Aurecon strengthens tall buildings and aviation expertise in Middle East with two key appointments

14 September 2018 – Aurecon, a global engineering and infrastructure advisory company, has appointed Paul Drayton as Tall Buildings Leader, and Rui Baptista as Aviation Director – Terminals in the Middle East to address the rapid growth of the region’s built environment and aviation sectors.

For instance, Dubai, as one of the largest cities in the region and a global business centre, welcomed 88.2 million passengers through its airport in 2017, and is expected to serve more than 103 million annually by 2020. Dubai is also home to some of the tallest and most spectacular buildings in the world, including the much-anticipated Dubai Creek Tower, for which Aurecon is supporting world-renowned architect and engineer Santiago Calatrava.

“The Middle East’s construction sector continues to lead the world in terms of design, scale, and pace of development,” said Ermis Marques, Regional Director for Aurecon in the Middle East. “With Paul and Rui on our team, Aurecon can better help clients bring their bold dreams to life.”

Paul Drayton

Paul is a highly-experienced tall buildings expert who will bring new leadership to Aurecon’s established Tall Buildings practice. He has three decades of experience, designing and constructing projects of all sizes and complexity both internationally and in the Middle East. His project experience ranges from tall towers to residential, commercial, mixed-use, and hotels.

As the Tall Buildings Leader, Paul will work closely with clients to create holistic design and engineering that incorporates new developments in material sciences and construction methods to produce optimal tall building solutions.

“There is growing appetite for super-tall structures in the Middle East and these developments are becoming synonymous with the new regional identity that is forming here,” Paul said. “I look forward to working with my colleagues at Aurecon and our clients to develop and design world-leading legacy structures in this region.”

Rui Baptista

Rui brings significant global experience to Aurecon’s terminals business across all project stages from concept through delivery. Rui is an expert in large-scale projects and has worked on significant developments across the globe, including airports in Cyprus, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, the UK, Africa, and Bahrain. Rui also led the site team for delivering the world’s largest airport terminal building in Istanbul. He is dedicated to ensuring seamless transition between the design and operational teams.

In his role as Aviation Director – Terminals, Rui will help clients develop simple and efficient designs; improve key processes; apply digital solutions to minimise delays; and help clients maximise non-aviation revenue, while respecting the local environment.

Rui has 20 years of architecture experience, including 12 years, with a special focus on aviation architecture. A passionate architect, Rui specialises in planning, concept, coordination, and overall delivery or terminal buildings. He has the ability to combine clients’ requirements with building efficiency, to provide sensible and unique passenger experience within 21st century building concepts.

“What is happening in the Middle East is very exciting – the significant growth in passenger volume provides us with opportunities to explore future-ready options in terminal design,” Rui said. “From ‘flying fields’ to 21^st century aero-cities, the aim of providing infrastructure for modern airport terminals is to bring a ‘sense of place’ to the terminal, providing passengers with a unique experience.”