Ali M Mahinfar BA (Hons), Dip. Arch. RIBA
Principal

As an architect and independent consultant over the past twenty five years, Ali has designed a wide variety of prestigious international projects in Mongolia, Japan, China, Cuba, Africa, South America, the Middle East, Europe, and the UK. He has wide ranging professional contacts and a broad portfolio of work, which includes prestigious private residential, The Millennium Exhibition Centre and the master planning of numerous 5-star resort complexes with spas.

Ali studied at PCL currently known as Westminster University and on graduation worked with PS&G Architects and achieved the 1992 Regional Housing Award for the design of a Homeless Persons Hostel in Borehamwood, Herts.

In 1990 Ali spent three years as a senior design architect with a Japanese consortium based in Osaka, working on the master planning of a number of resort complexes, and designing city hotels. He was in charge of both architecture and interior design. As a lead designer, he was responsible for winning an in-house competition of a £380.0m mixed-used luxury development in Senboku, Osaka, Japan.

After returning to London in 1993, he co-founded a design/build/construction management company and set up a consortium (CDCI) with an associate to compete in the Millennium National Exhibition Forum (Excel) competition in the Royal Victoria Docks, London. He was responsible for conceptual master planning and also coordinating the consortium members on an 85-acre site, in association with YRM, Antony Hunt, Taylor Woodrow, Gleeds, and Saatchi & Saatchi. The Scheme came second in the competition.

In 1998 he joined Neumayer and Partners, an International company based in London and then transferred to the South of France as their senior designer. He was team leader for four years and worked on a Four Seasons exclusive resort complex and luxury hotel in Terre Blanch. During this time he also worked on the master planning of beach resorts in the Dominican Republic (385 hectares), the Fujairah in the UAE (275 hectares), and the Blue Lagoon in Iceland.

Upon his return in 2003 Ali worked on a number of Luxury resort projects in Cuba, Croatia and Mongolia. He then joined an American International Company as an associate director and set up their London office. While managing the day to day running of the office he was also responsible for the interior architecture of the Taj Palace hotels in Beijing, Taj Jumeirah Palm Island, Dubai and the Taj Resort in Seychelles.

In 2006 he joined John Seifert Architects where he worked closely with the Design Director on the Lahore Grand Hotel in Pakistan, the 2000 housing project in Libya and the Conrad Resort in Portugal. In 2008 Ali joined Echo Architecture LLP and was responsible for the interior architecture of the Ritz Carlton and the Marriott Court Yard Hotel in Riyadh, in addition to the Master planning of the JW Marriott Luxury Resort in Saudi Arabia.

Ali has a solid basis of international design work and a professional and flexible approach that can add value to Client projects ranging from private residential to large international resorts.