Some of them: FOUR SEASONS First Nile Boat Floating Restaurant, Egypt- FUSION RESTAURANTS, Egypt- FISH MARKET RESTAURANTS, Egypt- GRAND CAFE, Egypt- OSTERIA RESTAURANT, Egypt-

2. DESIGNERS Consultants & Associates"
Is a Consultancy Firm for Architecture and Interior Design since 1994
DCA is owned by:
Consultant Arch. Raef A. Azouz & Consultant Arch. Emad R. Khouzam
They both have an engineering experience in Architectural and Interior Design as consultants and overseers
the implementation of construction in a wide variety of projects
OUR MISSION IS:
TO BUILD A SUCCESSFUL LASTING RELATIONSHIP WITH OUR CLIENTS WHICH IS BASED ON
TRUST IN OUR PROFESSIONALISM, OUR QUALITY OF WORK, AND OUR INTEGRITY

3. SCOPE OF SERVICES
DESIGNERS
Office is a well-equipped establishment capable of rendering a wide scope of quality
engineering services, thanks to its highly qualified and experienced staff, in addition to state - of – the - art
computer software used in designing, drafting as well as presentations. SCOPE OF SERVICES
Services performed by DESIGNERS included, but are not limited to:
• Architectural Design
• Interior Design
• Furniture, Fixtures, Fabrics and Equipment Packages
• Project Studies
• Cost studies
• Specifications, General and Special Conditions
• Bills of Quantities and Schedules
• Working Drawings
• Complete Site Supervision including approval of Materials and Shop Drawings
• Project management
• Technical Reports and Projects Follow-Up
• Information Architecture Services

4. PROJECTS PERFORMED
1- TOURISTIC PROJECTS:
• HOTELS AND RESORTS
• FLOATING HOTELS & DAHABBEYA CRUISES
• RESTAURANTS AND FLOATING RESTAURANTS
2- RESIDENTIAL PROJECTS:
• IN EGYPT
• ABROAD
3- ADMINISTRATIVE PROJECTS:
 COMPANIES HEADQUARTERS
4- HEALTH& INDUSTRIAL PROJECTS
5- RETAIL PROJECTS

6. RESTAURANTS AND FLOATING RESTAURANTS:
Four seasons First Nile
Boat Floating
Restaurant
Sea Gull
Floating Restaurant
FUSION
RESTAURANTS
 Location: Egypt
 Client: Arab First Company for Hotels & Resorts
 Services provided: Architecture & Interior DesignWorking drawings
 Completion: Dec. 2012
 Description: 5 Restaurants- 1 Main Kitchen & 5 Satellite
Kitchens- Lobbies
 Location: Egypt
 Client: Noweer Company
 Services provided: Architecture & Interior Design
Renovation Works of: public areas, suites, rooms,
pool area, and all Hotel outlets.
 Completion: 2012
 Location: Egypt
 Client: Americana Group (Egyptian Company for
International Touristic Projects)

7.  Branches: ElMaadi – ElGiza – 6th. October City, Cairo, Egypt
 Services provided: Architecture &
Interior Design
 Completion: 2006 – 2012
FISH MARKET
RESTAURANTS
 Location: Egypt
 Client: Americana Group (Egyptian Company for
International Touristic Projects)
 Branches: Kattameya – ElGiza – 6th. October City, Cairo, Egypt
 Services provided: Architecture &
Interior Design
 Completion: 2011- 2012
GRAND CAFE
 Location: Egypt
 Client: Americana Group (Egyptian Company for
International Touristic Projects)
 Branches: ElMaadi– ElGiza, Cairo, Egypt
 Services provided: Architecture &
Interior Design
 Completion: 2012
OSTERIA
RESTAURANT
 Location: Egypt
 Client: Osteria Company
 Services provided: Architecture &
Interior Design
 Completion: 2012

8. Japanese Restaurant
Cairo Sheraton Hotel
Italian Restaurant
Swiss Inn Hotel
Harris Café
 Location: Egypt
 Client: The Arab Company for Touristic Projects
 Scope of work: Architectural and Interior Design
 Location: Dahab, Egypt
 Client: Golden Beach Company
 Scope of work: Interior Design
 Location: City Center (Phase2), Cairo, Egypt
 Client: The Best for Restaurants
 Area : 160 m2
 Scope of work: Interior Design & Site Supervision
 Completion: 2008
GouThe Restaurant&
Bakery
 Location: Shooting Club, Dokki, Cairo, Egypt
 Area : 250m2
 Scope of work: Architectural and Interior Design-Site
Supervision
 Completion: 2007

