Young Saudi designers boosted by Adhlal mentor initiative

JEDDAH: A memorandum of understanding signed a year ago at the annual Saudi Design Festival between research-based consultancy Adhlal and Efat University paid off as young students’ creativity turned their work into action.

Shada Hotel has embraced the solutions and achievements of promising Saudi design students. Located in the heart of Jeddah, this hotel features a fresh, clean aesthetic and a modern interpretation of South Asiri culture, including Al-Qat art and Sadhu embroidery.

The new program, entitled the Effat University Design Project, aims to connect the dots between academia, industry and community through research-driven design solutions.

The program divides students into four groups, each working on a different area: Customer Experience, Food & Beverage, Housekeeping, and Front Desk. This design initiative aligns with Vision 2030 goals that focus on economic growth, creativity and innovation.

“It is very important to give students the tools they need to succeed. And it is not just how to design; It’s not about how they advertise, how they deal with deadlines, how they deal with real-time clients, etc. Adhlal founder Princess Nourah Al-Faisal told Arab News.

Customer Experience Group member Rumaysa Mohammed told Arab News: The tradition of this place only adds to the richness of this whole project…the fact that we are preserving and we are not influenced by the West in this. For, very made by our people. ”

“Some argue that design is culture because when you look at the product being designed or what is designed, it is heavily influenced by culture,” Mohammed added.

Dr. Sajid Khalifa, head of the design department at Efat University, told Arab News:

Dr. Ahmed Kassab, Associate Professor of Industrial Design, said:

Dennis Meulenbroeks, founder and director of Dutch design consultancy NEAR, which works under Adhlal, said during a tour of the campus their experts noticed that the students weren’t particularly research-driven.

After conducting his own research, Adhlal worked with Effat faculty to identify a disconnect between the needs of design market stakeholders and college students.

A major goal of this initiative is to legalize the design education system and sector within the Kingdom. With megaprojects garnering attention across the kingdom, from his NEOM to The Line, the industry leader sees design as the core of his upcoming initiatives.

Batool Justanieh, front desk group leader, told Arab News: .

“They are working hard for our growth, providing us with a solid foundation and digital modeling, renderings and sketches. It’s a tool.”

Princess Noura was optimistic about the road ahead. “Design thinking is only a few years old[in Saudi Arabia]and design research, design consulting and strategy implementation are very new to us here. , the ability to jump off of what the world can learn and that can propel us into the future is a really big opportunity,” she said.

Reem Garrash, CEO and creative director of Shada Hotel, said he was impressed with the high standard of work students did after first presenting the student survey results earlier this month.

“Outstanding. They are at the level of an international consultancy…We are so grateful to have worked with them and experienced the value they have added to the hotel. Every element to enrich the experience It was our ultimate goal to question the

Princess Nourah said Adhlal hopes to develop the initiative and work with more institutions and companies to grow the Saudi industry. “I am very excited about this kind of approach to empowering the new generation and hope that more and more universities will be really open to this kind of thing. I truly believe and believe there is no limit to what can be achieved,” she said.