our proven track record for delivering flagship projects worldwide, and market-focused approach to a dynamic and sustainable business growth in the Middle East,” said Cris Dedigama, CEO of Atkins Middle East & Africa, Engineering, Design and Project Management, SNC-Lavalin. “We are proud to work with Qiddiya on this one-of-a-kind project that supports Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 and the acceleration of the country’s economic diversification agenda.”
“With over 50 years’ presence in the Middle East, Atkins has delivered some of the region’s most iconic amusement parks,“ said Ian Redmayne, Managing Director of Atkins KSA, Engineering, Design and Project Management, SNC-Lavalin. “We are proud to support the Six Flags Qiddiya project that is set to redefine the entertainment industry not only in the region, but also globally. We look forward to delivering this project to the highest quality, safety and sustainability standards.”
Qiddiya Investment Company (QIC) is driving the development of Qiddiya – home of the most innovative and disruptive experiences in entertainment, sports, and the arts in Saudi Arabia. As a core tenet of Vision 2030, Qiddiya has a dual economic and social purpose: to advance economic diversification and unlock new professional pathways while enriching lives of the youth in the Kingdom.
The Company relationship with Qiddiya started in 2019 when the company began providing master planning and infrastructure engineering services for the destination-resort community.
DOMOTEX’s new lead theme will focus on innovative flooring concepts
DOMOTEX, the world’s leading trade fair for carpets and floor coverings, will run from January 15-18, 2021 in Hannover, Germany. The event’s new lead theme, COVER NEW GROUND, zeroes in on three dimensions that permeate the latest trends: Balanced Living. Sustainable Living. More than Floor. How does the desire for deceleration, for more naturalness and more mindfulness affect the design of our environment? How can we change the interiors in which we live and work? Where do floors begin and where do they end? What new functionality will floors provide in the future? And: Who says nature only happens outdoors?
In an age of corona, more and more people are working from home and dynamically transitioning from work to private life and back again. As a result, the interior designs of and flooring used in home environments are becoming more and more significant. Moreover, unused office facilities are going vacant and being used in a variety of new ways, meaning that their interiors need to be adapted accordingly.
Mindfulness, naturalness and well-being can be positively influenced by the appropriate selection of surfaces and materials as well as by innovative concepts. Here, too, it is important to blaze new trails – and not just because of the pandemic. The lead theme of DOMOTEX is therefore a motivational call to all of us to think outside the box.
Big-name interior architects and interior designers have already taken up the challenge. Attendees, speakers and jurors of past DOMOTEX events have joined forces to create lifestyle-inspired environments in which visitors can experience floors in a completely new way. And what kinds of carpets and floors were used for which purposes? The following project-related remarks illustrate the various connotation of the COVER NEW GROUND lead theme.
Interior designer Gunnar Seel regularly attends DOMOTEX as a source of inspiration for his work. Together with his Seel Bobsin Partner team in Hamburg, he has created a multi-space office for the Hannover-based tour operator TUI, making use of functionally appropriate, sustainably produced carpet tiles from Carpet Concept. The tiles have a basic graphic pattern characterised by a colour gradient in special hues. Their large-scale format makes the otherwise “busy”-looking pattern almost invisible, resulting in a more subtle appearance.
Spela Videcnik and her OFIS Architects office in Andalusia have built a 20-square-meter pavilion made of special solar control glass. “La casa del desierto” consists of a living area, bedroom and whirlpool sunk into the wooden floor, which offers a unique view of the surrounding desert landscape. The floorto- ceiling glazed “walls” are moored between the foundation and the roof, each of which is constructed of wooden cassettes, with mirrored panels on the facades to reflect the surroundings. The floor is covered with light graybleached, narrow and elongated panels made of larch wood by the Slovenian company Permiz, which lead beyond the room into the open air, thus seamlessly connecting indoors and outdoors. The glass pavilion was developed as a holiday home that can be booked via Internet platforms.
Designer Werner Aisslinger and his studio developed the interior design for the “Stayery” serviced apartments in the Friedrichshain district of Berlin. The concept includes co-working spaces as well as a communal living area for relaxation and enjoyment. The texture of the floors guides residents and visitors to individual areas that merge into one another. The design was inspired by the urban setting. A gray carpet resembling grained road asphalt leads from the entrance area to the elevators. The apartments are lined up along a corridor like an ensemble of small houses with their own addresses. The hallway is fitted with a rugged, striped carpet that resembles a pedestrian crosswalk. The carpet here was chosen for both atmospheric and acoustic reasons, with added advantages in terms of heat insulation.
Peter Ippolito is an architect and interior designer. With the “Soho 3Q” project, his Ippolito Fleitz studio transformed an old department store in Shanghai into coworking spaces and an inspiring atmosphere for startups. The heart of the building is a two-story campus with a lobby, café areas and discussion zones of varying sizes. On the upper levels, there are enclosed offices with privacy and small islands for meetings, which are fitted with durable carpets for noise reduction. As a sculptural and high-quality element, a wooden spiral staircase connects all floors; the use of wood as a material enabled the seamless and high-quality design solution, which requires no tracks at the edges of the steps. All offices and public areas have HPL floors with wood decor, as they are less expensive than wood, extremely easy to clean and insensitive to scratches.
In her company’s blog, London-based designer Vanessa Brady is looking ahead to the time after coronavirus. “Our professional would be well advised to apply ourselves to uplifting peoples’ spirits and contributing to their mental health. That’s the task at hand.” Asked about what kind of floors would be particularly suitable for restaurants, she explains: “Woven vinyl and LVT are just as suitable as tiles, wood or sometimes even metal panels. Aren’t interior designers always on the lookout for a trendy, alternative look such as made possible by special finishes?” One topic, Brady is sure, will always be relevant: hygiene. How a floor covering lends itself to cleaning is every bit as important as its weight or resistance to wear and tear. For the short life span of a pop-up store, you can resort to less durable materials. “To be honest,” she says, “you almost always need a high-performance, quality product approved for commercial applications. For the most part, that adds up to a regular commercial product.” For Vanessa Brady, this means that architects and designers need to stay up to date with the latest developments, product launches, color trends and innovative finishes – “especially since technology is so rapidly propelling us forward”.
Visitors to DOMOTEX 2021 can find out about the latest floor covering developments. Under the lead theme COVER NEW GROUND, innovative manufacturers will be presenting a wide range of products in Hannover from 15 to 18 January.
At the “Flooring Parks”, the segments of Carpets, Fibers & Yarns in Hall 11 and Resilient Flooring & Design Flooring, Parquet and Laminate Flooring, as well as Application and Laying Techniques in Hall 12 will each have their own stage, and products will be highlighted in the context of actual room settings, thus putting the spotlight on special trends.