Article:
ISSUE No. 11 July - August 2008

German Architects in the Gulf States
About German Masterpieces in the Desert

Already Johann Wolfgang von Goethe knew how skillful the German architects were, as he pointed out in 1773 in his essay “Of German Architecture”. The great poet highlighted the uniqueness of the shapes, the beauty and the genius of German architecture by stating: “This is German architecture, our architecture.” Today, 235 years later, German architecture is increasingly appreciated on the Arabian Peninsula. Numerous German architects enrich the landscapes of the Gulf States with their designs and projects and their numbers are increasing. “Made in Germany” is not only in demand when it comes to cars and personnel, but also in skyscrapers and luxury hotels. The need for new construction is great; the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is next to China the country with the largest and fastest development in the construction sector. A huge share of the construction cranes available worldwide are in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. The motto in the Gulf States is: build higher, build faster and build it spectacular. There is no room for modesty in financial and design matters. It seems that all concepts are acceptable here. For architects, Dubai is “a concrete fairy tale from 1001 nights”, as Gesa Schöneberg stated. Schöneberg is the author of “Contemporary Architecture in Arabia – German Projects on the Arabian Peninsula”. In this book, she introduces fifty building projects by German architects. The book is only an interim report since the market continues to grow. The number of residents in the UAE is supposed to double by 2010, hence the creation of living spaces and development of infrastructure continues. There are an incredible number of opportunities that are interesting to German architects.

DiscoverME spoke with Cornelia Kieferle-Nicklas, Managing Partner of Kieferle & Partner branch office in Dubai, about chances and risks for German architects in Dubai.

When did you begin working in Dubai?
I came to Dubai for the first time in 2004 with a German business delegation and immediately felt the intoxicating tempo of the city. I began living here for the most part in 2005 and last year we opened a local branch of our Stuttgart architectural office in Dubai. Our Dubai office currently has ten employees.

Why did you choose Dubai as location?
To be honest, the economic situation in Germany forced us to develop new markets. Here in Dubai there is an atmosphere of optimism and the positive business volume proves us right. I worked in Saudi Arabia during the 1980’s and was able to put my experiences with the Arab mentality to good use and prepare for our entry into the local market.

What project are you working on here?
Our largest project currently is called “Jewel of the Creek”. We are working together with our joint venture partner Kling Consult. Two hotels, office buildings and residential areas are being created on an area of more than 100,000 square meters along the eastern bank of Dubai Creek. This project is scheduled for completion in 2011 and should cost three billion dirhams. We just completed the branch for Commerzbank in the Dubai International Financial Center and are near completion of the headquarters for Dubai Airport Free Zone Authority at the airport. We are also currently in the process of drafting another huge development for the Dubai Airport Free Zone Authority; this will include office buildings, a hotel and a business club. Another prestigious project is a German university hospital with medical technology park “Cedars International” which will be constructed near the new airport in Jebel Ali and will operate in co-operation with the University of Tübingen and the Klinikum Stuttgart.

What is so special about Dubai? Where do you see opportunities or risks for German architects?
Everyone receives a chance in Dubai and should grab it. A second chance is rare. It is an extremely large market for architects and it glows with openness and great visions. The city has established itself as a hub between East and West and offers a regulated market with laws that protect us. This enabled us to open our own business which has been highly accepted. This would not be possible in many parts of the world. I see the rapid growth of the city as both opportunity and risk. The local currency being pegged to the US-dollar does create some difficulties since a large part of the planning is done in Germany.

Will construction in this city ever be finished?
I think that Dubai and Abu Dhabi will meet some day – I mean they will grow together physically. A city is never finished, it changes continually. I believe the construction boom will last another three to four years until the market consolidates. I don’t think that the market will crash or that the proverbial bubble will burst.

Does the office of Kieferle & Partner have their eyes on new markets?
In the Gulf Region we definitely have our eyes on Abu Dhabi. We see great growth potential there. We also believe that Poland in Europe would be an interesting market for us. We will continue to develop our activities in foreign countries as well as in Germany.

Thank you very much for the interview.