9. Restaurants
F i s h
M a r k e t
-
C a i r o ,
E g y p t

10. Restaurants
F i s h
M a r k e t
-
C a i r o ,
E g y p t

12. Restaurants
F u s i o n
-
C a i r o ,
E g y p t

13. Restaurants
G r a n d
C a f e
-
C a i r o ,
E g y p t

14. Restaurants
O s t e r i a
-
C a i r o ,
E g y p t

16. Restaurants
F i r s t
N i l e
B o a t
-
C a i r o ,
E g y p t

17. Restaurants
C l u b
3 5 ,
F i r s t
N i l e
B o a t
-
C a i r o ,
E g y p t

18. Restaurants
I n d i a n
R e s ta u r a n t ,
F i r s t
N i l e
B o a t
-
C a i r o ,
E g y p t

19. Restaurants
I n d i g o
R e s ta u r a n t ,
F i r s t
N i l e
B o a t
-
C a i r o ,
E g y p t

20. Restaurants
I ta l i a n
R e s ta u r a n t ,
F i r s t
N i l e
B o a t
-
C a i r o ,
E g y p t

21. Restaurants
L e b a n e s e
R e s ta u r a n t ,
F i r s t
N i l e
B o a t
-
C a i r o ,
E g y p t

22. Restaurants
N i g e r i a
F l o a t i n g
R e s ta u r a n t
-
A b u j a ,
N i g e r i a

23. 8. Curriculum Vita for
DESIGNERS Consultants’
Managing Partners

27. 9. DESIGNERS Consultants’
Award from BD&C - year 2010

28. PERIODICAL
56
www.BDCnetwork.com
7 Tips for Installing
Moisture Barriers
34
AIA/CES Course:
Designing Public Libraries
24
Testing the Limits of 3D Modeling
Maricopa County Court Tower
Phoenix, Arizona
INSPIRING THE BUILDING TEAM
Big-time BIM
03.10

29. 22 I New Projects Portfolio
Earn 1.0 AIA/CES continuing learning units
by studying this article and completing the
online exam.
34 I The Evolving Library
AIA CONTINUING EDUCATION
Expert advice on the proper selection and
installation of moisture barriers.
56 I 7 Tips for Installing
Moisture Barriers
Renters flock to a mixed-use project where
a 6,500-sf rooftop patio is paved with
bricks made from recycled tires and plastic.
54 I Recycled Pavers
Elevate Rooftop Patio
• HOK 42
• JBA Consulting Engineers 45
• Designers Consultants & Associates 48
• Walbridge 51
41 I Best Firms to Work For
www.BDCnetwork.com
Las Vegas city hall; SOM’s Beijing
‘gateway’; Phoenix’s Musical Instru-
ment Museum; Georgia Aquarium’s
$110 million dolphin exhibit.
18 I On the Drawing Board
16 I Industry Data
Autodesk issues BIM deployment
plan; what ‘Generation Y’ wants
in its workplaces; office construc
tion decline nears end; insulation
industry council members meet
with Obama.
24
RENDERING: GOULDEVANS
MARCH 2010
5
COVER: The 695,000-sf Maricopa County Court
Tower, currently under construction in Phoenix,
will process up to 56,000 court cases a year when
it opens in 2012. BIM and integrated project
delivery have kept it on schedule.
While BIM can unlock process
efficiencies on any project, its benefits
are most pronounced in large projects,
such as the $339 million Maricopa
County Court Tower in Phoenix.
Big-time
BIM
PUBLIC BUILDINGS
COVER STORY
BUILDING DESIGN+CONSTRUCTION
Martha VanGeem, PE, LEED
AP, principal engineer in build
ing science and sustainability at
CTLGroup, on the new ASHRAE
high-performance green building
standard 189.1.
66 I Thought Leaders
65 I Advertisers’ Index
60 I Products At Work
End the battle of FSC vs. SFI wood
in LEED
10 I News
San Diego’s new Shakespeare
theater; glass company’s LEED Gold
headquarters; Cal Poly’s massive
student housing complex.
9 I Editorial
DEPARTMENTS
34
54
41
FEATURES
INSPIRING THE BUILDING TEAM
VOLUME 51, NO. 03
Cause: Providing essential solutions that
inspire Building Teams to design and construct
great places for people.
MARCH 2010

