Exclusive Interview with Muayad Simbawa, Managing Director of Nemetschek Arabia

Nemetschek Group has long been a pioneer in digital design and construction software. How do you see your solutions reshaping the modern home in the UAE?

We see our solutions reshaping the modern UAE home by focusing on three core pillars: intelligent design, sustainable performance, and operational excellence. Instead of just modeling a home, our platforms, like Graphisoft and Vectorworks, allow architects to simulate how a home will actually perform in different conditions, ensuring maximum energy efficiency and indoor comfort from day one.

In construction, tools like Bluebeam enhance collaboration, speeding up delivery and ensuring quality. Critically, we reshape the modern home’s operational life. Our Digital Twin solutions turn the design data into a live asset management tool, allowing seamless integration with smart home technology and predictive maintenance. This ensures the home is not only built efficiently but remains comfortable, sustainable, and high-performing for decades. Ultimately, our goal is to help developers and designers deliver homes that reflect the UAE’s vision for a future where technology enriches everyday living in meaningful, intuitive ways.

With the rising demand for smart living, what role does Nemetschek play in helping architects and designers create more intuitive, tech-enabled homes?

As smart living becomes an essential part of the UAE lifestyle, our role at Nemetschek is to bridge the gap between architectural design and technological integration. Creating truly intuitive, tech-enabled homes requires designers to integrate systems like HVAC, security, and smart lighting before construction even begins.

Our BIM solutions enable architects to design the digital infrastructure for these systems directly within the model. This allows for early clash detection and ensures the building fabric seamlessly accommodates all the smart technology. Furthermore, by promoting open standards, we ensure the data generated by design is easily consumable by all home integrators, guaranteeing a smoother installation and a unified, future-proof platform for the homeowner. In essence, we empower designers to deliver homes where the technology is invisible, intuitive, and truly enhances the living experience without overwhelming it.

As the Managing Director, what excites you most about the future of homes and spaces in the UAE?

What excites me most about the future of homes and spaces in the UAE is the incredible convergence of innovation, sustainability, and human-centric design. This is a country that doesn’t just adopt new ideas, it imagines what living could look like in 10 years or even 50 years from now and then builds it. We are entering a new era where homes will be more adaptable, energy-efficient, and seamlessly connected. Spaces will anticipate residents’ needs, reduce environmental impact, and enhance wellbeing through smarter design and technology.

At Nemetschek Group, I am inspired by how our digital solutions are helping bring this vision to life, from AI-assisted design and precise BIM modelling to digital twins that optimize comfort and performance. What truly motivates me is the opportunity to support developers, architects, and designers as they shape homes that are not only technologically advanced, but also warm, livable, and deeply rooted in the UAE’s forward-looking spirit.

You recently announced a strategic partnership with Concerted Solutions to boost AEC/O digital transformation across the GCC. Can you walk us through a few early projects or pilot deployments under this collaboration and how they align with regional home-and-infrastructure development trends?

Our partnership with Concerted Solutions is deeply aligned with the region’s digital transformation ambitions. Together, we want to accelerate the adoption of smarter, more connected, and more data-driven workflows across the GCC’s construction and infrastructure sectors. Concerted Solutions brings strong regional expertise and an extensive network, which will help us engage more closely with government entities, developers, and consultants who are looking to advance their digital capabilities.

The partnership is also designed to support national agendas such as Saudi Vision 2030 and the UAE’s We the UAE 2031 vision by enabling organizations to improve efficiency, enhance collaboration, and make more informed decisions through integrated digital tools. Ultimately, our joint mission is to unlock new opportunities for innovation and help shape future-ready built environments whether in homes, communities, or major infrastructure projects.

How are you tailoring your software and digital workflows specifically for large-scale residential developments in the GCC through this partnership?

Through our partnership with Concerted Solutions, we are tailoring our software and digital workflows to meet the unique needs of large-scale residential developments in the GCC – a market defined by rapid growth, ambitious national visions, and rising expectations for smart, sustainable living. Together, we are helping developers move from traditional, siloed processes to fully connected digital ecosystems that support better planning, coordination, and long-term asset performance.

Our joint approach focuses on enabling clearer design communication, improving construction quality, and ensuring that energy efficiency and sustainability targets are embedded from the start. With tools such as BIM, digital twins, and data-driven collaboration platforms, residential developers can simulate community layouts, optimize material use, streamline handover, and enhance the resident experience through smarter building operations.

Since your expansion into Saudi Arabia, you’ve signaled a focus on giga-projects under Vision 2030. What are some of the major developments (residential, infrastructure, or hospitality) you are already involved in, or planning to be involved in, in the Kingdom?

Our focus in Saudi Arabia is strategically aligned with the core pillars of Vision 2030, including the massive residential, infrastructure, and tourism giga-projects. We are proudly engaged with developments that are setting a new global benchmark for sustainable construction. Nemetschek Group is actively supporting the digital transformation goals of major developers behind flagship projects like the ones by Public Investment Fund. Our solutions are providing the digital backbone for design and construction in the Kingdom’s next generation of cities, whether that’s using Graphisoft for residential master-planning, Bluebeam for site collaboration, or dTwin to power the long-term, sustainable operation of the Kingdom’s emerging hospitality and infrastructure assets.

The Nemetschek Group has an impressive global footprint. How are you tailoring your growth strategy for the UAE’s unique home and hospitality markets?

