Perkins+Will Dubai, a global interdisciplinary, research-based architecture and design firm, has appointed Elmutaz Elrabaa, an industry veteran as the new healthcare director for the group's Middle East operations.

As a registered architect, a Leed and Edac accredited professional, Elrabaa has more than 18 years of extensive, global experience with a primary focus on institutional and healthcare architecture.

He graduated from Cairo University and has a Master of Architecture degree from the University of Waterloo, and is a registered architect at Egyptian Engineers Syndicate (EEA) as well as Kuwait Society of Engineers.

He has been honoured as an Accredited Professional Engineer by Kuwait Society of Engineers.

Managing director Roger Wilson said: "At Perkins+Will we strive to create healthcare facilities that are innovative, smart and sustainably aesthetic, to schedule and budget. We are excited to have a seasoned professional like Elrabaa on board to lead the healthcare practice here in the Middle East where the design requirements of the sector are undergoing revolutionary and exciting changes."

Before joining Perkins+Will, Elrabaa, a Canadian citizen, was the director of healthcare at B+H Architects, a global Canadian firm based in Toronto, Canada. He was responsible for delivering healthcare projects across Asia and Ontario, for seven years.

Prior to this, Elrabaa delivered projects across the GCC during his tenure in Kuwait as senior architect at KEO International Consultants and at The Associated Engineering Partnership before that.

Notable projects delivered by Elmutaz in the region include: Barwa Financial District, Al Ain University, Kuwait National Library and Kuwait National Cancer Centre.

On his appointment, Elrabaa said: "I am a firm believer in design excellence and collaborating with concerned stakeholders of each project to achieve optimum results. Globally, healthcare design is undergoing an exciting evolution and the trend is reflected across Asia and the Middle East."

"I am thrilled to embark on this exciting journey with a globally acclaimed firm like Perkins+Will," he added.

The company has been working with a number of health centres globally for over 65 years. The firm’s healthcare practice in the Middle East has worked on recent projects such as King’s College Hospital and King’s College clinics and has a healthy pipeline for 2018.-TradeArabia News Service