White & Case Offices – Dubai
Roar designed a modern and sophisticated office space for White & Case in Dubai, emphasizing a fusion of the law firm's history with a local aesthetic, incorporating Emirati references and accommodating privacy needs.
Roar created a modern and sophisticated space for the White & Case offices in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Roar’s design for White & Case’s new office in Dubai cleverly fuses the law firm’s rich history with a local flair, anchoring it in its Emirati context while maintaining the company’s deep-rooted global values. Located in the prestigious ICD Brookfield Place overlooking two of the city’s most iconic landmarks – the Museum of the Future and Burj Khalifa – the space design is a truly collaborative process with White & Case’s Head of Design and senior partners.
The office is split between two floors – Floors 8 and 9 within a larger office block – to enable a sense of collectivism and to ease cooperation, Roar chose to connect the two floors with a sculptural, spiral-shaped staircase – the first of its kind in the building.
The 8th floor is fronted by the main reception area enveloped in a wood-effect ceiling that immediately warms up the space and offsets the marble-effect porcelain tiles. On the right of the reception, large multipurpose rooms equipped with acoustic wall cladding have been designed to accommodate a variety of settings, easily unfolding or condensing thanks to a sliding double-glazed partition system. Adjacent to these, Roar has cleverly selected an eclectic mix of lighting and furniture to create a series of meeting rooms that all showcase a distinct look and each offers a different experience to the users.
One meeting room in particular features traditional Emirati Majlis-style seating – relaxed low seats to allow convivial conversations – bringing unexpected local references into a corporate environment. Other Emirati allusions to the company’s Dubai home include a custom-made light by Dubai-based design studio Tashkeel, which adorns one of the main boardrooms, and a collection of photographs by local artist Ramesh Shukla who has been capturing the UAE since the 1970s. Contemporary art and objects inspired by the Arabic culture and language by Racha Elabbas and prints by Ali Al- Sammarraie complete the selection.
To create a sense of openness and free-movement to the office, Roar has centralised all the senior partners’ offices towards the core of the floor while dedicating the periphery to an undivided work space and team rooms.
Privacy is an essential element in a law firm, which Roar needed to take into consideration. With this in mind, ’defensible’ spaces surrounded by small acoustic barriers were created within the open-plan area, which, together with the white noise speakers, help to provide a real sense of confidentiality.
The 8th floor also comprises of prayers rooms and 4 VIP bathrooms as well as a wellness room.
The 9th floor above is home to the company cafeteria, which boasts custom-made stools by Emirati artist Khalid Shafar, and a bespoke bar displaying a quote by Sheikh Mohammed about law’s integral role in upholding culture and society written by local calligraphy artist Artemis.
Design: Roar
Contractor: KPS
Photography: Chris Goldstraw
