Master of his trade

Kamal Farah, CEO of Abanos interior fit-out and joinery, talks about the success of their Dubai Design District project

Tell us something about Abanos? Abanos was established in 1985, so clearly we have come a long way. The company has expanded steadily since its early days, now operating throughout the UAE, GCC, and worldwide and employing over 1,000 dedicated people. It’s one of the largest and most reliable holistic interior fit-out and joinery companies in the UAE, with a track record of delivering high-quality and tailormade projects; all fabricated at its state-of-the-art production facilities.

What is the company philosophy? Abanos undertakes interior fit-out projects from concept to completion, offering professional services to architects, designers, building contractors, and all other clients to produce standard and custom-made joinery components, supported by cutting-edge manufacturing facilities. The vision of the team is to maintain a leading position as a fit-out and joinery contracting company through engaging a holistic and sustainable approach to all its projects.

Describe Abanos’ role in the Dubai Design District (d3) project.
The story of d3 begins from 2013 when the UAE’s Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohamed bin Rashid al Maktoum, unveiled his vision to create a purpose-built design district capable of nurturing local talent and providing a home for the region’s creative thinkers. The interior fit-out and joinery contract for this project was understandably of significant interest to a large number of companies in the region, of which Abanos was excited to pitch for, and thrilled to be awarded in December 2014. With the eyes of the region focused on d3, the interior fit-out and joinery works needed to be of exceptionally high quality, a task that presented Abanos with an abundance of unique challenges and opportunities.

What kind of business strategy did you adopt for the d3 project?
This remarkable project had a short time frame for completion —Abanos began the project in December 2014 and completed the works in September 2015. This time frame covered all 111,483sqm of the Business Bay located project. Despite a number of obstacles to overcome, the team successfully delivered on time. Part of the reason for Abanos’ success in this regard is the company’s experience, size and resources, including its 12,000sqm manufacturing facility in Dubai Investment Park, with state-of-the-art machinery for wood cutting, molding, carving, veneering, laminating and painting, capable of meeting the ambitious requirements of clients across a diverse range of sectors.

How did Abanos overcome designbased challenges while working on d3? One of the most unique design challenges the Abanos team faced on the d3 project came from the organic seating required for the main public area in the core building. These initial designs were aesthetically beautiful – however, they were presented to the Abanos team as a concept sketch – without clear dimensions or 3D modelling. To overcome this challenge the team decided to approach the large-scale seating in the same way an artist would approach a sculpture. The team began fabricating the structure based on the sketches and held frequent meetings with the consultants to review and update the live progress – modifying the furniture millimetre by millimetre, in its state-of-the-art manufacturing facility.

What are the standout features of Abanos in this market space?
Abanos has a manufacturing and warehousing facilities of 21,000sqm coupled with an investment in modern machinery; the company has the capacity to handle various large projects simultaneously and is capable of meeting international standards of quality and lead times. As a result of the company’s skills and resources, the d3 project was accomplished to the satisfaction of the client and has become a symbol of the creativity.