Land surveyor
Surveys boundaries and existing landscape and produces a 3D topographic survey for an accurate site model.
[ How we work ]Six stages · each ends with your approval
How we work
A clear, cooperative working relationship, built on shared goals, open communication and service excellence.
One team carries a project from the first line to the last detail, and you have a single point of contact throughout.
The people who present the concept are the people who develop it, coordinate it and supervise it. Every project moves through a defined sequence of work stages, each with a clear scope and set of deliverables.
Each stage ends with a presentation for your review; the next begins only on your instruction to proceed. You always know where the project stands, what comes next and what is expected from each member of the team.
On international projects, stages 01–03 are led by ENSŌ.7 and stages 04–06 by the locally based architect, with ENSŌ.7 available as design supervisor.
Stage 01 · INC
Inception
Getting the foundations right: what we are building, where, for whom, and under which rules.
What we do
- Help develop a clear project brief
- Advise on timelines and the overall programme
- Advise on procurement routes and the consultant team
- Define each consultant’s scope of work
- Establish which data, drawings and surveys exist for the site
What you receive
- Agreed scope of work
- Inception report on project size and functional requirements
- Schedule of information issued to consultants
- Report on rights and constraints, and a schedule of consents and approvals
What we need from you: your brief and aspirations, plot and site documents, any existing surveys or drawings, and your preferred timeline.
Stage 02 · SPS · IDC · FDC
Design concept
The idea takes shape, first as a spatial plan, then as architecture.
2a · Initial Design Concept. Begins with a Spatial Planning Study: zoning, adjacencies, areas and how the building sits on its site. Once approved, it grows into a primary design: massing, plans, sections and the first images of the project.
2b · Final Design Concept. Refines the approved concept into a resolved design, with design interfaces coordinated with the engineers and more accurate cost information from the other consultants.
What you receive
- Concept presentation with reference and mood images
- Site plan, schematic plans and area plans (1:500 / 1:250)
- Climate overlay and site analysis
- Elevations and sections, incl. sectional perspectives
- Fully rendered CGI views, 3D stills and an optional short film
- Suggested materials and finishes
Stage 03 · IDD · FDD
Design development
The approved concept is developed, coordinated and detailed, ready for technical documentation.
In Initial and Final Design Development we incorporate your detailed requirements and integrate the engineers’ and specialists’ designs, reviewing the budget and its implications as we go. The result is a fully coordinated design package that forms the basis for authority approvals and technical documentation.
What you receive
- Plans, sections and elevations (1:100 / 1:250)
- Preliminary reflected ceiling plans and area plans
- Large-scale views (1:50) of key feature areas
- Detail sections with key materials called out
- Updated CGI views, 3D stills and film
Coordinated with the engineers
- Site works, substructure and primary structure
- Waterproofing
- Electrical, lighting, IT and audio-visual
- HVAC, fire and security control
- Lifts, alternative supply and landscaping
Stage 04 · ATD
Approvals & technical documentation
Authority submissions, working drawings, specifications and tender.
Simple details (1:25) explain the design intent for structure, slabs, roofs, edges and material interfaces; schedules cover doors and windows, fittings, joinery, pools and spa, and external works. Internationally this stage is led by the locally based architect, with ENSŌ.7 as design supervisor.
Stage 05 · CA&I
Contract administration & inspection
Construction on site, with the design intent protected at every step.
Site handover, construction documentation, regular site and technical meetings, inspection of the works, shop-drawing approvals and contract instructions, with our team checking documentation and samples against the approved design.
Stage 06 · C/O
Close-out
Completion, records and handover.
Defect lists and rectification, completion certificates, as-built drawings, operation and maintenance manuals, guarantees and warranties, and a building that matches its drawings.
[ Programme · drawn to scale, 1 week = 1/42 of the line ]
A sense of time
An indicative programme for a large-scale project, from signature to the end of Design Development. Client reviews, authority approvals and consultant studies are not included. Every programme is set out in its own proposal.
- Mobilisation2 wk
- Inception3 wk
- Spatial Planning Study3 wk
- Initial Design Concept8 wk
- Final Design Concept8 wk
- Initial Design Development10 wk
- Final Design Development8 wk
≈ 42 weeks of design time
[ Consultants · when each one joins ]
The right team, at the right moment
The client appoints the other consultants directly; we advise on the scope expected from each and the appropriate appointments, and coordinate their input into the design.
