Powerlist Creative 30 : DREW GILBERT Design Manager Obm International
Drew Gilbert is a design manager at OBMI. Gil bert is an archi tect, artist, and educator. From masterplans to refined private villas— his macro-to-micro expertise has led him to become a well-balanced designer with an eye for context, culture, and climate with an emphasis on producing sustainable solutions, profoundly relevant to place and purpose.
Gilbert was awarded the AIA Henry Adams award, Middle East Rising Star, and the Design Middle East Young Talent RU. He was selected as Top 30 Architects Powerlist in the MENA region 2021. In 2020, Gilbert was a finalist for the World Architecture festival “Isolation Transformed”, along with winning the Golden Russian Architecture award Honorable mention for the Best public Building for Dubai Creek Mosque.
His project Gardens of Samarra went on to win the Project of future in 2020 and was selected by UNESCO to be established as an Archeological landmark. He is a finalist this year for Sustainability Champion of the year, and two projects at the World Architecture Festival, Gardens of Samarra (for Commercial-Mixed Use Category) and Gwangju City Main Library (for the Cultural Future Projects Category).
His projects under construction include Shams Reflection G+22 Residential tower in Abu Dhabi, Al Khan Palace the first luxury waterfront resort in Sharjah, the Technology Innovation Park in KSA, Citywalk phase 5 in Dubai, and the Valley townhouses by Emaar. With his patent for a modular building system, he aims to provide a viable alternative to traditional construction methods by reducing waste to landfills by 90%, using less energy, reducing project timelines, and being more adaptable and flexible to future changing needs while maintaining the same standards.
Gilbert is a LEED accredited professional who is dedicated to a better future by promoting sustainable design methodologies and cradle-to-cradle thinking for long-term impacts on the built environment. He is focussing on a timeless design that is responsive, adaptive and enriching the context responding to the climatic, ecological, and social emergencies of our time.
His future plans include launching a platform utilising XR and immersive technologies in spatial cognition for architecture. As part of a growing legacy of designing extraordinary destinations across the world for over 85 years, OBMI has become renowned for luxury hotels, resorts, vacation destinations, and residences. Celebrating design excellence and innovation to consistently deliver the extraordinary.
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Powerlist Creative 30 Ernesto Alarilla Jr. Design Manager Key Concept
Ernesto Alarilla Jr. is a multi-dis ciplinary architect with over 11 years of experience in archi tecture and interior design. Earning his education with flying colours from the Univer sity of Santo Tomas in Manila, he trained afterwards under the tutelage of renowned modernist Filipino architect Ed Calma. He has worked on a number of minimalist luxury residences and hospitality projects in The Philippines and Asia.
This provided him with a solid foundation in design and construction, which led him to explore his creative limits rooted in materiality and spatial quality.
He broadened his experience by moving to the Middle East, successfully delivering 100+ commercial projects to date. He is currently the Key Concept design manager; he also established the design department in 2014, by forming the creative arm of the fit-out company. In 2016, the company shifted its focus to design consultancy, which led to collaboration with Gulf-based brands such as Falla, Origami, Zero Fat, and Huna. Whites KSA, Accor, Emaar, and several KSA government entities are among the company’s notable clients. Ernesto’s formative years as a young painter taught him to be hyper-aware of his surroundings and to use artistic freedom to express his own interpretation of a subject.
His inspiration comes from the realms of low and high-brow cultural dialogues, as he is naturally inclined to the visual and performing arts. He believes that creation and design should be emotionally charged in varying degrees. Driven by his culturally immersive travels, his design comes from a place of recollection and imagination.
He is truly passionate in seeking to challenge the perception of the norm. Ernesto is committed to producing and executing a holistic design that will linger in the mind and inspire a new way of thinking about human connection with the built environment.
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En Route To The Expo: Aamer Sheikh, President and General Manager, PepsiCo MENA and Pakistan
*Original Article appeared on Entrepreneur Middle East
En Route To The Expo, a new video series launched by the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry in collaboration with Entrepreneur Middle East, is aiming to showcase how the business community in the UAE is getting itself ready for Expo 2020 Dubai, which is set to run from October 1, 2021 to March 31, 2022.
In this edition of En Route To The Expo, we spoke with Aamer Sheikh, President and General Manager at PepsiCo MENA and Pakistan, who noted that his enterprise’s role as the Official Beverage and Snack Partner of Expo 2020 Dubai will see it use the power of its brand to bring PepsiCo’s unique sense of fun to the Expo, and present a variety of brand activations for visitors to experience and enjoy.
PepsiCo recently revealed that it will be having one pavilion each in the three Expo 2020 Dubai Thematic Districts, with them offering refreshing perspectives on the expo’s subthemes of Opportunity, Mobility and Sustainability, through an exciting and engaging schedule of experiences, innovations, and discussions. PepsiCo will also be participating in the expo’s Theme Weeks happening through the six months of the event.
“Expo 2020 Dubai is the ideal platform for people to collaborate to solve complex world issues, such as climate change, and to explore ways to achieve equal access to education, healthcare, digitalisation, and sustainable food systems,” Sheikh said. “Equally as important, people will come together at the Expo to have fun. PepsiCo and Expo share the vision of bringing enjoyment, as well as sustainability to the event.”
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Styled Habitat welcomes Natalie Mansoor as its new design studio manager
Styled Habitat has announced the appointment of Natalie Mansoor as its new design studio manager with the aim of spearheading the growth of its practice. Rabah Saeid, founder and creative director of Styled Habitat is determined to take the studio to new heights as it expands into commercial and F&B sectors. Mansoor joins the creative interior design studio and brings with her a wealth of experience primarily attained in the US. Having worked for global design firms such as Gensler and Perkins + Will, her experience covers a wide range of sectors from technology practices, commercial interiors, workplace design, and consulting. “Given the opportunity in my career to venture into design strategy and consulting for multinational organizations really helped shape my way of thinking when it came down to bridging the gap between design and said organizations’ vision and end goal. Noticing the common circumstances and pace of the market here, it is quite important for us to deliver projects on time in a strategic manner staying within competitive budgets.”
Commenting on the appointment, Rabah Saeid says: “We are thrilled to have Natalie as an integral part of our studio. Her experience will be invaluable to us as we continue to develop our portfolio.
Photographer @oculisproject
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