Aurecon has strengthened its Middle East team with the appointment of Rui Baptista as aviation director – Terminals, and Paul Drayton as Tall Buildings leader. The firm says the move will allow it to better address the region’s growing aviation and built environment sectors.

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

According to a statement, Baptista will help Aurecon’s clients develop simple and efficient designs, improve key processes, apply digital solutions to minimise delays, and maximise non-aviation revenue, while respecting the local environment. He is said to have 20 years of architecture experience, 12 years of which focused on aviation architecture, in countries such as Cyprus, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, the UK, Africa and Bahrain.

“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. From ‘flying fields’ to 21st century aero-cities, the aim of providing infrastructure for modern airport terminals is to bring ‘sense of place’ to the terminal, providing passengers with a unique experience,” Baptista comments.

According to Aurecon, as Tall Buildings leader, Drayton will work with clients to create holistic design and engineering that incorporates new developments in material sciences and construction methods to produce optimal tall building solutions. He is said to have three decades of experience in designing and constructing projects of all sizes and complexity, both internationally and in the Middle East.

“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. I look forward to working with my colleagues at Aurecon and our clients to develop and design world-leading legacy structures in this region,” Drayton explained.