Given the buoyant market in the region, Saudi Arabia-based Alawami Planners and Consultants is currently in an expansion drive in order to reach its clients both the local market as well as the entire Gulf.

In a bid to expand its market share, Alawami is looking at opening a branch office in Bahrain shortly while also setting up similar facilities in Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar and Lebanon by the year-end.
“Given our wide experience in the region, especially in Saudi Arabia and Lebanon, and having already established a good a relationship with people in Bahrain over the years, we believe the country offers good prospects for us and we already undertaken a number of projects in that market,” says Hussain Al Jumaa, vice president of the company.
“We feel that that the country offers immense potential with regard to the infrastructure, industrial and commercial structures, hotels and resorts as well as residential complexes comprising apartments and villas,” he adds.
Last year, Alawami completed the design and drafting for around 238 projects involving compound and residential villas, apartments, commercial buildings, mosques and industrial structures in the Middle East.
In Bahrain, it has recently completed projects for two businessmen Abdul Nabi Al Maa and Naji Ahmed. These include a complete design and drawing package of a private 23-storey apartment building in Gudaibiya, which is currently under construction. The building has 54 elegant flats, a penthouse, a roof-top swimming pool surrounded by a garden, and parking bays from the basement up to the second floor for its residents.
It is also finalising designs on one villa compound and two apartment buildings at various locations in Bahrain. The compound, covering an area of 1,700 sq m, will feature five-storey villas, a swimming pool and a gym. It also includes a detached, two-storey villa with a car-port and two duplex villas with individual car-ports.
“Each villa, designed with a contemporary architectural concept, will have a large living and dining room at the ground floor and three bedrooms on the first floor, which have been designed to maximize on space. At the deck will be an annex with a bedroom and living quarters for the maid or helper,” he explains.
The two apartment buildings include:
• A three-storey structure over a 6,438 sq m area. This building will have 47 luxurious apartments with amenities such as two-storey recreational centre and a 50-slot car-park.
• A four-storey building to be erected on a 1,335 sq m plot housing 26 luxurious apartment units and a parking lot for around 25 cars.
Besides Bahrain, the company has been involved with a number of landmark projects in Saudi Arabia including one of Al Jomaih Automotive Company’s biggest automotive centres in Dammam, which has just been completed at the end of December. The project called for the design and supervision of construction of the car display office and the 10,000 sq m service centre over a 30,000 sq m lot.
The company’s portfolio in Saudi Arabia also includes the SR48 million ($12.79 million) Millennium Center for the Saudi Investment Group, a prestigious two-storey building commercial building, featuring post-modern architectural design, in the commercial district of Dammam; the SR32 million Arar Municipality Building in Arar and the Hail Commercial Building in Hail.
“Last year, Alawami finalized the designs for several projects including compound and residential villas, apartments, commercial buildings, mosques and industrial structures, with several others in the project study stage awaiting for client approval. For this year, we already have a string of projects in hand,” elaborates Al Jumaa.
“Our technical and engineering staff is well-versed utilises the latest technology for computer design and problem-solving. They use software such as AutoCAD for design and drafting, 3D Max and Photoshop for rendering, Primavera for scheduling, STADD IV for structural design, and RISA far structural problem solving, to name a few,” he says.
Over the past year, the company has positioned itself strategically to win further business in the region by branching into new areas of activities, which include interior design and decoration, project management and supervision, and supply of local and imported furniture, fixtures and artwork. With these new product lines and services, the company continues to serve clients from Abu Dhabi, Qatar, and Bahrain, apart from the local market of Saudi Arabia. It has also upgraded its local area network (LAN), computer hardware and software facilities to cope with the increased volumes of business in the construction industry.
Alawami Planners and Consultants, started off as a small office with five employees in 1980 in Qatif, in Saudi Arabia, and has now grown to a multidisciplinary practice with more than 60 employees, including architects, architectural and interior designers; civil, electrical and mechanical engineers; surveyors, CAD operators and draftsmen. The company offers architectural designs for all types of buildings in various concrete, pre-engineered steel and pre-cast constructions.