When put into perspective, Adriana Graur’s claim ‘Design is all I am’ makes perfect sense in the world she has created for herself. The Design Director for dwp says, “We all see life and everything that comes with it in our unique way. I have the same feeling for work-life balance. My life is shaped by both and there isn’t a clear line between the two. I believe that when you do what you enjoy it doesn’t feel like work. As I sketch next to my son, we both enjoy a creative activity that will boost my energy and spark some interest into his brain too. Sometimes it is not only about work or family/life, it’s just how we learn to manage our time and tasks to feel happy about the outcome.”
Childhood and Early Life
The designer has always been a curious soul. “Since I was a kid I was passionate about the most complex questions – why can we not do more with our mind?”, she reminisces. As a result, at the mere age of 13, her mind was boggled by architecture – wonderings like ‘How can we bring the sense of a space from paper to reality?’ and ‘How can you translate feelings into a drawing?’ plagued her mind. Not a gifted sketch artist back then, little Adriana was still eager to get her ideas out on paper in the hope that ‘one day, someone will understand them.’
In all this, it was her family that saw her through. “I am very lucky to have an extremely supportive family which allowed me to explore, and were cheering me on through multiple failed attempts before getting there in the end,” she says.
She also extends gratitude towards her teachers as well, one especially, more than the others,“I remember each teacher who broadened my curiosity in their field – geography, physics, spatial geometry; but the one that made me feel like a designer was my university teacher. He asked so many questions that made my mind wander through various worlds and times. I started exploring sustainability and soon I realized that it’s something I love and want to share with the world.”
The Beginning of the Design Journey
Evidently, perseverance is one of Adriana’s stronger suits, which is reflected in her achievements. From starting her job in Dubai, a city she was a stranger to, to now leading dwp’s sustainability forum, a platform spanning across dwp studios to share local challenges and solutions that contributes to global knowledge about sustainability, she has come a long way. Adriana has also recently published a white paper about sustainability in the workspace which talks about the layers of design, and dives into the nuances of sustainable design from her view.
“There was something captivating about the evolution of it that drew me to it”, she says of her pull towards Dubai. “I had an amazing mentor and inspiring team that helped me shape my new world. Starting with my first project, Ford HQ in Dubai – I remember the project very well but what I feel when I think about the project is even stronger. I recall having creative workshops with the client and the team, researching the company and the history and discovering unique ideas that shaped the concept of the space. In the end, the client loved the concept – this is when you feel like a real designer and your passion for what you are doing grows bigger.”
Perhaps it was her initial experience of working as a design professional, or her innate sense of questioning that brought her to this conclusion, but when asked what according to her is the pulse of a well-designed space, she retorts, “People. Spaces are people’s canvases, we design them to allow users to feel connected to place, culture, outdoors, and much more. A well designed space is intuitive – it’s simple, practical and beautiful.”
Designers as Mentors
This belief of hers, in turn, has shaped her formula to successful design. “Getting into someone’s mind is one of the beautiful challenges we have to master as designers. Before starting any project I like to know the person or the company that will inherit the space – it’s the step which sets the course of development. Understanding their views and expectations better allows me to create as I would do it for myself – it gives me freedom of creating without limitation. The next step is brainstorming – I enjoy the process as the aim becomes stronger once you feel supported. Everyone at the table has an idea, and no idea is bad. I also really enjoy space planning, they are life-scale puzzles. There’s a novelty to all stages of design, all different skill-sets and challenges, at the same time they shape us as all-rounded designers, mentors, leaders, thinkers – people,” the architect expresses.
Elaborating on the role and attributes of a designer, she continues, “What I really work on is becoming a mentor – a people’s person, a leader. Like all the mentors in my life I look up to, I want to support people at becoming their best and further influence the people they interact with. I love design with a passion, but what I really love is the happiness a client shares without words when they see their projects completed, what a student feels when their work is appreciated, when people reach out for advice or just a discussion. This is what design is all about – collaboration. At dwp, we are all thinkers and leaders. I get inspired by creative minds and at dwp we collaborate across studios where cultures and people are different and it’s truly beautiful to see that working harmoniously. We form bonds and feel connected to people through our work, for me this is something unique.”
Mentorship was, is and will be a critical part of Adriana’s life. She believes to adapt, we must learn. “Our generation is fearless, some may think it too risky but I would say it’s brave. Being brave means you trust yourself, you push for more – you fail and you grow. I failed so I can learn and I keep doing it. I am not scared of doing it all over again. Not having a singular place to call home makes us think outside the box, it pushes us to explore further. From the older generation, we learnt how to work meticulously and grow long lasting relationships – it’s imperative to have that talent. As parents, teachers, mentors – we don’t teach the next generations how to do things right, we steer them in the right direction by supporting their decisions to explore, fail, and evolve.”
Sustainability, Metaverse and dwp
dwp’s culture aligns perfectly with Adriana’s vision of sustainability – not just environmentally, but otherwise also. “This culture is sustainable and this is my passion. Sustainability spreads way beyond designing the space – its span reaches your home environment and behavior in society – through a creative and open culture we start from the roots of sustainability and we grow it outwards. At dwp we design for a better world – we design for a sustainable future, for creative and passionate future generations. We’re shaping the world for them.”
With collaboration comes challenges. “One of the most challenging projects was Dewa HQ in Dubai where we designed the largest Governmental Net Zero Building in the world, which is set to achieve LEED Platinum, WELL, Al Sa’fat as well as being beautifully crafted to reflect the innovative approach of the company and the local surroundings. It was a creative and collaborative process in achieving all of the requirements where the client was very supportive throughout the process and together with the architects, landscape team, lighting, MEP, acoustics, etc. we learned how to merge all into one unique space.”
dwp plans to accelerate sustainability in their projects in tandem with the metaverse in the near future. Recently, the dwp Bangkok office launched dwp Metatecture which will focus on creating new digital experiences for brands and their consumers. The initiative looks to provide metaverse solutions that can also lower production and overhead costs for businesses across several industries, thereby also helping with sustainable modeling and reducing carbon footprint in projects.
Technology makes collaboration and problem solving at dwp. “I have the cloud office wherever I go and at all times as I am working with colleagues that are hours ahead, in Sydney, Bangkok, and Singapore. I feel I can reach out and I will always get support. That’s what one really needs from an office”, Adriana informs.
Adriana Graur – Outside the persona of a designer
When not in either cloud – digital or design – Adriana indulges herself in various activities. “Besides spending time with my family, painting would be my next favorite activity but followed very closely by boxing. Both of them are moving my mind into a different space, it’s my meditation time whenever I perform them. Boxing is quite fascinating, it’s thinking of math, physics, psychology, all at the same time and in a matter of seconds. It keeps my mind sharp and agile,” concludes the architect.
