Firas Hnoosh

Firas Hnoosh has over 20 years of professional design experience. Recently, Firas founded the architecture and design studio, Nordic Office Architects; a design firm that specializes in more than building design; from the urban scale of a city to the scale of piece of furniture. Before founding NOA, Firas was the Principal and Design Director of Perkins+Will’s Dubai studio. Prior to Perkins+Will, Firas held the position of design director at the Abu Dhabi practice of the international architecture firm Gensler. Before joining Gensler, Firas led a design studio at the London office of the renowned architectural design firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) where he developed a focus on high-rise buildings and high density developments.

Firas advocates and promotes a design approach to create holistic architecture by designing buildings as response to their context in its multiple facets; urban, social, cultural and environmental. His approach aims to create spaces and buildings that are inclusive, of-their-place and -time and expressive of their brief and client aspirations.

Firas’ built and under construction works include The Movenpick Hotel & Resort Ras Al Khaimah, Al Khan Palace Hotel in Sharjah, Lexicon Tower in Central London, Manhattan Loft Gardens tower in London’s Olympic Village, the Abu Dhabi Cruise Terminal in Mina Zayed Abu Dhabi, The Basaksehir Hospital - a 2,500-bed mega hospital Complex in Istanbul - and several residential buildings and hotels in the Middle East Region both on the boards or under construction.

Firas holds a Master’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. He is a chartered licensed member of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), registered with the Architects Registration Board (ARB) in the UK and a LEED Accredited Professional.