Inspiring Solutions For Tomorrow IDEAL STANDARD MENA T + 97148042400 | E idealstandardgulf@idealstandard.com IDEAL STANDARD DESIGN & SPECIFICATION CENTRE Building 7, Happiness Street, City Walk, Dubai, UAE | T + 97143096000 www.idealstandardgulf.comContents 3 September 2022commercialinteriordesign.com IN THIS ISSUE NEWS & REGULARS 06 DESIGN NEWS All the latest updates from the colourful world of commercial interior design FEATURES 10 BLOCKS OF COMFORT A look at the interiors of Aldar's contemporary offi ces in Abu Dhabi by Mustard&Linen 14 THE SHORTLIST This month's cover feature celebrates the best in design with the shortlist for Commercial Interior Design Awards 2022 34 MEET ROSHN ROSHN joins Commercial Interior Design Awards 2022 as the Real Estate Partner 10 14Contents commercialinteriordesign.com September 2022 4 SPECIAL REPORT: OFFICE 38 ILLUMINATED Afsal Mohamed, founder of Light & Lives talks about lighting design for modern day offi ces 40 TECHNICALITY OF DESIGN BW Interiors takes us through their project - VISA CEMEA and dives into the challenges related to realising the project 42 FLEXIBILITY FIRST Husain Roomi, co-founder of H2R Design talks about the importance of healthy social spaces 44 SUPPLIERS Doors and facades suppliers you need to know for your next project WORLD VIEW 46 WORLD VIEW Hong Kong's via design offi ce merges traditional workspace with an art gallery LAST WORD 50 OBJECTS OF DESIRE Celebrating the iconic design of the Louis Ghost Chair by Philippe Starck 40 46 50Editor's letter 5 September 2022commercialinteriordesign.com Jane O'Neill Editor Signing off via Offi ce in Hong Kong. Photos by Kenneth Chao Oscar Wilde said the best way to appreciate your job is to imagine yourself without one, and it's been hard to imagine myself without Commercial Interior Design in my life. However, that day has come and I've taken the chance to move on to new challenges. Hard as it has been to say goodbye, the appreciation part has been effortless – I'm leaving you in the hands of a great team, and by the time you read this, our 16th annual awards will be at a minute to midnight in terms of planning. I'd like to thank everyone who has contributed positively to my editorship, and I hope you can continue to do so for my incoming incumbent. September is an extra special issue to bow out on, as we celebrate the people and projects shortlisted for the CID Awards 2022. It's been an honour to uphold the brand's values by overseeing a record-breaking number of entries – 600 – as a testament to how important the awards are to the design community in the MENA region. Editors come and go, but CID goes on with our tried and trusted features – our special report, this month a focus on the developments and trends in offi ce design; the fi rst look feature focusing on a design project's debut; this month's desired object, where we celebrate the anniversary of a design icon, and so much more. It's my pleasure to sign off for one last time as your editor, with huge thanks and a dollop of luck for your nominations. Published by and © 2022 ITP MEDIA GROUP FZ-LLC. PO Box 500024, Dubai, UAE Tel: +971 4 444 3000 www.itp.com Offices in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, London & Mumbai ITP MEDIA GROUP CEO Ali Akawi Managing Director Alex Reeve Deputy Managing Director Nicky Dawson EDITORIAL Group Editor Carla Sertin Editor Jane O'Neill email: jane.oneill@itp.com Digital Editor Suha Sabith Tel: +971 4 444 3495 email: suha.sabith@itp.com ART Art Director Amjad Ayche Designer Tofiq Memon ADVERTISING Commercial Manager Georgia Littlefair Tel: +971 4 444 3562 email: georgia.littlefair@itp.com PHOTOGRAPHY Photographer Marwan Elsayed Videographer Julius Garcia Videographer Muhammad Kaleem Video Editor Liju Cheruvathur ITP LIVE General Manager Ahmad Bashour Tel: +971 4 444 3549 email: ahmad.bashour@itp.com PRODUCTION & DISTRIBUTION Group Production & Distribution Director Kyle Smith Production Manager Denny Kollannoor Production Coordinator Manoj Mahadevean Senior Image Editor Emmalyn Robles CIRCULATION Distribution Coordinator Avinash Pereira Circulation Executive Rajesh Pillai MARKETING Director of Awards & Marketing Daniel Fewtrell ITP GROUP CEO: Ali Akawi CFO: Toby Jay Spencer-Davies Subscribe online at www.itp.com/subscriptions The publishers regret that they cannot accept liability