30. P
48
MARCH 2010
BUILDING DESIGN+CONSTRUCTION
rofessional development? Check 5
Generous benefits? Check 5
Team building? Check 5
Sustained growth? Check 5
Founded in 1994, Designers Consultants &
Associates is a 53-person design firm that specializes in hospitality (including luxurious floating hotels), restaurants, and retail—not to mention the occasional private villa.
During the judging process, it quickly became clear to the
www.BDCnetwork.com
editors that Designers Consultants & Associates offers many of
the same benefits, education opportunities, and employee perks
as other leading firms that have won our “Best AEC Firms to
Work For” honor since the inception of the program in 2006.
With one big difference: Designers Consultants & Associates
is based in the ancient city of Cairo, Egypt, making the firm’s
forward-thinking, Western-style benefits and programs all the
more impressive, and earning Designers a spot on this year’s list
of top design and construction firms to work for.
Let’s take a look at how this progressive firm has brought fresh
Competing in a
World Market
Designers Consultants & Associates

31. www.BDCnetwork.com
Under Egyptian law, employers contribute 26% of an employees’
salary to social insurance, while employees contribute 14%. At
Designers Consultants & Associates, the firm pays 100% of
employees’ social and medical insurance.
The firm also provides assistance in overcoming one of the
more arduous and expensive tasks of everyday life in Egypt—
opening up a bank account.The firm helps employees open such
accounts, affording them the opportunity to get personal ATM
cards as well as corporate credit cards. As a result of having this
relationship with a bank, employees have been able to obtain
personal loans to purchase housing, furniture, and vehicles.
The firm’s offices are a shade of green, offering natural daylighting and two large outdoor spaces. Air conditioning—
something American white-collar workers take for granted, but
by no means a guaranteed amenity to those working in offices
in sweltering Cairo—cools the Designers office, thus enhanc
ing employee productivity.
Other Western-style benefits are also offered. Monetary
bonuses are given in recognition of outstanding project work.
And flex time—hardly a common practice in Egypt—is also
UNUSUAL EMPLOYEE BENEFITS
The firm’s in-house educational programs—the equivalent of
American-style lunch-and-learns—include a monthly event
hosted by the firm’s information architect that touches on new
materials and products, sustainable design and construction,
and new design and policy issues influencing the firm’s work.
A second series of monthly programs (as many as four per
month) are hosted by outside experts within the local AEC
industry, to discuss issues of importance to the design and en
gineering fields.
In addition to in-house education, employees are encour
aged to take continuing education courses or pursue ad
vanced degrees. The firm works with these staff members to
reconfigure work hours and project loads to accommodate
their class schedules.
Managing partners Raef Azouz and Emad Khouzam serve as
mentors to the firm’s senior design and engineering staff, who
in turn serve as mentors to the junior staff members. The firm’s
close relationships with some of the country’s other AEC firms
allows Designers Consultants & Associates staff to form out
side mentoring relationships—a nontraditional approach, but
one that has worked well for Designers.
ENCOURAGING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
ideas in professional development, employee benefits, team spir
it, and strong business growth to the land of the Pharaohs.
BUILDING DESIGN+CONSTRUCTION
MARCH 2010
49

32. 50
MARCH 2010
BUILDING DESIGN+CONSTRUCTION
available to support work/life balance, allowing employees who
qualify to tend to family matters or other personal concerns.
Team building is also a major consideration. Firm-wide events
and outings occur several times each year, giving employees a
chance to bond while celebrating New Year’s Eve together at
the big bash the office hosts, or a day of bowling, or playing
ping-pong and basketball during a visit to a sports club. A road
trip to the historic city of Alexandria offered another chance for
Designers Consultants & Associates to build on the spirit of
family that makes the firm such a desirable place to work.
www.BDCnetwork.com
Floating hotels are a niche market within the hospitality
sector, and the firm’s luxurious vessels are decked out
in rich wood and modern appointments, and offer—no
surprise here—amazing water views.
Check out some of the firm’s newest floating
properties:
http://bit.ly/aA19tn
http://bit.ly/agQzHZ
Finally, managing partners Azouz and Khouzam have worked
hard to make Designers Consultants & Associates a firm of
growth and opportunity.
In just the past few years—some of the roughest for the design
and construction industry worldwide—the firm grew in size by
more than 50%, from 34 employees in 2007 to 53 employees
currently, and they anticipate additional hires during 2010.
The firm has also expanded beyond its original markets,
Egypt and Libya, to pursue work in places as diverse as Togo,
Gabon, Tanzania, Eritrea, Tunisia, Rwanda, Uganda, and
Guinea. BD+C
— Jay W. Schneider, Senior Editor
SUSTAINING GROWTH IN THE BUSINESS
Designers Consultants & Associates

33. 10. APPRAISAL CERTIFICATES

66. “Our creation goes as far as your imagination”
7 El Horeya St., El Merghany, Heliopolis – Cairo, Egypt
Tel. & Fax:
(+202) 241 855 66 – 229 187 19
Mobile :
(+2) 0122 235 65 16
E-mail : designers_office@link.net
Info@designersconsultants.com
website: www.designersconsultants.com