--:-- Dubai

Process

how we work

(C)

A clear, cooperative working relationship — built on shared goals, open communication and service excellence.

(01) The method

One team carries a project from the first line to the last detail — and you have a single point of contact throughout.

The people who present the concept are the people who develop it, coordinate it and supervise it. Every project moves through a defined sequence of work stages, each with a clear scope and set of deliverables.

Each stage ends with a presentation for your review; the next begins only on your instruction to proceed. You always know where the project stands, what comes next and what is expected from each member of the team.

Led by ENSŌ.7Locally based architect
ENSŌ.7INCSPSIDCFDCIDDFDDATDCA&IC/O
0102 0304 0506 + ENSŌ.7 design supervision

On international projects, stages 01–03 are led by ENSŌ.7 and stages 04–06 by the locally based architect, with ENSŌ.7 available as design supervisor.

01

INC

inception

Getting the foundations right: what we are building, where, for whom — and under which rules.

What we do

  • Help develop a clear project brief
  • Advise on timelines and the overall programme
  • Advise on procurement routes and the consultant team
  • Define each consultant’s scope of work
  • Establish which data, drawings and surveys exist for the site

What you receive

  • Agreed scope of work
  • Inception report on project size and functional requirements
  • Schedule of information issued to consultants
  • Report on rights and constraints, and a schedule of consents and approvals

What we need from you: your brief and aspirations, plot and site documents, any existing surveys or drawings, and your preferred timeline.

Inception
02

SPS · IDC · FDC

design concept

The idea takes shape — first as a spatial plan, then as architecture.

2a — Initial Design Concept. Begins with a Spatial Planning Study: zoning, adjacencies, areas and how the building sits on its site. Once approved, it grows into a primary design — massing, plans, sections and the first images of the project.

2b — Final Design Concept. Refines the approved concept into a resolved design, with design interfaces coordinated with the engineers and more accurate cost information from the other consultants.

What you receive

  • Concept presentation with reference and mood images
  • Site plan, schematic plans and area plans (1:500 / 1:250)
  • Climate overlay and site analysis
  • Elevations and sections, incl. sectional perspectives
  • Fully rendered CGI views, 3D stills and an optional short film
  • Suggested materials and finishes
Design Concept
03

IDD · FDD

design development

The approved concept is developed, coordinated and detailed — ready for technical documentation.

In Initial and Final Design Development we incorporate your detailed requirements and integrate the engineers’ and specialists’ designs, reviewing the budget and its implications as we go. The result is a fully coordinated design package that forms the basis for authority approvals and technical documentation.

What you receive

  • Plans, sections and elevations (1:100 / 1:250)
  • Preliminary reflected ceiling plans and area plans
  • Large-scale views (1:50) of key feature areas
  • Detail sections with key materials called out
  • Updated CGI views, 3D stills and film

Coordinated with the engineers

  • Site works, substructure and primary structure
  • Waterproofing
  • Electrical, lighting, IT and audio-visual
  • HVAC, fire and security control
  • Lifts, alternative supply and landscaping
Design Development
04

ATD

approvals & technical documentation

Authority submissions, working drawings, specifications and tender.

Simple details (1:25) explain the design intent for structure, slabs, roofs, edges and material interfaces; schedules cover doors and windows, fittings, joinery, pools and spa, and external works. Internationally this stage is led by the locally based architect, with ENSŌ.7 as design supervisor.

Approvals & Technical Documentation
05

CA&I

contract administration & inspection

Construction on site, with the design intent protected at every step.

Site handover, construction documentation, regular site and technical meetings, inspection of the works, shop-drawing approvals and contract instructions — with our team checking documentation and samples against the approved design.

Contract Administration & Inspection
06

C/O

close-out

Completion, records and handover.

Defect lists and rectification, completion certificates, as-built drawings, operation and maintenance manuals, guarantees and warranties — and a building that matches its drawings.

Close-Out

(02) Programme

a sense of time

An indicative programme for a large-scale project, from signature to the end of Design Development. Client reviews, authority approvals and consultant studies are not included — every programme is set out in its own proposal.

  1. Mobilisation2 wk
  2. Inception3 wk
  3. Spatial Planning Study3 wk
  4. Initial Design Concept8 wk
  5. Final Design Concept8 wk
  6. Initial Design Development10 wk
  7. Final Design Development8 wk

≈ 42 weeks of design time

(03) Consultants

the right team,
at the right moment

The client appoints the other consultants directly; we advise on the scope expected from each and the appropriate appointments, and coordinate their input into the design.

INCSPSIDCFDCIDDFDDATDCA&IC/O
  1. Land surveyor
  2. Locally based architect
  3. Interior designer *
  4. Engineering consultants
  5. Cost consultant
  6. Lighting designer
  7. Landscape designer *
  8. Project manager

* Only where interiors or landscape are outside ENSŌ.7’s scope.

Land surveyor

Surveys boundaries and existing landscape and produces a 3D topographic survey for an accurate site model.

Locally based architect

Identifies development rights, local regulations and guidelines; later leads approvals, documentation and site.

Engineering consultants

Civil, structural, mechanical, electrical and wet services — the technical solutions behind the design.

Cost consultant

Elemental estimates, construction cost advice and feasibility; supports value engineering if required.

Lighting designer

Functional and atmospheric lighting for the architecture, interiors and landscape.

Project manager

Day-to-day management and timely completion of construction, where the project requires one.

(04) Local partners

design leadership,
local knowledge

For international projects we act as Design Consultant and work closely with a Locally Based Architect (LBA) to produce a comprehensive, well-coordinated set of Design Development documents — the basis for the Approvals and Technical Documentation stage, which the LBA completes.

The LBA brings region-specific knowledge — local regulations, best building practice and the strengths of local trades. Once our scope is complete, we continue to support them with your agreement, helping to resolve design challenges and making sure the original design language is maintained.

ENSŌ.7

  • Architecture and interior architecture design
  • Leads stages 01–03 as Design Consultant
  • Coordinates the consultants to the end of stage 03
  • Design supervision in stages 04–06 (optional)

Locally based architect

  • Supports ENSŌ.7 in stages 01–03
  • Local authority submissions and compliance
  • Technical documentation (stage 04)
  • Site, construction and close-out (stages 05–06)

(05) Where to start

from first message
to stage one

  1. 01

    Share what you have

    Send us the plot, existing drawings, photographs — or simply a description of what you have in mind.

  2. 02

    A first read

    We come back with a first read on what the site can carry — usually the same day.

  3. 03

    The brief

    A conversation, in person or online, about how you want to live in or use the building, your timeline and your expectations.

  4. 04

    The proposal

    A written proposal setting out the scope of services, the deliverables of each work stage and an indicative programme.

  5. 05

    The agreement

    Once you are happy, we prepare the ENSŌ.7 Client Agreement describing our services in detail.

  6. 06

    Mobilisation

    The team is assembled and, after a short mobilisation period, Stage 01 — Inception — begins.

Start a project

let’s talk

Send us what you have — a plot, a floor plan or a rough idea — and we’ll come back with a first read on what the site can carry, usually the same day.

start a
project