Egis acquires U+A’s Middle East business to grow portfolio

Egis, the French multinational construction group, has announced the acquisition of multidisciplinary design practice U+A’s business in the Middle East, which will accelerate the group’s strategic ambition of delivering end-to-end integrated solutions to design, build, operate, and maintain assets for clients.

In a statement, Egis said that U+A brings expertise in a variety of disciplines, from architecture and interior design to master planning, landscape design, and construction supervision. The firm has offices in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Riyadh, London, and Montreal, as well as projects across the Middle East.

The acquisition of U+A will allow Egis to provide clients with all-encompassing, integrated solutions and will add to its portfolio of design and architecture firms across the world, strengthening Egis’ position as a leader in architectural design, the statement added.

“We are excited to announce this strategically compelling partnership, bringing U+A’s innovative architects and designers as well as their portfolio of award-winning projects to the Egis group. Combining the capabilities of U+A and Egis in the Middle East will allow us to leverage our collective know-how and provide a broader range of complementary services to our clients. U+A’s vision and business values are well aligned with Egis’ Impact the Future vision in delivering impactful, responsible projects to the communities around us,” said Alaa AbuSiam, Egis Middle East CEO.

Founded in 2006 by Pedram Rad and Martin Dufresne as founding partners, U+A has worked on a number of notable projects as lead consultant in multiple sectors. These include hospitality, education entertainment, mixed-use, commercial and residential developments.

“Combining U+A's team of Architects, Interior Designers, Landscape and Construction Supervision with Egis and its Architectural arm - 10 Design, SB Architects, Weston Williamson + Partners - will create a powerful, world-class creative team capable of designing all types of projects across the MENA region. Together we can cater to our regional clients with an international design set up and local expertise. We are strengthening our regional presence and long-term commitment to the MENA region,” said Rad.

The statement added that U+A management and the founding partners will remain with the business to help drive future growth.

The transaction is subject to regulatory approvals and is expected to close towards early 2023.

Regional Growth

The agreement with U+A is the third acquisition announced by Egis in the Middle East region this year following the completed transactions to acquire Waagner Biro Bridge Services and WME Consultants. 

The acquisitions demonstrate a growing commitment and growth momentum in the region, the company highlighted. With this acquisition, the Egis Middle East team is expected to grow to more than 2,500 employees.