Harbor Real Estate

When, what, how and who works where.A sneak peek into other people’s office. words: Muby Asgher; images: Kishore Kumar

When : Initial conception of the design started in October 2008, with staff moving into the new office space in January 2009.

What : Harbor Real Estate offers integrated brokerage services for sales and leasing transactions in the UAE. It works with private and institutional investors and developers to create marketing, research, sales and leasing strategies that are executed through their communications and consultancy arm.

Where : Harbor Real Estate is located on Shaikh Zayed Road, in Number One Tower Suites.

Who : This lively red and white office was designed by CLS Interior Designing and the Harbor communications team.

How : The designers were given a very clear and creative brief – to create an office that reflected the firm’s culture and brand image, which is “innovation, professionalism and fun”. CLS came up with many concepts, but, it was the curved walls and the abundant use of red that reflected its culture very well. With a final look that is both inspiring and contemporary, the Harbor office space is well co-ordinated from the lifts, through to the reception and into the vibrant conference
room and main work areas.

One gets a feel of being a part of this company simply by being in the office. ROGER POCKLEY, managing director.

How Many : Twenty-four employees currently work in the office. They comprise of 18 property consultants and six internal specialists.

Why : Harbor Real Estate chose to use a rich red colour for its company brand identity. This is reflected throughout the office with many feature walls painted in red. From using 450-year-old bonsai trees as highlights, a custommade boardroom table, deep comfortable red and black visitor chairs and large plasma screens, the company has put together an eclectic mix of products to create a unique brand identity.

What Else : With two balconies, one the size of nearly the entire floor, employees have lots of breakout spaces. Harbor’s brand images are scattered throughout the office walls, ensuring its identity remains constant for both employees and visitors.

When we saw the curved walls and ceilings, the bold red and the use of dark hardwood floors, we felt this represented our culture very well. MOHANAD ALWADIYA, director