“The Power of Paradox”
“Architects and engineers are always dealing with paradox. We want to create aesthetic excellence and functionality at the same time,” said Meisa Batayneh, principal architect and founder of maisam architects and engineers, as she launched maisam’s 5th Annual Retreat on “Power of Paradox” at the Dead Sea on February 11th, 2010.
41 maisam architects, engineers, administrators and project managers gathered at the Moevenpick Hotel to celebrate their 2009 successes after just 4 years of operations. These included large-scale projects such as the development of the New Terminal Building for the Queen Alia International Airport in collaboration with designers Foster & Partners and contractors J&P; creating innovative designs for several prestigious landmarks in Abu Dhabi; and being shortlisted for the World Architecture Festival Awards for the Aqaba Bus Terminal and Plaza competition entry.
“We live in a world of contraction. We can view the current economic downturn as a crisis or an amazing opportunity,” Ms Batayneh continued. “In this new era, our profession demands a combination of leadership and learning, passion and productivity, profit generation and profit sharing.”
She went on to officially launch the maisam model, a unique Partnership Plan in the sector based on international best practices - in which team members can rise to become associates and then associate partners owning a share of maisam’s brand and profits.
“The Partnership Plan is more than just creating loyalty. It’s about doing business in a new way, recognizing the entrepreneur in us all. We need to encourage a new generation of architects and engineers, and create institutions in this country that endure with their values intact. Sir Ove Arup, founder of Arup, one the world’s biggest engineering companies, did this successfully. And we believe at maisam, as Arup said, that if you take care of your people, your people take care of your company,” said Ms Batayneh.
The one-day retreat was sponsored by JEDCO as part of their Jordan Services Modernization Program funded by the European Union for the purposes of building the capacity of Jordanian companies in response to the current economic situation. Under the same scheme, 20 project architects and engineers undertook in 2009 an in-house project management training to increase management and leadership capability from within the company. The retreat provided an opportunity for knowledge-sharing and cascading of skills to the rest of the team.
Both the training and retreat were led Nicola Carteret, a UK-based productivity, creativity, & performance expert. “Paradox is the juxtaposition of opposites; and in your profession it manifests as the creative tension between art & science, creativity and discipline, stability and change,” said Ms Carteret whose Power of Paradox presentation was based on her forthcoming book EaZee: Do Less Achieve More to be published in the UK in 2010. “As long as we hold the tension, we discover our true power and ability as leaders to make a difference,” she added.
Going green was another major maisam success in 2009. “This last year we concentrated on developing our capacity in green building, with a focus on obtaining an accreditation in the LEED Green Building certification system,” said Hazem Nimri, Group CEO, Senior Partner of maisam. “And in 2010 we will be launching a Green Program that will concentrate on three areas: 1) applying environmental and green strategies in our projects 2) supporting the efforts of the Jordanian A/E sector in the field of green building 3) applying environmentally-friendly strategies within the company itself, which is all very exciting for us.”
Nimri also spoke about company’s 2010 strategic focus of enhancing maisam’s competitiveness and leveraging its differentiation to compete in global markets through capacity building strategies that include training, knowledge transfer, accreditation and systemization. “This year we want to achieve Technical Excellence, Advanced Systemization, and Green Building Competency,” he said.
Nimri then briefed the team about the company’s continued regional and international expansion, with new offices opening in Abu Dhabi and Delhi, India. In a video conference, Emad Muqattash, UAE Area Manager/Partner explained the export potential, “Abu Dhabi is currently one of the most promising markets in the region, with an expectation of 100 billion JD worth of development within the next 8 years.” Muqattash added, “So maisam is now poised to capitalize on this opportunity because of its design differentiation and the flexibility of its company structure to respond quickly to market needs.”
Sherry Malhotra of Amalgate (www.amalgate.in), maisam’s affiliate in New Delhi, also elaborated on business development opportunities, “Delhi is fast becoming the base for many multi-national companies, as there is no recession here,” she said. “The Design Lab’s creative edge is giving maisam a competitive advantage in this emerging market place, which is truly exciting.”