for error or omissions contained in this publication, however caused. The opinions and views contained in this publication are not necessarily those of the publishers. Readers are advised to seek specialist advice before acting on information contained in this publication which is provided for general use and may not be appropriate for the reader's particular circumstances. The ownership of trademarks is acknowledged. No part of this publication or any part of the contents thereof may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form without the permission of the publishers in writing. An exemption is hereby granted for extracts used for the purpose of fair review.Design News commercialinteriordesign.com September 2022 6 Saudi giga-project AlUla and international photography festival Cortona On The Move come together this summer to present the work of three Saudi Arabian and three European photographers. The six artists were selected after taking part in the inaugural Cortona On The Move AlUla artists' residency programme, when they were able to immerse themselves in the stunning landscapes of AlUla, an ancient walled city in the north west. Following the residency, the artists are now presenting their work in individual exhibitions at Cortona On The Move 2022 in Italy, which runs until October this year. Among them is Hayat Osamah, a Riyadh- based artist, photographer and director whose collection Fast – Paced was inspired by a poet living in isolation. One of the oldest cities in the Arabian Peninsula, the vast 22,500 square kilometre AlUla region is now being reinvigorated as an archaeological, cultural and touristic complex. Photographers capture culture underpinning KSA giga-project Fast – Paced by Hayat Osamah. With its great leadership and vision, UAE is able to accommodate the best and most creative ideas from the design and architecture industry. However the industry is not without its challenges. Eco-friendly, sustainable, and cost effi cient production is still one of the key challenges that the industry is trying to overcome. Product innovation With the launch of the Engineering Department in 2019, STYRO has created a landmark solution for the construction industry with systems such as STYRO Ramp Systems, STYRO Soffi t Systems and External Decoration Finishing System (EDFS), which is installed in the project - Vida Hotel at Dubai Creek Harbour. What's next? STYRO adapts to the ever-changing construction landscape of UAE and the MENA Region. Our latest achievement is the EDFS systems introduced by the Technical team and well received by EMAAR for the VIDA Hotel project at Dubai Creek Harbour. This is a solution which provides decoration and insulation at the same time. Another major offering is the massive STYRO in the last twenty-two years has always supported art, design, and creativity. This year the company joins CID Awards as a creative solutions partner. Walid Wakim, Managing Director of STYRO talks about the fi rm and why the company believes in being part of the design event. STYRO has supported designers and architects to realise their designs with effi cient solutions along with highest form of value engineering. Supporting CID awards is very much in-line with STYRO's mission to help engineers, architects, and designers around the world and equip them with solutions for their creations. We are looking forward to the 2022 edition of CID Awards to celebrate the success and outstanding work of talented engineers and architects. UAE's design industry UAE is a highly diversifi ed country with more than 200 nationalities which bring in lots of creative ideas to the country. STYRO Creative Solutions Partner and dynamic landscape feature at Sheikh Zayed National Museum- Abu Dhabi, which is a supply/apply project under STYRO. STYRO prides to have installed a full- fl edged design and build division under specialty. This particular division caters to specialty projects which are not limited to STYRO, but includes the sourcing of all materials, namely metal, wood and glass. Welome STYRO to CIDAwards22! Walid WakimTOLL FREE 800 GLAZE (45293) | TEL: +971 6 5353 123 (SHARJAH) | TEL: +971 2 5502 390 (ABU DHABI) | MAIL: info@glaze.ae www.glaze.ae/ MARBLE | GRANITE | QUARTZITE | ONYX | TRAVERTINE | LIMESTONE | PRECIOUS STONE Surface Solutions, Designed By NatureDesign News