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Architecture, interior design and master planning across Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Riyadh and Jeddah.
URU Design Services LLC was established in Dubai in 2025, a formal commitment to the GCC market. Architecture, interior design and landscape design — delivered by one team, under one contract, to clients across the UAE, Saudi Arabia and the wider MENA region.
Legal entity
URU Design Services LLC
Jurisdiction
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Registered
2025 — active
Parent organisation
URU Consulting LLP, India — est. 2015
| Market | Entity | Status | Since |
|---|---|---|---|
| India (Kerala) | URU Consulting LLP | Active | 2015 |
| UAE (Dubai) | URU Design Services LLC | Active | 2025 |
| Saudi Arabia | Direct project delivery | Active projects | 2025 |
| GCC / MENA | Via UAE entity | Services available | 2025 |
| Southeast Asia | Horizon planning | Year 8–12 | — |
URU Design Services LLC was incorporated in Dubai in 2025 following a deliberate decision to formalise the firm's Gulf presence. The GCC market had been generating enquiries and project interest for several years before that decision: clients who found the integrated design model compelling, and who wanted a single point of accountability across architecture, interiors and landscape rather than managing three separate consultants.
The establishment of a registered UAE entity is a statement of intent. URU is not a Kerala firm that occasionally works in the Gulf. It is a practice with legal standing in both markets, structured to serve clients in each with the same team, the same standards and the same contractual clarity.
Every project URU Design Services LLC delivers is backed by the engineering rigour of URU Consulting LLP — the parent practice, founded by engineers in Kozhikode in 2015. In the Gulf, where the word engineer carries regulatory and institutional weight, that parentage is not incidental. It is the reason design decisions here are technically grounded from the first sketch, not reconciled with structure and services at the end.
Architecture, interior design and landscape from one team, one contract. In a market where these three are typically commissioned separately — with the misalignments that follow — URU's integrated model is a material advantage.
Extreme solar exposure, material sourcing constraints, and the spatial expectations of Gulf clients require contextual design knowledge. URU brings that understanding from direct project experience in the UAE and KSA.
A decade of international press coverage, NRI client experience and formal UAE registration means URU approaches Gulf projects with contextual understanding, not generic international practice.
URU has active projects in Saudi Arabia, delivered through the UAE entity. KSA enquiries are welcome and handled through the same design team.
URU Design Services LLC offers architecture, interior design and landscape design to clients across the UAE and GCC. All three are delivered by the same team, under one contract, from brief to completion.
A single design team responsible for architecture, interiors and landscape eliminates the misalignments that occur when three separate consultants serve the same project — different aesthetics, different timelines, different accountability.
URU organises its practice around seven sector domains. All seven are available to clients in the UAE, Saudi Arabia and the wider GCC through URU Design Services LLC.
01 — Residential
Private residences, family villas and residential compounds in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and across the Kingdom. Designed for extreme heat, generous programmes and long-term performance.
Explore sector →02 — Retail
Retail fit-outs and commercial interiors in Dubai, Riyadh and Jeddah. Brand standards applied with contextual material intelligence. Human movement and spatial atmosphere over generic branded finishes.
Explore sector →03 — Restaurant
Restaurant interiors and purpose-built dining buildings across the Gulf. Kitchen planning, ventilation, acoustic separation and material durability resolved alongside the experiential brief from day one.
Explore sector →04 — Recreational
Clubs, sports facilities, community centres and leisure buildings. Designed around peak occupancy, climate control demands and material durability under continuous active use.
Explore sector →05 — Regenerative Schools
Schools and educational facilities designed to ecological and pedagogical standards. In the Gulf context, this means passive cooling, daylighting strategies and spatial layouts that reduce HVAC dependency.
Explore sector →06 — Resorts
Resort and hospitality developments from boutique lodges to larger leisure destinations across UAE, Oman and the wider MENA region. Landscape, architecture and interiors designed as a single integrated act.
Explore sector →07 — Research
Specialist facilities for scientific, technical and knowledge-based institutions. Adaptive reuse of existing institutional stock alongside new-build commissions. An active and growing sector for the practice.
Explore sector →NRI.
URU has extensive experience serving clients based in the GCC who are building homes and projects in Kerala.
