DSAQ3 2017 | DSA DIGEST | ISSUE 9

Digest

In this issue:• Welcome from the MD

• Onwards & Upwards

• New Project Award

• DSA Wellness Clinic

• The DSA Draw

• One to One with Pierre Nel

• DSA Open 2017

• Al Zahia Team Lunch

• Reflection of Excellence

• GREEN DSA - EmiratesGBC Report

• Cityscape 2017

• Burj Square Central Development, Dubai

• UAE Year of Giving Donation

By invitation from His Highness Prince

Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, Prime

Minister of Bahrain, DSA Architects’

Design Principal, Floris Smith, attend-

ed a video shoot at the One&Only

Seef, Bahrain, on 24th September in

anticipation of the development’s

upcoming November 2017 opening.

DSA are proud to have acted as de-

sign architect and lead consultant on

this landmark project.

Set in one of the world’s most

beautiful locations, One&Only Seef,

Bahrain, has been individually and

beautifully designed to reflect the

styles and influences of its surround-

ings. The resort features a remarkable

collection of luxurious guest rooms,

suites and villas, and offers access to

a spectacular private beachfront.

The stunning One&Only in Seef will

also feature world class dining and

retail choices, along with a sublime

Givenchy spa.

A ROYAL INVITATION To: ‘One&Only Seef’ - Bahrain

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2 DSA DIGEST | ISSUE 9 | Q3 2017

WELCOME TO DSA DIGESTA very warm welcome to the 9th Edition of DSA DIGEST and I think you will notice that

we have a lot to report on, which clearly reflects the high levels of business, social and community activities undertaken over the last few months across our global office network.

New project awards are the lifeblood of our business and it is great to

report that we have recently been commissioned for the Burj Square

Central development in Dubai for Nshama, as well as our first hotel

project in Musandam, Oman.

The high regard held by our clients of DSA’s quality work is perfectly

illustrated on the front page, with the report on Design Principal,

Floris Smith’s personal royal invitation from His Highness, the Prime

Minister of Bahrain to the opening video shoot for the One&Only

Seef, Bahrain.

It is also important for us to reflect on the excellent assignments

already completed that have been instrumental in strengthening and

building our reputation and in this issue we feature the Four Seasons

Resort in Dubai.

In the context of reputation, Cityscape Global 2017, one of the

world’s largest real estate exhibitions, took place in Dubai from

11th -13th September and DSA Architects International were well

represented. This expo enables us to meet both existing and new

clients and underlines DSA’s leading international status and we

were delighted to be joined by our Chairman Clive Shepherd for this

high profile event.

Also during September, DSA were honoured to host the DSA Open

2017; a day of golf and entertainment designed to raise funds and

awareness for local UAE cancer charities. With ex-Leeds United and

Liverpool legend Gary McAllister in attendance, we are delighted to

report that a fantastic amount of $25,000 was raised on the day and

this will go towards the 2017 ‘Swing Against Cancer’ series total.

This event underlines our commitment to supporting worthy causes

and there can be none more so than the fight against this dreadful

disease. We commissioned a short video to capture the day’s

proceedings and invite you to enjoy it at:

http://www.dsa-arch.com/dsa-open-2017/

Finally, it is great to see that at DSA Architects we make the time to

celebrate our successes. This is important in building morale and

team spirit and is also a hard earned reward for our valued staff.

Our success is built upon teamwork and on that note, a big thank

you to all staff who donated towards the care packages for our

colleagues in Sharjah. This is the spirit of community and care that

drives our organisation.

Thank you.

Steve Kelshaw, MD Middle East

Onwards & UpwardsCongratulations on 10 years service to:SUJI SUGATHA

Senior CAD Technician – Suji Joined on 5th August 2007

Best wishes for a healthy & happy retirement to Carol Norris.Carol Norris joined the practice in September 1999 on a temporary assign-

ment. After two weeks Carol’s ability and bubbly personality convinced the

partners to offer her a permanent placement. Carol has been an integral part

of DSA Architects, having been the PA to Clive Shepherd and Rob Low for the

past 15 years.

Carol has always been very family-oriented and now in her retirement she

will be spending quality time with her children and grandchildren in the UK,

Australia and Zambia.

Our sincere thanks go out to Carol for her dedication and contribution to the

company during this time. You will be missed.

DSA Architects International Chairman, Clive Shepherd wishing Carol a happy retirement.

