Driven by design excellence Shaun Killa is an award-winning architect with international experience spanning over 29 years. His design philosophy centres on creating sustainable, innovative buildings and master plans that are contextually inspired and take a holistic approach to the natural and economic environment.
This philosophy has guided him to work on numerous high-profile projects, including the Dubai Opera House, a 2,000-seat opera house located in the heart of Emaar’s cultural district; The Address Boulevard, a luxury hotel, and residential tower; Almas Tower, once the tallest building in Dubai; and the Bahrain World Trade Centre (BWTC), the world’s first large-scale integration of wind turbines into a building. The BWTC initiated the green building movement in the Middle East and won several global awards for innovation and sustainability, leading to more sustainable developments and the acceptance of LEED accreditation in the region. Other notable awards include the ENR News Maker Award, New York, and the Global Holcim Awards for Sustainable Construction for the Lighthouse Tower.
Since 2000, Shaun has won multiple design competitions such as the 21st Century Tower, Chelsea Tower, and Millennium Tower. Other examples of his work include the Lighthouse Tower, Habtoor Towers, and several large-scale developments in India, Saudi Arabia, and China. Shaun also led masterplans like Cairo Smart City, Dubai Promenade, Emaar’s Creek Harbour Masterplan; where he was the design director for four years, Cape Town Waterfront 2030, and many new developments in Riyadh and Jeddah.
Establishing Killa Design in 2015, has been a particularly significant milestone for Shaun Killa, allowing him to continue pushing the boundaries of architecture on a global scale. At the inception of Killa Design, Shaun participated in two major competitions. Killa Design competed against over 20 firms for the Museum of the Future and against four internationally acclaimed firms for the Address Beach Resort, a twin 77-storey tower. Within a few weeks, Killa Design won both projects, rapidly expanding the team from just one person to 20 within a few months.
As the company grew, Killa Design has won several more projects including W Hotel Namaste, Vida Dubai Marina & Yacht Club, Jumeriah Marsa Al Arab; an ultra-luxury beachfront resort embodying the elegance of a super-yacht docking into Dubai’s most coveted stretch of golden shoreline, Shebara Resort, Zamani Islands in the Maldives, Leyja Wellness Hotel in Saudia Arabia and the Office of the Future, the first occupied printed building in the world.
In 2017, 2021, and 2022, Shaun was ranked number 1 as ‘Most Powerful Middle East Architect’ inclusive of winning ‘Architectural Firm of the Year, 2023’ in the Middle East, by Construction Week for the 4th year running, and ‘Best Young Firm’, at the Architizer A+Awards, 2023.
Killa Design also recently joined the world’s leading architectural practices, securing the 90th position in Building Design’s coveted WA100, 2024.