The merger of US-based architectural firms Cubellis and A/R Environetics Group will also impact the Dubai operations of Cubellis, said the company's president in an interview with Emirates Business yesterday.
Cubellis, an architecture, interior design and engineering services firm, is present in Dubai as Cubellis Costa International. The company recently merged with A/R Environetics Group, a full-service architectural interiors, space planning, and project management firm based in New York City.
Len Cubellis, President of Cubellis, said: "In regard to what this merger means for our Dubai operations – it's significant. We will be adding team members to Cubellis Costa International in Dubai and expect our Dubai office to grow from 25 to 50 people over the next 12 months."
He said the firm's clients in Dubai are expanding internationally with major growth initiatives into the United States. "New York City is one of the world's major financial hubs and logical growth and investment locations. Our new Manhattan office allows us to increase our level of service to our international Fortune 500 client base in both of these leading cities of the world," said Cubellis.
He was not willing to elaborate on the US plans of the firm's major Dubai-based clients.
Merger talks were initiated in the summer of 2007 and the merger was finalised recently.
"The success of any merger is largely based on the compatibility of our cultures. The only way to experience this is to spend time courting. That's what we were up to for the past 10 months," he added.
"The A/R Environetics team is skilled in retail and office design.
"We know how to shape spaces that improve office productivity and inspire our clients' staff to function at the highest levels. Our retail environments keep customers in the stores. Our mission is to enable our clients to succeed at a higher level. That's what we do, and that's what makes us special," Cubellis said.
He did not elaborate on the value of the merger but said the firm is presently working on designing projects valued in the billions of dollars in construction value for clients such as Emaar, Nakheel and Dubai Properties.
The merged firm, which will operate as Cubellis A/R Environetics, will provide a full complement of services, ranging from space planning to real estate analysis, ground up and renovation building design, interior design, master planning, workplace strategies and consulting, and building repositioning.
The Environetics Group was formed in 1947 and has worked with clients such as Nasa, where it was retained to design an office complex for the Goddard Space Flight Center, and as design consultants for Sears Roebuck's office tower in Chicago.
In 1998, A/R Architects joined with Environetics in New York to create the A/R Environetics Group.
Cubellis' expertise includes retail, mixed-use, hospitality, workplace solutions, residential, academic/education, and government/municipal. It has a team of over 450 professionals.