RIBA, with support from the Department for International Trade (DIT), recently took five UK practices to Dubai to promote UK architecture in one of the biggest overseas markets.
Launched last year, RIBA Chartered Practices were invited to apply, with the chosen five illustrating the breadth of talent in the industry.
The practices included:
- White Red Architects
- HASA Architects
- Global Architecture Limited
- EL MAR Architects
- Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios
Each practice had no prior experience working in this market and had the opportunity to meet and network with potential business partners, developers and government representatives.
The RIBA team set up a showcase event where each practice shared their work with industry contacts and influencers. There was also the opportunity to workshop ideas, hold individual meetings and research the architecture in the area through field visits.
Geoff Rich, Managing Partner of Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios says, “The schedule provided us with a great combination of experiences to understand the general nature of opportunities and challenges of working in the region, and some valuable detail on some of the specific steps and issues that would need to be overcome.
All in all it offered us as participants a great experience that would have taken us weeks to achieve independently (if at all), and a forum within which to reflect and share our perspectives openly and collaboratively.”
The RIBA will be setting up further opportunities to Chartered Practices in the near future and should contact RIBAInternational@riba.org for more information.
