Global architecture and design firm Perkins+Will has announced the appointment of Firas Hnoosh as a design director for its office in Dubai, UAE.

Hnoosh has joined the firm to oversee all architecture work originating from the Dubai practice, helping to grow its multidisciplinary architectural design portfolio.

“Firas’ international leadership experience will help take our burgeoning architecture practice to a whole new level, nurturing a culture of design excellence among our growing staff and complementing our already robust corporate interiors practice,” said Dubai office managing director Steven Charlton.

“His multicultural background, ability to speak several languages, and comprehensive understanding of the markets in EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa), particularly the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, will also ensure stronger relationships with our clients,” he added.

Hnoosh has over 17 years of professional design experience, and has held design director roles for the Abu Dhabi practices of two large international architectural firms.

He has also served as the head of a studio for the London practice of a renowned global design firm. His strong commercial and institutional building portfolio includes projects such as The National Bank of Abu Dhabi global headquarters on Al Maryah Island and the Abu Dhabi Cruise Terminal in Mina Zayed for the Abu Dhabi Port Company, among others.

In his role as design director for Perkins+Will’s Dubai office, Hnoosh will guide a growing team of 30 architects through all stages of design for mixed-use developments, high-rise office buildings, hotels, universities, and cultural centres.

He will introduce new tools and production software, building information management (BIM) platforms, and environmental and parametric applications to the Dubai studio. Hnoosh will also work closely with London-based EMEA regional design director Jo Palma, who joined Perkins+Will in September 2015, and with whom he has already collaborated on a number of design projects in the past.

“My interest lies in exploring the boundaries of marrying architecture and engineering, with their often conflicting demands, to create a timeless design,” Hnoosh said. “I am proud to be part of a firm with such an outstanding reputation for design excellence, innovation, and sustainability, and am eager to contribute to its successes from our Dubai studio.”

Hnoosh is a chartered member of the Royal Institute of British Architects, an ARB registered architect, a Leed (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design)-accredited professional, and a member of the Swedish Association of Architects. He holds a Master of Architecture from the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (US), and a professional architecture degree from the Lund Institute of Technology in Sweden. He speaks fluent Arabic, English and Swedish and has basic working knowledge of French and German. - TradeArabia News Service