Our global strategy is always executed with a deep commitment to understanding the needs and expectations of the local market. The UAE’s home and hospitality markets are uniquely dynamic, blending cutting-edge design with a strong emphasis on comfort, sustainability, and guest experience. To help developers create spaces that are both technologically advanced and deeply human-centric within this region, our strategy focuses on three areas. First, service localization to ensure our support and consulting services are delivered by local experts who understand the unique regulatory environment and climate challenges. Second, ecosystem collaboration, which means strengthening ties with key local system integrators and property technology providers to ensure our design and operation platforms integrate seamlessly with the specific smart home technology favored here. Third, specialized solutions, where we champion brands like Spacewell and dTwin that deliver immediate, measurable value in facility management – a critical factor for the region’s high-end, long-term asset owners in both the residential and luxury hospitality sectors. Through this strategy which combines global innovation with local partnerships and on-the-ground expertise, we ensure our solutions truly reflect the UAE’s forward-looking vision.

 In celebration of the UAE’s 53rd National Day, Western Furniture is calling on furniture lovers to elevate their homes with exceptional style. To honor this national milestone, the brand presents a handpicked showcase of leading international labels, now available on their signature designs.

Natuzzi Editions

Discover refined craftsmanship and artistry from Natuzzi Editions with the Gold Accessories Vase — a sophisticated décor piece that brings a subtle touch of luxury to any console, shelf, or centre table.

HOME SCENT COTTON

A luxurious fragrance diffuser crafted with premium oils and natural reeds, designed to envelop your home in a serene and elegant aroma—perfect for infusing your National Day celebrations with a refined, welcoming scent.

Love in every shape: oily folds céramique multicolor vase:

Captivating statement piece with unique kaleidoscope ceramic that shifts colors under different lighting. Adds enchanting vibrancy to Eid décor.

CALLIGARIS:

For those who appreciate contemporary Italian craftsmanship, CALLIGARIS presents a handpicked assortment of its most iconic designs. Highlights include:

Colette Mirror Designed by Roccadadria

Colette plays with flat and curved glass, breaking up the image while scattering light across the room. The result is depth, rhythm, and a mirror that feels alive, designed to brighten the space it inhabits.

VANITY Mirror: Crafted with bronze glass and a matte pearl beige metal frame this piece elevates contemporary interiors with subtle sophistication.

Circles Occasional Furniture: Designed by Busetti Garuti Redaelli

 Crafted entirely from varnished metal, CIRCLES is a modern and space-saving accent piece designed to keep essentials stylishly on display. This sleek column features four circular shelves set at varying heights, creating a dynamic, sculptural look that adds visual interest to any room.

MAGAZINE Table: A chic combination of matte black lacquer, regenerated leather, and metal, perfect for stylish organization.

SURFACE Mirror: A bold round bronze mirror that becomes a stunning focal point in entryways or living spaces.

As Western Furniture marks this special national occasion, the brand reinforces its commitment to offering timeless design, exceptional quality, and unparalleled style to homes across the UAE.

Western Furniture welcomes all design lovers to visit its showrooms and discover iconic pieces, transforming their spaces with signature pieces that reflect the UAE’s spirit of innovation, unity, and modern elegance.

In celebration of the UAE’s 53rd National Day, Natuzzi Italia invites design enthusiasts and discerning shoppers to transform their homes with exceptional Italian craftsmanship. This special occasion offers the perfect opportunity to explore a curated selection of iconic pieces that combine timeless elegance with modern sophistication, adding a touch of luxury to any interior.

Oblo Sofa: A Welcoming Embrace, Useful Modularity

The Oblò sofa, designed by the esteemed Maurizio Manzoni, embodies the warm embrace of a welcoming home. Its sleek silhouette is accentuated by a metal structure that not only adds elegance but also provides an airy, streamlined look. Oblò’s modular system allows for various configurations, making it a versatile choice for any living space. Each unit can be used as a standalone piece, ensuring that your home remains as adaptable as it is beautiful.

The Urchin vase by Marcel Wanders

A stunning Italian handcrafted ceramic piece that encapsulates the serene beauty of the Mediterranean. Its matte white finish and unique three-dimensional patterning, reminiscent of a sea urchin, create a captivating visual and tactile experience. This vase transcends mere decoration, bringing a touch of refined, organic elegance to any interior.

Botanic armchair

Botanic is a beautifully crafted fabric armchair designed as a stylish, inviting retreat for any interior. Inspired by 1950s aesthetics, it blends retro charm with contemporary flair, featuring an open base and sleek metal legs that echo modern design trends. With its soft, enveloping silhouette, Botanic instantly creates a warm sense of comfort and hospitality.

FROST Central Coffee Table

The FROST Central Coffee Table captivates with its expansive oval glass top floating above sculpted marble forms. Its bold geometric base—crafted from a combination of a vertical slab and a cylindrical marble column—creates a harmonious balance between transparency and stone, making it a standout centrepiece for living spaces.

Completing the duo, the FROST Accent Table showcases the same refined design language on a more compact scale. Its round glass top rests on a minimalist structure pairing a vertical marble plane with a cylindrical side element. The result is an elegant side table that brings sculptural sophistication to any seating area, bedroom, or reading nook.

Trullini Blue

Trullini Aromatic Candle, a decoration item with both aesthetic and functional value. It is a handmade product that contain scented candle with extract of natural oils.

Pumo by Natuzzi Italia

The Pumo, a cherished symbol of luck in Apulian tradition, derives its name from the Latin word pumum, meaning pinecone. Representing new life and growth, the Pumo offers a meaningful and artistic touch to your home.

the Natuzzi Olive Tree

Inspired by the sunlit landscapes of Southern Italy, the Natuzzi Olive Tree brings a sculptural, lifelike touch of Mediterranean serenity to any space. More than décor, it symbolizes resilience, harmony, and the brand’s deep connection to nature.

the Seti Rug

the Seti Rug—handmade with refined textures, warm tones, and modern patterns that echo the region’s earthy palette.  the Seti Rug grounds any interior with softness and contemporary style.