James Abbott, director of P&T Architects & Engineers in Dubai, speaks with MEA about developers, licensures and safeguarding architects’ intellectual property in the UAE.
More so than any other market, why do buildings in Dubai list so many architects and consultants?
JA: Some developers consider concept design, design development & documentation and construction services as completely different activities that can be carried out independently by different consultants without any interaction. We feel strongly that that is not the way to procure good building design and it’s certainly not the way to achieve good architecture.
Is it a case of too many cooks?
JA: The problem with having a lot of architects doing different things is continuity. When you lose continuity, you lose the integrity that ought to be there through the entire design process. Concept design can only ever be concept because you rarely know everything required for the complete design at the start of the project and often the brief changes during development. For the original ideas to be followed through, it needs the same person to be involved.
Can you explain a bit more about the pitfalls of inconsistency?
JA: If one architect comes up with a concept, and that’s all they’re required to do, they have no responsibility to actually deliver that concept. A concept shouldn’t live on its own. It ought to be informed by the knowledge that it can be built. And the architect needs to have that attitude all the way through.
The only way to do that in an integral way that delivers to the client good value and good architecture is to have the same people involved from the beginning and still there at the end.
What is the connection between inconsistency and licensure?
JA: If an overseas architect is asked to do a design, it’s difficult for them to follow it through until the end and implement it fully as the Architect of Record if they’re not licensed in the city in which they’re designing.
In those instances, there’s a genuine need for collaboration between an architect of record and an overseas consultant. It ought to be a collaboration that goes from the start to the end of the job. A true partnership. Even though one architect may run the construction phase, the original architect ought to be there as well to follow up on design matters.
So, for example, if P&T does a concept design and then passes it on to another firm, that’s ok as long as there’s close collaboration?
JA: We don’t do concepts and pass them on. That’s just something we don’t do. We’re not interested in that. We don’t get the full return on the intellectual capital that we put into a concept design if we do it and then pass it on cheaply. We think we’re underselling ourselves.
In the past, we have taken over jobs from concept design; we’re not averse to doing that. If it’s a large complex project and we can help to deliver a concept that has already been done and we think we can take ownership of that concept, then we’ll do that. We did that on the Al Dana project on Al Raha Beach, which we did with Aldar.
I have witnessed multiple firms calling themselves the architect of the same building. How can this be?
JA: It’s a difficult question to answer because we have to be respectful of other architects and consultants that have legitimate claims. Whether it’s the structural engineer, the concept architect or the security consultant, if they worked on the project, they all have a right to claim that they were involved in the project.
People do take liberties and sometimes it’s not clearly stated what their role was on the project but it’s fair enough, if you state your role, to claim that you have an involvement in a certain project.
So, how does one determine who is actually ‘The Architect’?
JA: This is where it becomes difficult. On projects where there was more than one architect involved, how do you determine who is The Architect? If there’s an architect involved and all he’s done is rubber stamp drawings throughout the job – which does happen – it’s questionable how much he can claim to be the architect of a building.
I think the designer is the one who is ultimately responsible for the architecture and should get the greatest credit.
Final question: Several firms in Dubai, including P&T, have the capability to offer turn-key services. Why aren’t they being used?
JA: I can only speculate to the reason but cost is probably one of them. The upper-end architects tend to be more expensive. My speculation is that there are those that want to own an outstanding design but don’t necessarily want to pay for the best delivery.
I think unfortunately that’s the reality. For every unique, iconic, innovative, groundbreaking concept, if it is a real project with real end users, it has to be able to meet expectations on cost, quality and time.