Yahya Jan was hired in 1996 by NORR International to design high rise buildings in Dubai. Graduating to design director for the global architectural, engineering and design firm, Jan has witnessed the explosive growth of Dubai. Today, he oversees a cool $5 billion worth of new building for Dubai and the surrounding emirates.
In conversation, Jan is modest and understated. Referring to his career, he says, “I began as a designer with NORR, then evolved to design director. Four years ago I was made vice president of business development. I’m wearing a couple of hats. I still do design work; the reason I went into architecture is because I love to design. I also know I’m good at winning new work. Selling design takes a significant amount of time.”
Jan graduated from Princeton University and worked in the eastern United States before joining NORR. He is behind many of the signature buildings for which Dubai is famous, including the Emirates Towers, twin triangular towers of 52 storeys each.
Completed in 2000, the Emirates Towers is a premier example of how urban development is managed in Dubai. A parcel of land targeted for new development is designed around a landmark structure. Once that building is in place the entire district benefits from its presence, and the developer can more easily attract other developments to the area. The initial structure is meant to stand out, hence the proliferation of distinctive building designs in Dubai.
Dubai’s Design Culture
Jan explains how he works. “At any given time we have a number of projects in the office. Each one could be multiple towers; these are significant projects. During the design concept phase, over a period of three to four months, two or three designers are assigned to work up an idea. I’ll work with different groups. I might be working on three projects at the same time, and they all look different. Our ultimate goal within our group is a highly collaborative design environment that encourages creativity, resulting in unique solutions for each site.”
Dubai affords architects latitude for creativity and innovation that is often missing in other jurisdictions. The city is growing rapidly, the population having doubled in the last 12 years. With Dubai becoming a mecca for economic growth and tourism, the planning process for approving designs has been speeded up. The preliminary planning process is paperless and takes two weeks. Major developments can be realized in three years.
Given the complexity of projects with values in the hundreds of millions of dollars, NORR offers clients a wide range of traditional, pre and post-design services. Jan credits the firm with giving architects like himself the opportunity to contribute while still relatively young in the profession.
Dubai Architecture as a Design Incubator
Dubai is a design hot house that shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon. Jan’s team of two dozen conceptual designers is hard at work designing buildings that are shaping the way we live in the 21st century.
Reflecting on his professional path, Jan adds, “Dubai is a great place for professionals who want to do amazing things with their careers. I feel extremely connected here; Dubai is within an eight-hour flight radius of over two or three billion people. Societies in the Middle East, especially in the Gulf States, are changing. People here are recognizing that with success comes the opportunity to change some of the traditional ways things are done.”
Love or hate Dubai, there is no doubt some great architecture is being constructed, with Yahya Jan and NORR in the design vanguard.
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