Leading international architectural practice Allies and Morrison intends to open its first Middle East office in Doha, in early autumn.

In the UK, Allies and Morrison is playing a pivotal role in preparing masterplan proposals for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Its vast experience spans significant projects such as the challenging restoration of the Royal Festival Hall on London’s South Bank, nominated for the RIBA Stirling Prize in 2008, and the new Astronomy Education Centre at the Royal Observatory, Greenwich and major urban regeneration projects such as King’s Cross Central and Bankside 123.

This expertise and experience is now being used to help transform urban spaces across the Middle East.

Within the region, Allies and Morrison has been involved in a number of unique and significant projects in Abu Dhabi, Beirut, Bahrain, Cairo and Doha.

In Qatar, the architecture practice is one of the major international design architectural firms working with Dohaland on its QR20 billion ($5.5 billion) signature project, The Heart of Doha. Allies and Morrison is designing a cluster of three civic buildings in phase 1A of the 35-hectare site in the centre of Doha.

Allies and Morrison has also been working on the Heart of Doha masterplan together with EDAW and Arup.

In Cairo, Allies and Morrison has designed the central spine of Solidere and Sodic’s Westown development as well as residential, office and retail buildings.

“Our philosophy is to take a contextual approach to the places we work so that the design reflects the unique character of that city or country,” said Tim Makower, partner at Allies and Morrison.

“The Middle East is a spectacular place in which to create new buildings. “While they may have climatic similarities, there is an exciting level of cultural diversity across the region which gives each state a strong identity. This gives us clues to achieving a truly contextual architecture,” added Simon Gathercole, associate director at Allies and Morrison.

Allies and Morrison’s approach to design and masterplanning has received international recognition. It has won 29 awards from the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), including four RIBA awards in 2009.-TradeArabia News Service