AIA Middle East Board Members Lead Key Panel at Downtown Design 2025
Downtown Design Riyadh & AIA Middle East
In a powerful demonstration of regional thought leadership, three board members of AIA Middle East led a featured panel discussion at Downtown Design 2025 in Dubai. The session, titled “Design Excellence at Scale,” addressed the unique challenges and opportunities of delivering ambitious urban developments in Saudi Arabia and the wider GCC.
The panel featured:
Sherif Anis, Co-founder & Executive Director of AIA Middle East, and Senior Development Director at KAFD
Ryan Wlatke, Secretary of AIA Middle East and Studio Director at Gensler
Chucri Haddad, Past President & Director of AIA Middle East and Principal at DAR
Together, they explored:
Strategies for maintaining design intent through complex stakeholder environments
Innovations in procurement, delivery models, and client-side design management
How global firms can collaborate with local partners to deliver contextually grounded, globally competitive outcomes
The importance of legacy-driven development aligned with Vision 2030
This session marked an important milestone for AIA Middle East, reinforcing the Chapter’s continued role in shaping the region’s design discourse at the highest levels.
To read more about the event: Downtown Design Riyadh | JAX District Fair
On May 22, 2025, industry leaders gathered for an insightful panel discussion hosted by AIA Middle East on how design excellence is realized in Saudi Arabia’s rapidly evolving built environment. The conversation delved into key challenges, including procurement, approvals, stakeholder complexity, and project timelines—highlighting the collaborative efforts between global and local teams to transform ambitious national visions into enduring, contextual built realities.
