Consultant of the Year

AECOM champions a forward-thinking digital strategy focused on integrating innovative technologies and collaborative platforms into our operations. We leverage digital tools to streamline project delivery, enhance communication and foster a culture of continuous improvement.

Unique features include the adoption of cloud-based platforms, data-driven decision-making and virtual collaboration spaces that enable teams to work seamlessly across geographies. These initiatives aim to boost efficiency, reduce project timelines and improve client outcomes.

The business objectives center on delivering smarter solutions, increasing productivity and maintaining a competitive edge in the market. Our stated aims are being met, as evidenced by improved project performance, higher client satisfaction and the successful implementation of digital solutions across various projects.

Buro Eight is a digital engineering BIM consultancy supporting complex building/infrastructure projects across Middle East, USA and Canada. Over the last decade, our focus has been on improving project delivery, not simply on adopting BIM tools, and embedding digital processes into real project decision-making.

Our approach combines BIM coordination, Virtual Design and Construction, and 4D/5D/6D modelling to support design development, construction planning, and asset handover. These services are delivered through structured, practical methodologies refined across a range of live projects. The emphasis is on early coordination, constructability, and clarity of information flow between disciplines and stakeholders.

From a business perspective, our digital initiatives are driven by three objectives: reducing delivery risk through early issue resolution, improving programme/cost certainty, and delivering measurable value for clients. These are tested against project outcomes not theoretical benchmarks.

In the past 24 months, Buro Eight has led coordination across 44 active projects, with a combined construction value exceeding €800m. It has resolved the majority of design clashes prior to construction, reduced coordination durations, and contributed to tangible capital cost savings.

Buro Eight also contributes to wider industry development through the EU-funded BIMA+ Master’s programme, and has trained 350+ professionals in advanced digital construction practices.

The unique features we have implemented include MIMO, a BIM AI Assistant customised for Mimar Architecture and Engineering. MIMO evaluates information model quality, performs health checks, identifies errors, and generates task-to-do lists for technical staff, helping them focus on pending tasks and the projects they are assigned to.

We have also developed Mimar Scripts, a custom Revit add-in that integrates our Dynamo scripts with C# code to eliminate repetitive tasks, enhance model quality, and improve data integrity. Mimar Scripts includes tools for managing rooms, copying elements between files, creating ceilings in one click using room boundaries, applying wall finishes efficiently, resolving group issues, highlighting duplicates, and reading HTML reports from Navisworks to generate visual spheres marking issue locations.

These tools not only streamline workflows but also embed quality control and efficiency into daily BIM operations, supporting consistent, high-quality project delivery across all disciplines.

As the lead Project Management Consultants for the Arab Basalat project, we drove one of the region’s most complex industrial initiatives to success, delivering it on time, within budget, and at the highest quality standards.

Our role encompassed full‑spectrum project oversight, including planning, risk mitigation, coordination, and stakeholder management across multiple disciplines.

We introduced innovative, data‑driven monitoring and reporting systems that enabled proactive decision‑making and minimised delays. By streamlining workflows and enhancing collaboration between contractors, clients, and suppliers, we ensured efficiency, cost savings, and measurable performance improvements.

Facing technical and logistical challenges, we applied creative problem‑solving and forward‑thinking strategies that safeguarded project milestones and exceeded client expectations. Beyond delivery, we fostered a culture of transparency, accountability, and continuous improvement, setting benchmarks for consultancy excellence in the region.

PNC Architects is driving a digital-first transformation in real estate design and delivery, operating as the strategic design arm of Sobha Realty, to enable high-quality development at scale and speed. The practice integrates advanced digital technologies to improve delivery certainty, coordination, and execution efficiency across complex project portfolios.

A comprehensive digital ecosystem has been implemented, incorporating BIM, a Common Data Environment, AI-enabled workflows, and automation. This environment enables coordinated, model-based execution and replaces fragmented, discipline-specific processes with real-time collaboration.

The framework supports the entire project lifecycle, from feasibility and concept design through authority approvals, construction coordination, sales integration, and operational planning, ensuring information remains accurate, traceable, and reusable. Integrated workflows connect design, construction, manufacturing, sales, and operations, improving decision-making and reducing delivery risk.

The digital strategy was driven by clear business requirements, including rapid portfolio expansion, increasing project complexity, compressed delivery timelines, regulatory compliance, and consistent quality across concurrent developments.

In the last two years, PNC Architects has supported more than 70 active projects, delivered over 165,000 IFC submissions, and secured approvals for more than 12 digital project models through Dubai Municipality’s automated compliance system. In parallel, more than 27,000 sales purchase agreements were issued using verified, model-derived data.

XD House is a digital construction consultancy dedicated to bridging the ‘compliance gap’ in the built environment. In the last 24 months, we have systematically transformed project delivery by moving beyond traditional, document-heavy consultancy to an automated, ‘standards-as-code’ approach. Our core objective is to provide developers and contractors in the Middle East with a scalable, secure, and data-driven framework for information management.

The unique feature of our approach is the ‘low-code for high-compliance’ ecosystem, which integrates Morta’s relational database with the Autodesk Construction Cloud. This innovation led to XD House becoming the first company globally to achieve the BSI Kitemark for ISO 19650 using Morta, covering both Part 2 (Delivery) and the complex Part 5 (Security).

We have reduced manual information management processes by 20-30% and reduced Master Information Delivery Plan compilation time by over 70%. By automating the golden thread of data, we ensure that project handovers are not just efficient, but fundamentally secure and auditable for the entire asset lifecycle.