A significant share of URU's Kerala residential portfolio has been commissioned by clients based in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Riyadh and other Gulf cities. The process is well-established: initial consultations online, design development through shared BIM models and detailed drawings, site supervision coordinated with trusted local contractors and periodic visits when project milestones require physical presence.
Clients in the Gulf building in Kerala do not need to manage the project themselves. URU handles design, engineering, regulatory approvals, contractor coordination and construction supervision as a single integrated service.
Initial brief, site analysis and feasibility discussed via video call.
Full design developed and shared as BIM models, drawings and visualisations.
Site supervision coordinated by URU through approvals, procurement and construction.
URU Design Services LLC is led by Safder Machilakath, an architect and interior designer from Kozhikode, Kerala. Safder has practised across South India and the Gulf for more than a decade and leads one of the few Malayali-founded design practices registered and operating in the UAE.
For the Malayali community across Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and Riyadh, URU offers a natural combination: a UAE-registered practice led by an architect who shares the same cultural background, understands the priorities of Gulf-based Kerala families, and brings more than 100 completed projects behind every new commission.
Consultations can be conducted in Malayalam, English or Hindi. Whether the project is a villa in Dubai, an apartment interior in Abu Dhabi, or a family home being built back in Kerala, the working relationship is direct and the cultural context is shared from the first conversation.
Safder Machilakath
Managing Partner, Principal Designer
Kozhikode, Kerala, India
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Malayalam · English · Hindi
URU has active projects in the UAE and Saudi Arabia. Project details are shared with clients on request. To discuss a specific project requirement, use the enquiry form below or contact the studio directly at hello@urudesign.ae.
Whether you are based in the Gulf and building locally, or based in the Gulf and building in Kerala, the enquiry process is the same. Fill in the form and we will respond within two working days from our Dubai office.
URU Design Services LLC, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Yes. URU Design Services LLC is a formally registered Limited Liability Company in Dubai, UAE, established in 2025. It is the contracting entity for all Gulf-originated architecture and engineering commissions. Clients in the UAE receive a contract issued by a UAE-registered company, not a foreign firm operating informally.
Yes. URU has active project engagements in Saudi Arabia, delivered through the UAE entity. Residential and commercial briefs are both in scope. KSA enquiries are handled through the Dubai office and the same integrated team.
URU Design Services LLC offers three disciplines in the GCC: Architecture, Interior Design and Landscape Design. All three are delivered by one team under one contract. Engineering services are delivered through the India entity for India-based projects and are not currently offered as standalone services in the Gulf.
URU's 7R sectoral framework covers Residential villas and compounds, Retail environments, Restaurant and dining spaces, Recreational and leisure facilities, Regenerative Schools, Resorts and hospitality developments, and Research and institutional buildings. All seven sectors are available across UAE, KSA and the wider GCC.
URU is familiar with the regulatory frameworks of Dubai Municipality and Trakhees. Approval processes, submission formats and compliance requirements are factored into the project programme from the outset. Clients are not expected to manage the approvals process themselves.
Yes. A significant share of URU's residential portfolio in Kerala has been commissioned by clients based in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Riyadh. Initial consultations are conducted online. Design is developed through BIM models and detailed drawings. Construction is supervised on-site by the URU team. Clients based in the Gulf do not need to manage the process.
Safder Machilakath, a Malayali designer from Kozhikode, Kerala, leads all Gulf commissions as Managing Partner and Principal Designer. Based in Dubai, Safder has practised across South India and the Gulf for more than a decade. The same team that delivers projects in India delivers projects in the GCC. There is no separate Gulf studio with a different team or different standards.
Yes. The practice is led by Safder Machilakath, a Malayali architect and interior designer from Kozhikode, Kerala, who is based in Dubai. Safder has practised architecture and interior design across South India and the Gulf for more than a decade. A significant share of URU's Gulf clients are from the Kerala expat community across Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and Riyadh. Consultations are conducted in Malayalam, English or Hindi.
Yes. Malayali and Kerala expat clients across the UAE and Saudi Arabia form a core part of URU's Gulf residential work. The practice understands the design preferences of Gulf-based Kerala families, the regulatory conditions of both UAE and Kerala construction, and the NRI brief of building back home while managing a project remotely. The cultural and linguistic background is shared from the first conversation.
Use the enquiry form on this page or email hello@urudesign.ae directly. Describe your project — location, type, scale and timeline, as much or as little as you know at this stage. URU responds within two working days from the Dubai office.