Kling Consult, a design and engineering consultancy launched in 1954 with branch office in Dubai since 2004 has an unambiguous mission statement: To sustain a stable and habitable environment that can satisfy the needs of Dubai's mushrooming population now and in the future. In order to do so sustainably, the company believes that more emphasis has to be given to water and energy efficiency. Indeed, the 190-strong locally based team has been successfully developing a building that uses enhanced indoor lighting by harvesting natural light through external blinds, for instance. In addition, improved results have been achieved by using materials and new technologies that are already established in Germany, Kling Consult's headquarters, which leads to longer building life-span.
The in-house team of design managers are both qualified architects and engineers with extensive complex design experience. This value addition is clearly an advantage because the synergies of design that result by having a thorough knowledge of both subjects are fostering a unique design perspective to any property.
However, the speed with which the real estate boom in Dubai is exploding threatens a spill over of cookie cutter building design. Kling Consult believes that the only way to be distinguishable in this competitive arena is to stamp an individual quality hallmark by focusing and further developing in-house areas of expertise. "Excellence in work, achieved by the ideal combination of outstanding architectural design and feasible engineering alongside cost economies, translates into excellence in reputation, we believe" MD Gerhard Reichert explains.
Kling Consult was founded by Karl Kling, a young German engineer, during the post war construction boom in 1954, in his hometown of Krumbach in Bavaria. In 2004 Kling Consult set up shop in Dubai to service the Middle East, Asian and African markets. Interestingly, 90 per cent of Kling's Middle East projects are in Dubai. "In the last few years we have noticed a decided increase in demand for excellence and shorter turnaround times as well. This in turn has called for a greater coordination between all parties involved in the real estate projects", he explains.
Kling Consult's areas of expertise are many - ranging from master planning, architectural design and interior design to civil and structural engineering, quantity surveying and project management. They began their Dubai operations by offering architectural design and engineering services and boast international specialist consultants to complement their own local team expertise. "Since 2006 we have gained a reputation as consultants for the construction phase by working on a growing number of innovative projects such as Stargate Edutainment Park, One Business Bay Tower and Dubiotech Headquarters, Porsche Design Towers, Dubai Islamic Bank Headquarters" Gerhard Reichert says.
What has helped Kling Consult bag these exciting projects is their strict adherence to high quality standards. And of course solid German attributes such as accuracy and punctuality. Marketing the company at appropriate events such as the City Scape exhibition and through the media has also helped to build this brand that is synonymous with attention to detail and proficiency.
Not only is design success a keyword in Dubai, Kling Consult is enthused by the positive spin-off effect that it's having on other Gulf countries which are already trying to emulate Dubai's vibrant skyline with their grandiose projects. However, a word of caution, "opting for sustainable and eco-friendly growth as seen in European countries while respecting cultural and environmental settings, is essential". Despite the overall might of the rising Asian Tigers like China and Singapore giving Dubai a run for their money, there will always be a space for a king of the Kling calibre.
Considering Kling Consult's close engagement with the emirate's infrastructure and societal growth, where would they like to see the UAE in the next 10 years with reference to its international presence in the field of architectural development? "I expect architectural design to develop in accordance to climatic conditions. Experience will show what engineering technologies are most effective to create lasting architecture in this region," comments Gerhard Reichert, Managing Director of Kling Consult.
Having made its mark on the Middle East architectural scene with landmarks such as Madison Tower, Dubai; Parklane Tower, Dubai; El Matador Tower, Dubai; B2B Tower, Dubai; Creek Towers, Abu Dhabi; Union Tower Jeddah; Kling is already scanning the horizon to make their presence in other emerging economies of the world.