Mohammed Adib
Chief Design Officer, Dewan Architects & Engineers
“Travelling is the best source of inspiration,” believes architect Mohammed Adib; and he would know – few architects spend more time inside hotels than he does: over 200 nights a year as he criss-crosses the globe following his design projects. Over the last three and a half decades, Adib has built a career that spans Europe, the Middle East and Asia, as Founder and Managing Director of Intercon, an award-winning boutique studio in Barcelona, and Partner and Chief Design Officer at Dewan Architects + Engineers, one of the world’s most prestigious practices headquartered in Dubai. With hundreds of projects completed in more than 20 countries, he has become one of the most recognisable names in design, renowned for designing flawless, usable spaces that blend aesthetics and sustainability.
Known for an approach that fuses aesthetic clarity, cultural sensitivity and sustainability, Adib creates spaces that are not only functional but also transformative. Today, he stands as one of the most influential voices in global architecture, inspiring both his peers and the next generation of designers.
As a result, Adib is in demand as both a keynote speaker at design events – such as at the 2025 edition of Construmat, talking about the role of AI in architecture – and on podcasts where his honesty and vision are appreciated, as is his advice for young architects. In the course of his career he’s picked up some notable awards – including Best Global Boutique Design Firm CEO, for his role at Intercon – and is regularly positioned in leading architectural power lists.
”Educated in Iraq, the UK and Spain, graduating in architectural studies from the AA School of Architecture in London, he later pursued interior architecture studies at EINA University School of Design and Art in Barcelona. He cites acclaimed architects Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Le Corbusier and Marcel Breuer as having been influential to his own design journey. “All pioneers of modern architecture, they reacted to what was going on in the world and changed design.”
Adib’s exposure to such diverse architectural styles and cultures instilled in him the importance of designing buildings that reflect their surroundings. While working in Europe, Africa, Asia and the Middle East, he noticed that designs disconnected from their environments often felt impersonal and out of place. This experience cemented his opposition to cookie-cutter architecture, which prioritises uniformity over local context. “My design philosophy has always been human-centric: I am constantly thinking of the user more than the design itself. A building for me is an envelope of humans, both culturally and physically.” In addition, a sense of place in design is critical when Adib is working in a new cultural or geographical context.
He describes designing as a “mathematical exercise” – especially when working with international companies when imposed limitations, regulations and restrictions need to be adhered to. For example, if the bathroom must be open plan or closed, and if a building’s carbon footprint must be minimised. Renovations and refurbishments, he admits, often offer more scope to be creative. “When you see a building such as a former bank or hospital which has been converted into a hotel, it’s much more exciting. In these sorts of projects, architects are often working with different proportions and volumes – original corridors and lifts might be bigger, and every room might be a different size. I like this sort of design challenge.”
He founded Intercon, his interior design and architecture studio in 1993, which operates across hospitality, workspaces, residential, retail and leisure spaces. While its portfolio is broad, Intercon is especially recognised for its work in hospitality and large-scale commercial projects and its ability to integrate international standards with local cultural narratives, offering users memorable and contextually rich experiences.
Adib’s spaces are nothing if not visceral. “Often, you go into a space and you don’t know why you like it – it could be the proportions, the lighting, the height of the ceiling; but it feels just right.” This is aligned to his company’s philosophy. “Our design philosophy is to create spaces where beauty, aesthetics and innovation seamlessly blend with sustainable functionality. We believe that every project should not be only visually striking but should also be meaningful, usable and responsive to its context and users. This philosophy guides our methodology: from concept to delivery, we prioritise client dialogue, cultural sensitivity and sustainability. By combining cutting-edge technologies like BIM, generative design and AI with a deep respect for craftsmanship and context, we ensure that our designs are timeless yet forward-thinking, elegant yet functional.” Adib’s overarching belief is that design should create an ambiance and a feeling. “That might be a home-from-home vibe or something more exciting, where a scene is created. Storytelling is a thread that should carry through everything. Good design is when you know every item makes sense, from the door handle to the light switch to the colours, to the finishes, to the materials. These details can only be coherent if they’re part of an overarching story. When I design, I always think of the different.”
“Decoration is more for the eye and design is for the brain. Sometimes when you minimise decoration, you are maximising the design of a space”
Adib’s projects, especially those under his design leadership as the CDO and Principal at Dewan Architects + Engineers and specially at DEEP, the boutique design arm of Dewan, are at the forefront of this revolution, creating sustainable, resilient structures that can meet the demands both of today and the future, in addition to fostering stronger connections between people and their environment.