commercialinteriordesign.com September 2022 8 The Theater Dubai is a joint venture between 7 Management and Bulldozer Group, as part of a groundbreaking entertainment destination in Dubai. The Theater joins Commercial Interior Design Awards 2022 as entertainment partner for the night. Creative collaborations The UAE is a melting pot of phenomenal designers & architects, many of whom are unbelievably ambitious and emboldened. There seems to be a limitless bank of talent, ingenuity, and boundless style! We are big believers in the massive impact design can have on a space and the eventual success of a venue. It’s therefore important for us to be aligned with the CID Awards and the celebration of design. At the awards, we are looking forward to meeting like-minded professionals who awards is part of their strategy. Design outlook I would say some of the main challenges that designers and architects are facing at the moment is very similar to the challenges which suppliers face. This includes high competition, low fees, demanding clients and low budgets due to the current situation in hospitality industry. Refurbishments in the design industry are exciting as we see a great initiative for this specifi c type of work. Everybody was unsure what to expect after EXPO, but refurbishments are currently a nice niche for all stakeholders to explore. The past year We worked on few projects in Doha for the World Cup, like Katara boutique hotel, some parts of the Sofi tel and Raffl es at the iconic Lusail Towers, etc. In Saudi we are currently delivering the project - Banyan Tree in Al Ula. While in UAE we did several projects such as Vida hotels, Address Lagoons and hotel refurbishments of several Jumeirah properties. We are pleased to announce that we are working in Egypt on the refurbishment of the hotel - Four Seasons Alexandria. SNS Group is a manufacturer of high-end furniture for the hospitality industry, with branch offi ces in Europe, Dubai, Asia and USA. Having its production facilities in Turkey and Indonesia, the brand maintains a well established partnership with Italian design enterprises. SNS is supporting the CID awards this year as a category sponsor. "Now more than ever it is important to support all creative initiatives and great design works. CID Awards is the best platform in the middle east to praise such talents", says Mirko Habek, SNS Haute Couture's group Managing Director. For Habek, CID awards is a way to catch up with industry friends and celebrate design. "I am looking forward to seeing some of my friends and clients, who I had not seen since the start of the pandemic. So this is a great opportunity to see all of them at one place!" Habek talks about the design industry, its challenges and why supporting the CID are ultimately driven by creativity and optical brilliance. Past year We emerged from the pandemic in an incredibly strong position. Businesses were struggling to stay afl oat but we powered through, coming up with solutions to our challenges at a rapid rate. We had to act fast and with conviction We opened several new venues including February 30, The Theater, B018. DXB, Lucia’s, and Café Beirut, at a time SNS HAUTE COUTURE Category Sponsor The Theater Entertainment Partner What's next? We launched our 2022 collection in the beginning of the year. We are also doing our best to get on board with some of the great projects which are ongoing at the moment, especially in Saudi. I am sure that we will be announcing some good news in the coming months, so make sure to keep a look out for more details. when the odds were stacked against us! Recent wins and launches Venues which were launched this year including Café Beirut and Lucia’s were designed in a playful aesthetics, with a lot of impact. The design stamps itself on the memory of our diners and keeps them coming back. Our booming expansion plans continue with a chic & vibrant new concept called Black Flamingo - due to open in Palm West Beach in the fi nal quarter of 2022. This is in addition to Café Beirut by The Sea and a fresh Italian concept called Limonata in Club Vista Mare. Looking at the future Growth, expansion, creativity, and an ability to hone in on this city’s social scene in a way no other hospitality company can! We are young, fresh, and ambitious so expect plenty of new concepts! Mirko Habek The TheaterNext >