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3www.dsa-arch.com

NEW PROJECT AWARD Musandam Upscale Hotel, Khasab, OmanThe Musandam Hotel Project sees DSA Architects providing the lead design service in the development of land in the Khasab Port Develop-

ment Masterplan in Northern Oman.

The project is an upscale hotel with 215 Keys to be accommodated within a G+3 building with a total BUA of 13,838m2. Also, featuring a

roof top Pool & Gym, the main concept of the hotel is to create a modern and efficient destination for leisure, business and families that can

respond to the high demand for tourism in this Omani enclave on the Arabian Gulf Peninsular, with the materials specified also inspired by

the beautiful surrounding mountain areas.

Working with our partners at Mednet and Generali, DSA were delight-

ed to provide a free ‘Wellness Check-Up’ for our staff during August.

The health tests were carried out in the Dubai office by medical staff

from the Saudi German Hospital and included checks on body mass

index (BMI), blood sugar and blood pressure levels.

This was a great opportunity for colleagues to check that their health

is in tip-top condition.

Test your knowledge of DSA Architects International and win a night out on us.

1 The Four Seasons, Dubai at Jumeirah Beach opened in which year?

2 Which Scottish footballing legend attended the DSA Open 2017?

3 In which year was the DSA Middle East office established?

4 When did Suji Sugatha join DSA Architects?

5 Which DSA Architects Associate ran the 2017 Comrades Marathon in South Africa?

Prize: USD 250 voucher

Email your answers to: jam.jakosalem@dsa-arch.com.

The draw for all those answering five questions correctly,

will take place at the next DSA Middle East staff meeting.

GOOD HEALTH AT DSA WELLNESS CLINIC The DSA draw

Saudi German Hospital staff ‘Wellness’ checking DSA staff

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4 DSA DIGEST | ISSUE 9 | Q3 2017

One to One with ... Pierre Nel

The running bug has bitten Pierre

and clearly not one to engage in

things by half, he joined a running

club last year and has since com-

pleted a marathon in November

2016 in Nelspruit, and impressively

the world famous ‘Comrades

Marathon’ in June this year, along

with 17,000 other runners. This

is an 88 km race (or two normal

marathon distances) from Durban

to Pietermaritzberg. For good mea-

sure the first 42km is uphill. Add to

this a half marathon in the Kruger

National Park in August with armed escorts to keep the animals away

and you start to understand Pierre’s drive and stamina. Hiking is a

family activity that both Pierre and Charlene enjoy and South Africa is

a wonderful place to get away into the wilderness for a few days and

the famous 44 km ‘Otter Trail’ in the Western Cape region was their

most recent adventure in January this year.

Whatever projects Pierre ‘runs’ in the future we wish him every suc-

cess in completing them on time!

A passion for architecture, the great outdoors and South Africa exude from Pierre Nel. He is undoubt-edly a man on the move and at the vanguard of DSA’s Africa operations.

From an early age, Pierre loved buildings and clearly remembers a

‘Standard 9’ school project where he sketched and photographed

buildings in his home town. The seeds for a life in architecture were

sown and with an artistic mother and mechanically inclined father,

perhaps there was no doubt as to Pierre’s future.

On graduating from The Technikon Witwatersrand in 2000 with a

BTech in Architectural Technology, Pierre made his professional

debut with NPN Architects in Johannesburg before joining DSA Ar-

chitects International in 2004. Thirteen years on, Pierre has seen a lot

of change in architectural working practices, from physical drawings

in a one-man practice, to 2D Autocad and now the latest 3D design

technology. He is a firm believer in ensuring he and his colleagues

across DSA Architects International are at the cutting edge of avail-

able technology and best practice and Pierre is head of the DSA

Revit portfolio and sits on the company’s Technical Committee.

It is this international capability and depth of experience, particularly

in the hospitality sector, that Pierre believes gives DSA its market

leading position and global reputation for excellence. Additionally,

this aspect of professional life as an associate of DSA Africa Office

has enabled Pierre to travel for projects as far afield as Turkey,

Rwanda & Dubai.

When pressed to reveal his most memorable project so far with DSA, Pierre points to his current develop-ment for Sun International in Pretoria, Times Square Arena & Casino.

This project came to DSA via word of mouth recommendation

underlining the company’s standing as an architect of choice. The

casino opened in April this year and the arena is due for completion

in October 2017. The most satisfying aspect of this project for Pierre

is his ability to manage through hands-on site supervision and close

liaison with all the consultants involved. The Vision Hotel in Rwanda

was another favorite due to his responsibility on the development

from 2010 to 2014 and the opportunity to travel.

