Dubai firm has designs on UK, Africa

Architecture and interior design firm AK Designo aims to win more than Dh150 million worth of contracts annually and is looking to foray into the UK, India and African countries, a senior executive said.

"We have already undertaken projects worth over Dh35 million this year and hope to be awarded [more] projects in the range of Dh10 million by the year end. Our aim is to achieve a project target of Dh150 million, if not more, annually by 2020," said Abdulla Kunhi, managing director, AK Designo.

The company has accomplished in excess of Dh250 million worth of contracts in the last 10 years in architecture and interiors. AK Designo has been involved in providing architectural services such as 3D works and presentations. It was involved in 3D visual works for the Dubai Metro stations.

Recent research by market analysts Ventures revealed that the value of interior-based design and fit-out spend in the GCC had risen from $15.5 billion (Dh56.88 billion) in 2016 to $17.7 billion (Dh65 billion) this year.

Kunhi believes the hospitality industry would continue to drive the company's growth.

"Hospitality sector by far is the key factor to drive a design firm to a different stage in its growth process. So is the case with us. We can confidently say that hospitality projects are our forte. Having done seven hotel projects of different nature, size and geographical regions, from refurbishment to a concept from scratch, we are able to pull off a significant impact on these properties. We have successfully done projects in all sectors, including healthcare, corporate, retail and residences. The scale of a project doesn't matter to us as long as the client's intent is to get a good design for their space," Kunhi added.

Though the company has executed 5-star hotel projects, Kunhi said the focus would mainly be on 3 and 4-star properties.

Commenting on opportunities in the run-up to Expo 2020, Kunhi said this mega event is a potential target for growth for every industry.

"We are pushing ourselves to reach out in more innovative ways to deal with projects in terms of process as well as output to stand out and be a part of the flow," Kunhi added.

AK Designo has covered projects in eight countries and has also registered in the UK and India.

"Our aim is to reach out to more regions, especially the African markets. We have commenced talks with potential clients there for upcoming projects. As a stepping stone to support projects in the future, we have already registered our company in London and India. We aim to have offices running soon," Kunhi said.

Currently, AK Designo is working on refurbishment of the Galadari Hotel in Colombo. "By this refurbishment, we want to bring to Sri Lanka a property that reflects the spirit of Dubai in dynamism and glamour and yet retains the earthy charm of Colombo. By achieving it, we can say a Dubai group-owned property in Sri Lanka has successfully changed the face of the nation's hospitality landmark," he concluded.

Source: Khaleej Times