Randa El Assaad is the CEO of Arif & Bintoak, an architectural and engineering firm founded in 1975 in anticipation of the enormous growth in demand for architects in the UAE, which still continues today. In the beginning, Civil Engineers Nabil Arif and Abdulla Bintoak looked over the UAE, and recognized it as fertile ground with endless possibilities for architectural growth. They plotted and wor
ked the land, producing a medley of projects that showed their dedication to the expansion and improvement of the city’s architecture and infrastructure. They tackled each project with a unique sensitivity to the rich culture and history of the people of UAE, balanced with the cutting edge and futural designs that reflected their ambitions. As their portfolio of success grew, so did their numbers, and now they employ 500 of the industry’s top professionals. The result of their labour is apparent in the shape of the Dubai skyline (and that of other major cities), which is ripe with their works. With a modest beginning of only five engineers, Arif & Bintoak has seen steady growth to become one of Dubai’s leading Consultants. Since its inception, Arif & Bintoak has put together a remarkable portfolio of projects ranging from Private Palaces for the ruling family, to a variety of commercial, residential, civic and institutional complexes, to large-scale urban developments. While the array of purposes and styles show the firm’s versatility, each one invariably shows the spirit of creativity and style that is inherent to its works. Of their staff of nearly 500 employees, over 250 are professional Engineers, Architects and Designers. The remaining staff is comprised of a diverse range of Technicians, Inspectors, Finance and Administrative employees. This collection of experts in different disciplines is arguably Arif & Bintoak’s greatest advantage; it grants them the ability to develop and coordinate all aspects of Design and Construction of a project. They handle everything, from the development of Preliminary Design Concepts, Feasibility and Cost Analysis preparation, to the development of full Architectural, Structural and Services Technical drawings, and procurement of all necessary Regulatory Authority Approvals, Tender and Contract Document preparation, and on to the supervision of construction and future maintenance. Their skilled and experienced creative and professional teams hail from as many as 16 different countries, giving them a fair few fingers on the global pulse, and experience in multiple international and cultural contexts. The firm draws on the combined knowledge of its staff to provide a wide range of services and facilities. The firm’s solid reputation for high quality architectural excellence in the Building and Construction industry continues to grow, and Arif & Bintoak now boasts an annual project capital value of approximately AED 10 Billion. On average, Arif & Bintoak engineers have been responsible for the supervision of 35 to 40 construction sites across the Emirates at any given time over the past 10 years, and consistently 40 to 50 design projects are simultaneously being developed by the Architects within the drawing studio. Arif & Bintoak has been listed in World Architecture Magazine as No. 30 of the 2010 Top 100 Creative Firms in the world (see link below). This shows the firm’s insatiable appetite for growth and ambition for excellence, as they jumped up from a ranking of 72 in the previous year.