Pierre’s busy professional life is balanced with an equally busy personal life. He and his wife Charlene have two young children, an eight year old daughter and five year old son and keeping fit in order to keep up with them is both a passion of Pierre’s and a ne-cessity one suspects.

Associate, DSA International - Africa Office

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5www.dsa-arch.com

The DSA OPEN 2017 raises $25,000 in support of ‘SWING AGAINST CANCER’

Al Zahia Project Team Lunch

The DSA Open 2017, held on Thursday 14th September at the iconic Majlis course at Emirates Golf Club, underlines the commitment of DSA Architects in supporting outstanding local community causes.

Golf lovers, UAE business leaders and

a famous International footballer, Gary

McAllister, joined together to help in the fight

against one of the world’s deadliest diseas-

es by taking part in the DSA OPEN 2017 and

supporting the Swing Against Cancer series.

The series, which is open to both amateurs

and professionals is run by Worldwide Golf

magazine in partnership with Sixteen10

and has gained significant momentum

since launching the 2017 series of events at

Sharjah Golf Club with the Worldwide Golf

Open in April 2017.

Since then there have been events at Abu

Dhabi Golf Club, The Els Club and Dubai

Creek Golf & Yacht Club with the region’s

corporate and golfing communities uniting

in increasing numbers to raise funds and

awareness for local cancer charity, Friends of

Cancer Patients, while enjoying a unique day

of golf, business networking and enjoyment.

As Steve Kelshaw explains, “Cancer is a

dreadful disease that has most likely in

some way touched most of our lives and the

pursuit of a cure and the support of those

affected by cancer is a cause that DSA

Architects is committed to.”

Watch our DSA OPEN 2017 video at:

http://www.dsa-arch.com/dsa-open-2017/

After weeks of successful hard work on this prestigious residential project in Sharjah for Majid Al Futtaim Properties, the Al Zahia project team enjoyed lunch at the Hala Organic Restaurant, Dubai World trade Centre on 22nd August. This was thoroughly well-deserved and enjoyed by all.

DSA Managing Director Steve Kelshaw with former Scotland, Leeds United FC and Liverpool FC footballer, Gary McAllister

Football legend, Gary McAllister on the 1st tee at the DSA Open 2017

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6 DSA DIGEST | ISSUE 9 | Q3 2017

Reflection of Excellence Four Seasons Resort Dubai at Jumeirah Beach

On behalf of our client HH Developments, DSA Archi-tects were very proud to act as lead consultant and lead architect, in conjunction with WATG California, on this prestigious luxury beach resort property, which opened in November 2014.

This project, occupying a prime location on Dubai’s Jumeirah

Beach, is positioned as a 5-Star urban resort & spa. The devel-

opment blends Spanish-Mediterranean architecture with Arabic

accents, creating an atmosphere of light and sophisticated luxury,

comprising a hotel, food & beverage village and a luxury pearl spa

with the complex managed by the world class luxury hotels opera-

tor ‘Four Seasons Hotels.’

The hotel building includes a basement, ground level, 6 storeys,

and comprises 188 guest rooms and 49 suites with other in-house

facilities such as restaurants, banqueting, meeting rooms, hotel

retail, business centre, fitness facilities, beach club, recreation

centre, water sports pavilion and tennis courts.

In 2014 the project won the prestigious South African Property

Owners Association (SAPOA) International Development Award for

design exellence.

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7www.dsa-arch.com

Energy & Water Benchmarking for UAE Hotels

DSA Architects at Cityscape Global 2017

As a member of the Emirates Green Building Council and a registered EEP consultant (Energy Efficiency Program), DSA Architects continuously support the EmiratesGBC in achieving their goals in spreading awareness of good sustainability practices and technical solutions.

This is a summary of the report prepared by the EmiratesGBC, ‘En-

ergy and Water Benchmarking for UAE Hotels’, which reveals strong

potential for significant savings in energy and water use with viable

and affordable existing technologies.

As an in-depth analysis on the UAE’s hospitality sector

vis-à-vis sustainability initiatives, it draws on informa-

tion gathered from 46 voluntarily participating hotels

across the country on their property’s general, physical

and operational characteristics as well as annual ener-

gy and water consumption data.

