COOOP Design Studio is an award-winning design collective of Architects, Interior Architects, Engineers and Service Providers under the creative and technical direction of Callie van der Merwe, Marcus Wilkins and Ahsan Siddiqui.

OUR PHILOSOPHY

Design for Behaviour

We apply human behavioural knowledge to design and curate highly successful social spaces within the built environment.

We have done so for almost 35 years and in this time we have learned a tremendous amount about how people behave naturally and intuitively within social environments like restaurants, cafes, clubs and bars.

With over 490 of these successful venues under our belt and years of research and observation into the qualities that make spaces successful, we are conﬁdent that we can create optimum spaces for the best human experiences and the best possible outcome for our clients.

Experience the Forest V Penthouse through these images. A room with a cozy bed and a lush green rug offers a tranquil retreat. The images highlight the soothing presence of greenery with a close-up and a blurred image of a plant, contributing to the ambiance. The carefully designed space, featuring a bed and a green rug, embodies 'Design for Behaviour,' ensuring comfort and relaxation in every detail.

Team

The core team members of COOOP.

Managing Director

Marcus Wilkins

Marcus is a multiple international award winning and celebrated Architect and urban planner with major projects across the Middle East and Pakistan. With a current working portfolio of over 30m sg.ft of projects Marcus has earned international acclaim for his successful conclusion of very complex and demanding developments.

Director

Callie van der Merwe

Callie began his career as an Architect in the early 1990’s before changing over to Interior Architecture in the early 2000’s. Since then, he has completed multiple award winning and successful commercial interior spaces all over the world with a signature philosophical approach of design for predictive behaviour.

Director

Ahsan Siddiqui

Ahsan has been associated with EA Consulting Pvt. Ltd. since 1991 in various lead positions until taking over as Chairman in 2006. His leadership and vision has transformed the company from a traditional engineering firm to one of the largest multidisciplinary consulting company in public and private sector in various locations such as Pakistan, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, Mozambique, Romania and Libya.

Director Business Development

UAE/KSA

Omar Mansoor

Omar Mansoor, a seasoned Marketing Director with 30+ years of global business development experience, specializes in driving growth in the Middle East. His visionary leadership and extensive network have consistently propelled organizations to new heights, making him a respected figure in international business circles.

Senior Associate

Calvin Janse van Vuuren

Calvin's architectural experience, compels him to explore the intricacies of form, function, texture and colour within his creative design.

With strong managerial skills, Calvin works with a global community of renowned artists, consultants and strategic teams. His design work is inspired by rich storytelling, interwoven into the fabric of each unique environment he creates.

Senior Associate

Roberto Zambri

Roberto's approach offers a considered and skillful blend of art and design to create engaging and holistic interior spaces.

His designs are based on a strong individual character of minimalism with a skillful blend of specific to region culture and arts, resulting in rich transcendent engaging spaces.

Behavioural Analyst

Deborah de Jong

Deborah is a seasoned leader and consultant with experience working in a range of business operations. As an interior designer for over twenty years the combination of retail experience and interior psychology have allowed her to become a successful adviser and designer to residential, retail and commercial sectors, Deborah knows the importance of putting people before numbers to build a successful enterprise.

COOOP in Time

1992

EA Consulting Pvt Ltd. New Era

EA Consulting acquires new leadership under the director of Ahsan Siddiqui.

1997

Design Partnership Founded - South Africa

Design Partnership is founded in South Africa focusing on Architecture, Interior Architecture with a focus on human centric design in social spaces.

Services

We follow the standard RIBA (Royal Institute of British Architects) and AACA (Architects Accreditation Council of Australia) stages adjusted to client preference. In a nutshell they involve the following:

Brief Development

We assist in formulating a design brief by taking all touch points into consideration, understanding that we are designing for your customers. We take into account our human behavioural principals and consider things that limit the brief but can potentially fuel design ambitions.

Design Concept

In alignment with the brief and business drivers, a design direction is articulated for implementation combining best practice solutions from both in and outside category. This is achieved through various iterations of visually curated pieces that best tells a story of your brand within the physical space.

Implementation

Applying the design concept into the built environment we take into consideration the emotional and sensorial aspect of an interior space that will best articulate the design brief. This is achieved through technical construction documentation, bespoke joinery drawings unique FF&E schedules and intelligent value engineering.

Join Our Team

If you are interested in joining our team, view the career opportunities currently available.

Careers