id50 2025 - David Lessard, Design Director and Stas Louca, Managing Director at H+A

Can you let us know about the latest exci0ng projects that you are working on?

We are currently working on a variety of projects across the hospitality, healthcare and wellness sectors. In 2025 we are breaking ground on some very exciting projects; a new build for a 12,000m2 outpatient cancer treatment centre referred to as “The Advanced Oncology Centre”, a 5* 300 key beach resort in Fujairah and the Kings College Hospital London expansion in Dubai Hills. Additionally, we have several projects under design; including a state-of-the-art wellness project that combines luxury accommodation with world class clinical services; an interior design project for a new super-tall signature tower on Sheikh Zayed Road that includes ultra-luxury branded and non-branded residences, as well as our ongoing architectural and interior design work for the Ritz Carlton Ras al Khaimah where we are designing 35 new branded residences – echoing our award-winning design for the Signature Villas we completed last year.

Signature Villas at The Ritz Carlton Al Wadi Desert, Ras al Khaimah

Please mention some of your proudest achievements as a firm (Top 3)

We are very proud to have such a dedicated and talented team of architects and interior designers who are growing with the firm. Our turnover is low and we are attracting talent from all over the world, who tend to stay with us for the long-term. It’s a real reflection of the company culture that Stas and I have created, including the quality, creativity and diversity of the projects we handle. 2024 was a milestone year for H+A, claiming two identity Design Awards: one for Architects of the Year and another for our Ritz Carlton Ras Al Khaimah project. We were humbled just to be nominated but to win was an unexpected proud moment – one which we shared with our incredible team. It may sound cliché but we are very proud to service our clients and exceed their expectations. A lot of our work is repeat work with existing clients, some of which have been actively collaborating with us since we began seven years ago. Our patrons are why we exist and we are very grateful to be working for some of the region’s top clients and developers.

Can you talk about a type of project that you would like to take on in 2025 that would interest you and your team to pursue (dream project that you would like to manifest)?

H+A’s expertise in wellness strategies creates significant benefits in both our verticals – hospitality and healthcare. There is a particular focus on projects that combine upscale accommodation with world-class clinical services, a niche where we excel in innovation, research and execution. Hospitality environments deliver healthcare services with focus on the patient experience – is the best way to describe many of the clinical projects that the team are currently working on, and this is a definite growth area for us.

How would you describe your ‘house style’ and design philosophy?

H+A is human-centric. As a practice that works predominantly on healthcare, hospitality and residential projects, the team is aligned to prioritise empathy over ego. Our design philosophy focuses more on the user’s experience of the space; working from the inside-out. Our projects tend to manifest as a collection of intimate moments that eventually create an overall project vision; from the bottom up rather than the top down. We have very few preconceived ideas about style and allow our designs to evolve organically as a direct response to the project brief, site location and cultural context. Our guiding principles encourage restraint over excess, with a minimalist ethos that strives to achieve more by doing less; exploring all opportunities to promote health and well-being in our projects.

As this is the power issue, what empowers you and your team?

A deep knowledge and passion for our subject matter. Our specialisation in healthcare, hospitality and wellness empowers us to pursue larger and more complex briefs that demand a verified interest and expertise in how to deliver projects that exceed client expectations and promote wellbeing for every human.