The report studied energy and water consumption data

over a three-year period (2013-2015) for the compre-

hensive study. An expert panel, including members of

EmiratesGBC, evaluated the data, with the key findings

of the study showing that UAE hotels have unequal

energy and water performance compared relative to

global standards, with a high potential for significant

savings using viable and affordable existing technolo-

gies. This correlates with a recent report that Dubai’s

five-star hotels consume up to 225% more energy

compared to their counterparts in Europe.

The study finds that poor performing hotels consume three times

the amount of energy and 7.4 times the water compared to the best

performing properties, which is a staggering amount of additional

operating cost and lost profit.

More recently constructed hotels were found to benefit from newer

technologies and efficient design as well as more stringent legislative

codes and regulations, underlining the need for older properties to

consider retrofit as a solution to reduce their carbon footprint.

Globally, tourism contributes to 5% of the total world

carbon dioxide emissions. The United Nations has

now declared 2017 as the ‘International Year of Sus-

tainable Tourism for Development.’ The benchmarking

exercise and follow-up action by EmiratesGBC is just

in time to support the global focus on promoting best

green practices in the tourism and hospitality sector.

DSA Architects’ extensive experience in Hotel and

Hospitality design contribute daily in achieving

and exceeding the benchmarks in sustainability, in

conjunction with hotel operators who will eventually

monitor performance through the years of operation.

DSA Architects have recently been involved in several

hotel refurbishments, which provide opportunity to

upgrade building performance through re-specifying

the equipment,materials and components, therefore

reducing the carbon footprint.

Several of these have achieved high tiers of accreditation through the

USBG (LEED), BREEAM and Estidama.

For more information on the report go to:

http://emiratesgbc.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/EmiratesGBC-

Energy-and-Water-Benchmarking-for-UAE-Hotels-2016-Report.pdf

Cityscape Global is recognized as the annual barometer for the real estate industry in emerg-

ing markets and is one of the largest and most influential real estate events held globally. The

exhibition promotes real estate growth worldwide to an international audience, highlighting

iconic architecture, significant developments and unparalleled investment opportunities.

This 3-day event ran from 11th - 13th September in the Dubai World Trade Centre and provided

an ideal platform to showcase DSA Architects International and to develop new business

whilst meeting and strengthening existing client relationships

For DSA, the show was very successful with steady footfall and opportunities for new projects

aplenty. We noticed particular interest in Saudi Arabia, Ras Al Khaimah and Dubai.

Left to right: Steve Kelshaw, Managing Director; Clive Shepherd, Chairman; Peter Davison, Director

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D S ABELGRADE

D S ADUBAI

D S AJOHANNESBURG

D S ALISBON

DSA Architects International (Middle East)

address: Office 204, Convention Tower, Zabeel, Dubai, UAEtel: +971 4 329 2288 fax: +971 4 329 2289mail: dsa.dubai@dsa-arch.com web: www.dsa-arch.com

@DSAarchitects DSA Architects International @dsaarchitectsintl

Burj Square Central Residential development, Dubai

UAE Year of Giving 2017

DSA Architects are delighted to have been appointed as design architect & lead consultant

on the exciting Burj Square Central Residential Development in Dubai.

The project is located alongside the Dubai

Canal within The Burj Square Masterplan,

which holds unique aspects from the

surrounding context of attractive waterfront

and downtown Dubai views with a thriving

inner-city connectivity.

The overall Burj Square development will

be a new, vibrant urban environment with a

coherent variety of mixed-use, residential,

commercial office, retail, hospitality, health-

care, education and community facilities.

The residential and retail tower location,

adjacent to the Dubai Canal Waterfront edge

and promenade provides guaranteed views

towards the water, but also of the Dubai

building skyline and iconic Burj Khalifa tower

on the boulevard side.

The development theme will reflect the

context of other high-rise residential towers

in Dubai, with modern façade design, linear

openings creating multi-aspect views from

residential units and a series of terraces and

horizontal wrapping elements.

The 17-floor residential tower sits on a

podium of G+3 levels and 2 basements. The

podium integrates parking levels wrapped

by Residential and Retail units activating

the waterfront side and basement levels

accommodating all engineering service

supports. The L shape tower wraps around

the landscaped podium roof providing

residents with facility spaces such as a

gym, pool deck, kids play ground and lush

private gardens.

As part of the UAE’s ‘Year of Giving 2017’ initiative, DSA were humbled and honoured to share

care packages with our brothers at Sajja Labour Camp, Sharjah.

DSA staff kindly donated to raise funds to buy the care packages, which included foodstuffs

and other essentials to help improve the lives of the men.

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