Leslie Jones Architecture has been commissioned by Dubai Airports to support the commercial design strategy for the future Al Maktoum International Airport at Dubai World Central (DWC).
In September 2014, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, vice-president and Prime Minister of the UAE and ruler of Dubai, endorsed the AED120bn (US$ 32bn) expansion of DWC which will ultimately accommodate more than 200 million passengers a year.
Leslie Jones’ commercial design strategy for the future airport will ensure that premium space is effectively planned, and successful airport businesses will be ideally positioned to engage with high volumes of global travelers.
Simon Scott, head of international business at Leslie Jones Architecture, will be leading the project for the firm. Simon brings 25 years of airport design experience to the team, including projects on London Heathrow Airport Terminal 5 and Dubai International Airport Concourse A.
“Leslie Jones’ appointment reflects the firms’ technical skill and experience in delivering leading mixed-use design solutions for specialist global projects,” said Scott. “A profound understanding of operators’ challenges, within an aviation context, is critical when designing such an environment. Our design strategy will address this by supporting the creation of an integrated commercial environment that will elevate consumer engagement and optimize space intelligently.”
Eugene Barry, executive vice president, commercial group at Dubai Airports, said, “Our vision for the future airport is to create a travel environment which is customer focused and space efficient, proactively supporting non-aeronautical commercial opportunities though successful partnerships and concepts appropriate to a development of this magnitude. Leslie Jones has been appointed to bring their expertise in specialist mixed-use schemes to our newest development project.”