Studio Visit: T.ZED Architects

Walking into Al Khayyat Avenue in Dubai’s Al Quoz district—the heart of the city’s industrial and cultural sector—I found T.ZED Architects nestled in an obscure space surrounded by art galleries, film studios, and other former warehouses turned creative hubs. The area was both busy and calm, a striking juxtaposition. As I approached the studio that May afternoon, a few employees were casually chatting at the entrance, sipping coffee before heading back to what looked like a busy day. The office was anchored by a huge wooden door and framed with potted plants. I was led into an expansive foyer, empty except for a few tables and spotlights, overlooking a glass wall where I could see staff hard at work on their next project—or quite a few projects, I would soon learn. I waited for Tarik Zaharna, who was wrapping up a meeting when I arrived. 

Looking around, the space was calm and tranquil, with soft music playing in the background adding to the relaxed atmosphere. Neutral-toned walls and a bookshelf filled with coffee table books and architectural publications were spread linearly across from a long table where most of the employees worked—a masterclass in open-plan design. Tarik, equally casual in slacks and a baseball cap, welcomed me into his office—the only other closed-off room alongside the adjacent meeting room, both with glass windows and doors to emphasize the openness of the space. He began to tell me about his practice.

“During one of my trips to Dubai, I reconnected with an old friend from high school who needed some help on an F&B concept, and I thought, sure, I can make some money on the side and help him with this project,” Zaharna explains. Born in Saudi Arabia, he tells me about growing up in Luxembourg to Palestinian parents from Gaza. At 16, he attended boarding school in Lebanon before eventually graduating from the Bartlett School of Architecture in London. It wasn’t until his last two years of high school that he began really putting together the skills to experiment with construction and furniture making, he tells me. Coupled with his innate sense of what made a space feel successful, this path naturally progressed into studying architecture—it simply felt like the obvious thing to do.

“After that project was completed, I went back to London, before getting another job for a penthouse renovation in Dubai. I started spending more time [in Dubai]. I always wanted to be in London—and Dubai was nice to plug into—but it was like a 60/40 situation, with most of my time spent in Dubai.” Zaharna founded T.ZED Architects, his flagship office, in Dubai in 2015. Al Khayyat Avenue has been home to the main office for a few years now. The Avenue itself was developed by the Dubai government to transform the industrial area of Al Quoz into a cultural hub in 2021, solidified by the presence of several art galleries opening their permanent spaces a few years later. 

Since the beginning, the practice has been built on the premise of creating a regional contemporary architectural language—something Zaharna feels has largely been overlooked: “There’s been a massive importation of ideas, building techniques, and architectural styles, but apart from a few architects and academics, there wasn’t really a practice that spoke the language of the region and exported that successfully.” Between his undergraduate and postgraduate studies, he passionately followed the works of Peter Wilson, an architect based in northern Germany. “For international architecture enthusiasts, or just people abroad, that part of Germany doesn’t particularly have a draw unless you’re a student—it’s a college town. They run this beautiful practice, and I was following their work in terms of how they build. It was a very playful style, and I was drawn to the way Peter sketches. They were very colorful—even if it’s not exactly the direction I’m taking with this practice.”

The firm is currently transitioning from being solely a consultancy to taking on a more active role in development, partnering with residential and hospitality clients. T.ZED Architects has worked with the likes of Majid Al Futtaim—a major retail and property developer in the UAE—on several commercial projects. Abroad, the firm is currently working on a boutique hotel in Puglia, Italy, and as a result has been approached to take on two additional projects in the country. A luxury retreat with 22 keys, the hotel under development in Puglia focuses on wellness and sustainability, allowing the landscape to lead the design. Phase one is expected to be completed by the end of 2026, with seven rooms set to be handed over; the full project is scheduled for completion in 2028. The team at T.ZED is currently developing the brand identity for the now-confidential hotel and is also collaborating with a prominent landscaping company and international engineers. Five years ago, T.ZED Architects Luxembourg was set up to accommodate these international projects and a growing portfolio. 

“I don’t think it’s worthwhile to take on projects for the sake of taking on projects,” he says. “What we’re able to do is design spaces that are timeless and meaningful, while keeping in mind that these spaces are human-centric. They are not parametric spaces that are in the abstract,” Zaharna further explains. “We want to think of our architecture as very tactile, and the services that we offer are research-focused, context-driven, material-rich and the kind that stand the test of time.”

Several residential and hospitality projects are set to be completed over the next two to three years, alongside a “handful” of cultural spaces, including the renovation of historic buildings in the Al Hamriyah area of Dubai. Consisting of three buildings in an older part of the city, the design concept of this project will focus on working with what already exists on site to revive the buildings, while preserving their cultural significance. The design phase is complete, and a contractor has been appointed. A few additional residential and cultural projects, in the UAE and beyond, will round out what promises to be a very busy and fruitful few years for the practice.