The Dubai office of HOK retains a strong presence in the region with 65 staff, broken down into 38 architects, one planner, one landscape architect, 12 engineers, two construction directors and eight administrators. As of 2009, the firm maintains more than 2,000 professional staff across a global network of 23 offices and is active in all major architectural specialities. Notable projects in the region include the massive $10 billion King Abdullah University for Science & Technology (KAUST) in Thawul, Saudi Arabia, being built for Saudi Aramco. The firm is also the design architect for the $2 billion New Doha International Airport, Qatar and the new $250 million 190,000m² corporate headquarters for Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) in the UAE capital (bids for the main construction contract were submitted in February).

HOK was established in St. Louis, Missouri in 1955, the name derived from the surnames of its three founding partners: George Hellmuth, Gyo Obata and George Kassabaum. HOK’s first office outside the US was opened in Hong Kong in 1984 and by 2007 its international work represented more than 40% of its revenue. In 2008 its gross fees totalled $757 million.
 
 

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