What is the first thing you look for in a brief that tells you whether a project is set up for success?
The first thing we look for is whether the client has a clear vision, and whether they are looking for a quality outcome rather than the cheapest route. We make the call on whether a client is right for us before we commit to the tender, let alone the project. There has to be a human connection, and a genuine overlap in values and ways of working. We pride ourselves on on-time delivery, quality and sustainability, and a project runs best when the client is invested in the same things. Where that alignment exists from the brief stage, everything that follows is easier.
What is the biggest misconception clients still have about the ROI of sustainable materials and fit-out choices?
The misconception we come up against most often is that a sustainable project has to cost more than a conventional one. We do not accept that. Sustainability is embedded throughout our processes rather than bolted on as an extra, so it is simply the way we go to work. Return on investment has always been the harder conversation. There is a practical, long-term return that can be measured, and there is also a return that never appears on a balance sheet. Our priority is the people who will occupy the space, because a workforce is any organisation’s biggest asset. On materials, we look for innovative, locally sourced options wherever we can, but ultimately it comes down to who we partner with. When sustainability is ingrained in the process from the start, the value becomes much more apparent.
What do suppliers and manufacturers most often get wrong when pitching their products to you?
You can spot the difference quickly between a supplier who believes they have a sustainable product and one who genuinely understands what makes it sustainable. It comes back to the people and the company behind it. If a supplier has looked at our previous work, they almost do not need to pitch, because they already know what we are looking for and where they fit. The ones who get it wrong lead with claims rather than evidence. The best suppliers do their due diligence, understand the type of projects they are pitching for and approach the conversation as a partnership rather than a sales exercise. The suppliers we end up working with are already on the same journey we are.
You’ve delivered LEED and WELL certified projects for years. Where have they become box-ticking?
LEED and WELL tend to reflect the calibre of client we are working with. We have faced challenges in the past where certification was treated as a tick-box exercise, and that tends to come from someone who has been put in charge of a project without understanding the real benefits. It is up to us to make the case that a sustainable interior has genuine advantages for the environment. Where a client sees accreditation as a box to tick, our responsibility is to keep educating them until they understand the real return these certifications deliver.
What does a product need to prove before it earns a place in a LEED or WELL certified project?
This varies from product to product. A material has to demonstrate that it meets the needs of the project: how it performs, how it can be incorporated, and how it works alongside the other materials that have been designed and specified. There is always a checklist our team uses to review materials against the relevant certification requirements, but in essence a product must meet our suitability policies and fall in line with the certifications on the project.
6. You began your career in Scotland before moving to the UAE in 2013. What does this market do differently when it comes to specifying sustainably, for better or worse?
We are fortunate to live in a country that prioritises sustainability, which gives it a weight it may not carry elsewhere. Leading a company can be compared to leading a country. It has to come from the top down, and it has to be part of the DNA and the governance rather than sit alongside as a separate initiative. Governments have to push it through their manifestos, and where we are led by people with vision, it is for the rest of us to take that lead and carry the message. Scotland and the UAE have both moved so far in the last 13 years that the two are difficult to compare, but both strive to protect the future, and the future of the workplace.
Read it. Loved it. Now what?
More ideas, naturally. Explore more insights from WORKSPACE, or discover the latest thinking shaping hospitality and interior design from The Hotel Show and INDEX. Better yet, experience all three industries under one roof at Dubai World Trade Centre, 1–3 June 2027. One registration. Three shows. Zero difficult decisions.
