THOUGHT LEADERS SERIES: DAVID G. DANIELS

The Windows, Doors & Facades Event (WDF), the largest event dedicated to the windows, doors and facades industry in the Middle East, ​ will host David G. Daniels as a key speaker this year. The Director of Architecture at SSH will be participating in a panel discussion on "Innovation Technology and design tools in façade integration" at WDF's Future of Facades Summit, on September 24.

Here's what he told us ahead of the event:

In your opinion, what are the major trends in the facades industry today?

“The major trend in facade design and the future of facades is technology. Technology for us is really empowering. It is going to allow us to create wonderful developments and designs going forward, not only from an aesthetic point of view, but also from a construction point of view.

I think we're very embryonic at the moment in how we're using technology, but as we move forward, that's going to be really exciting and it's going to allow us to create things which haven't been seen before.”

How do you expect the industry to evolve in the future?

“The outlook for the facades industry in this region going forward is exciting and very positive in our opinion.

“Gone are the days where buildings were being developed purely off a beautiful visual, blingy image. Our clients, developers are far more mature now, and this opens up new opportunities to work closely with them and develop real ideas. As we move forward in the region, facades will become far much more contextual, responsive, not just to the environment externally but also to the occupants, and the programs that they carry our daily within the buildings.

We think the market is actually in a good place and is becoming much more progressive.”

What are the technologies and design tools that are going to make the biggest impact in the facades sector?

“At SSH, we are very excited about micro construction. That's not prefabrication but a new construction method and hopefully we will be talking about nano-construction too in the. If we will be able to roll out these new methods on a mass scale, they will completely change the world that we live in, the buildings that we occupy, and the built environment that we see around us today won't look anything like what tomorrow possibly could look like.”

What are the major challenges you face when it comes to facades design in the GCC? And how do you overcome these challenges?

“In facades design, there is one major challenge and that comes down to money. We can all design things that are spectacular but that have no realism behind them. This challenge makes us work in a slightly different way: when we design, we try to push the boundaries of our design and the developments that we're creating; at the same time, we always take into consideration the value in that design, not just from a monetary point of view, but also from an aesthetic and functional point of view.”

What can industry professionals expect to learn by attending your panel discussion at WDF?

“At the Future of Facades Summit, industry professionals are going to leave with a bit more optimism and more knowledge about where our profession is heading. Having some great people in the panel, attendees will have a better understanding of how new technologies, which are just burdening into the industry, are going to be integrated. They will also learn how such integration will help us all play a little bit better together in our profession.”

Why should industry professionals attend an event like Windows, Doors & Facades?

“I think it's imperative that my peers and likeminded professionals attend the Windows Doors and Facades Event because it's a great opportunity for all of us to come together and share what we're learning and what we're developing at the moment.

We don't get these opportunities very often and we're usually in competition with each other. However, a setting like WDF is a great opportunity to have those discussions around a coffee and discover what the exhibitors are doing in the background.”

Register and attend for free David G. Daniels' panel discussion by clicking HERE. ​

^{About David G. Daniels}

^{Approaching 20 years of experience with leading international practices in the UK and the Middle East, David G. Daniels RIBA has a proven record of creating, presenting and developing an international level of design work. His experience spans the commercial, hospitality, residential, retail and urban design/master planning sectors, and includes the design of large stadia and internationally recognised sporting facilities.  At SSH, Daniels is working on various projects within the Dubai Creek Harbour and Beach developments, as well as the Dubai Opera District, the Al Marjan Island development and a new international Museum of Identity and Culture.  David is registered with ARB and is a Chartered Member of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA).}