- Land surveyor, from INC to C/O
- Locally based architect, from SPS to C/O
- Interior designer *, from the middle of IDC to C/O
- Engineering consultants, from FDC to C/O
- Cost consultant, from FDC to C/O
- Lighting designer, from IDD to C/O
- Landscape designer *, from IDD to C/O
- Project manager, from FDD to C/O
* Only where interiors or landscape are outside ENSŌ.7’s scope.
Locally based architect
Identifies development rights, local regulations and guidelines; later leads approvals, documentation and site.
Engineering consultants
Civil, structural, mechanical, electrical and wet services: the technical solutions behind the design.
Cost consultant
Elemental estimates, construction cost advice and feasibility; supports value engineering if required.
Lighting designer
Functional and atmospheric lighting for the architecture, interiors and landscape.
Project manager
Day-to-day management and timely completion of construction, where the project requires one.
[ Local partners ]
Design leadership, local knowledge
For international projects we act as Design Consultant and work closely with a Locally Based Architect (LBA) to produce a comprehensive, well-coordinated set of Design Development documents, the basis for the Approvals and Technical Documentation stage, which the LBA completes.
The LBA brings region-specific knowledge: local regulations, best building practice and the strengths of local trades. Once our scope is complete, we continue to support them with your agreement, helping to resolve design challenges and making sure the original design language is maintained.
ENSŌ.7
- Architecture and interior architecture design
- Leads stages 01–03 as Design Consultant
- Coordinates the consultants to the end of stage 03
- Design supervision in stages 04–06 (optional)
Locally based architect
- Supports ENSŌ.7 in stages 01–03
- Local authority submissions and compliance
- Technical documentation (stage 04)
- Site, construction and close-out (stages 05–06)
[ Where to start ]
From first message to stage one
- Step 1Share what you have
Send us the plot, existing drawings, photographs, or simply a description of what you have in mind.
- Step 2A first read
We come back with a first read on what the site can carry, usually the same day.
- Step 3The brief
A conversation, in person or online, about how you want to live in or use the building, your timeline and your expectations.
- Step 4The proposal
A written proposal setting out the scope of services, the deliverables of each work stage and an indicative programme.
- Step 5The agreement
Once you are happy, we prepare the ENSŌ.7 Client Agreement describing our services in detail.
- Step 6Mobilisation
The team is assembled and, after a short mobilisation period, Stage 01, Inception, begins.
[ Questions ]
Before you ask
The questions we hear most often before a project begins. For anything else, ask us directly. First reply usually the same day.
Do you work outside the UAE?
Yes. ENSŌ.7 is registered in Dubai and works worldwide. Abroad we act as Design Consultant and lead the design through Inception, Concept and Design Development, together with a locally based architect who takes the project through approvals, technical documentation and construction, with our team available as design supervisor.
What do you need from me to start?
A plot, existing drawings, photographs, or simply a description of what you have in mind. We come back with a first read on what the site can carry, usually the same day.
How are your fees structured?
After the brief we send a written proposal with the scope of services, the deliverables of each work stage and an indicative programme. Fees are fixed per work stage; each stage begins on your instruction to proceed, against an upfront payment for that stage. Work outside the agreed scope (additional renders, films or supervision hours) is quoted separately.
How long does the design take?
It depends on the scale of the project and on how quickly decisions are made. As a reference, a large commercial building takes around 42 weeks of design time from Inception to the end of Design Development, not counting your reviews and authority approvals. Every proposal sets out its own programme.
Can you design only the interiors?
Yes. Interior architecture, joinery, lighting and furniture can be commissioned on their own, as in Jacob & Co and Emirates Mansion, including procurement of furniture and finishes from leading manufacturers.
Do you stay involved during construction?
Yes, through author’s supervision: we review shop drawings and samples, join site and technical meetings and report on design compliance, so the building that opens is the building that was designed. In the UAE and GCC we can also handle procurement.
What will I see before anything is built?
Concept presentations with plans, sections and elevations, fully rendered CGI views and 3D stills and, on request, a short film of the project, updated again during Design Development.
Is my project kept confidential?
Always. Private projects stay private: drawings, images and information are shared only with the people who need them.
[ Dubai, United Arab Emirates ]Local time
Let’s talk
Send us what you have: a plot, a floor plan or a rough idea. We’ll come back with a first read on what the site can carry, usually the same day.