Homegrown brand Royal Furniture opens a new store in Sharjah
Homegrown brand, Royal Furniture has just opened doors to its brand-new store in the UAE in City Center Al Zahia, situated in the heart of Sharjah. The new store is the first-of-its-kind concept store featuring a unique design, aesthetic, and a brand-new collection to cater to the growing demands of today’s consumers.
Operating for over 30 years in the UAE, the brand is committed to breaking boundaries within the premium furniture space and is the only furniture brand in the UAE with a localised production facility, offering complete customisation to customers.
Sprawling over 4,200sqm in space, the new concept store has been crafted with wooden and earthy interiors to give a modern and minimalistic feel. The store has been meticulously designed and segmented to feature different zones, as one would have in their home, including a living room zone, dining zone, lounge area, and bedroom.
“The brands’ UAE expansion is in response to the growing demand we see from our customers for accessible furniture & inventive designs. We are committed to innovation and work very closely with our customers to give them what they desire through our dedicated customisation arm. Additionally, we have experienced an exceptional month-on-month growth in the last year alone and are excited to be opening our first concept store in Sharjah reaching out to more of our customers,” said added Richard Snowball, the general manager at Royal Furniture.
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AECOM partners with Royal Commission for AlUla to provide training to the local community in North West Saudi Arabia
Partnering with the Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU), AECOM is delivering project management and leadership training to the local community of AlUla, supporting RCU’s strategic mission to develop the region’s human capital and build a thriving economy.
“RCU is one of our key government clients with whom we are partnering to transform the country under Saudi Vision 2030,” said AECOM’s Soner Keskinel, Vice President, Program Management and Construction Management (PMCM) in Saudi Arabia. “As we develop the heritage-rich AlUla into a world-class destination for nature and culture, an important responsibility is ensuring the local people have the skills that will prepare them for success in the modern job market, enabling them to be active participants in the region’s economic and cultural development.”
The program is being delivered virtually using AECOM’s global learning management platform, with content developed in close collaboration between RCU leaders and subject-matter experts from AECOM’s local team, as well as regional and global resources. Designed with careful consideration to the needs of the local community, the program consists of seven leadership and project management modules that combine guided, expert-led sessions with self-study and online assessments, ending with a case study assessment.
Mohamed S. Alshamari, Chief Economic and Social Development Officer at RCU, said: “HRH Prince Mohammed Bin Salman’s vision puts developing people before place. So at the heart of establishing AlUla as a vibrant cultural destination is developing our community’s skills-base, creating new economic opportunities and improving their quality of life. Such large-scale transformation is best achieved through public-private partnerships similar to the collaboration between RCU and AECOM.”
The first cohort of the training program successfully ran from 21 March 21-May 31, 2021, with 94 participants. The second cohort will be welcomed in August.
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Bogle Architects prioritises sustainability for creating the new Royal Grammar School Guildford campus at Tilal Al Ghaf
The Royal Grammar School Guildford, is working with international architecture practice Bogle Architects to create the school’s first campus in the UAE. Every part of the forward-looking school has been designed to facilitate the Royal Grammar School Guildford’s innovative approach to teaching and learning, while utilising eco-friendly design modifications to ensure that the building is a sustainable hub.
Located within Majid Al Futtaim’s flagship Dubai community Tilal Al Ghaf – which also includes residential, commercial, leisure and retail elements – the Royal Grammar School Guildford Dubai is Bogle Architects’ first design project in the UAE and will accommodate and support up to 2,100 pupils from Early Years through to Prep and Senior School.
The impressive campus is set over approximately 40,000sqm, with classrooms, labs and other learning spaces linked by a beautiful ‘street’ concept featuring a lush, central atrium of trees, plants and living ‘biophilic’ walls.
The ‘street’ serves as a communal hub and breakout space for pupils as well as an extension of every classroom, providing a thoroughly modern and flexible learning environment with nature at its heart to reinforce pupil wellbeing. There will also be a 500+ seat, multi-purpose auditorium, an impressive double-storey library, a multi-functional sports facility including a 25m swimming pool, a smaller learning pool and a full-size football pitch.
The campus design seeks to maximise the school’s sustainability and provide an environment that aids children and staff wellness. The stepped design of the main building, with each successive floor expanding outwards, ensures the classrooms are self-shaded from the year-round Dubai sunshine, mitigating solar impact. This smart design feature will also provide the younger children located at ground level with 27 shaded Early Years classrooms with exterior and interior play areas. The Facility will also provide passive ventilation and biophilic elements, creating create a cool, comfortable learning environment that supports pupils in their studies.
The facility is being constructed by Multiplex, a leading and award-winning global construction company who have been established in Dubai since 1997.
Ian Bogle, founder of Bogle Architects, commented: “This is our first project in the UAE and the environmental challenges were clear from day one, so we wanted to make the building as passive as possible. This is where the stepping structure offered a solution for self-shading but also created an internal hierarchy for the distribution of children over the height of the building. The largest spaces at the top for the older children and the more intimate on the lowest floor for the younger children. We are delighted that the project is developing and have really enjoyed working closely with the Royal Grammar School Guildford Leadership team in creating what will be a fantastic addition to the heritage of the school.”
RGS Guildford Dubai will open in September 2021, subject to KHDA approval and completion of construction at the campus in Tilal A lGhaf.
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