Biography

Vibrant Yas Bay, Yas Island, Abu Dhabi

As a Senior Design Manager and part of the PMC team (formerly Faithful+Gould), Roger led the delivery of the retail and leisure components of the landmark Vibrant Yas Bay development from Schematic Design through to DLP. The project included approximately 32,000 sqm of retail, dining, and entertainment space, creating a vibrant waterfront destination integrated with hospitality and event-led attractions.

The retail offering comprises signature restaurants, licensed and unlicensed F&B outlets, a boutique cinema, family entertainment centre, and adventure zone, all designed to support a year-round visitor experience. These facilities are strategically connected to the adjacent 18,000-capacity arena, hotel, waterfront promenade, and public realm, generating significant footfall and commercial activity.

Roger's role encompassed the management and coordination of design, procurement, construction, stakeholder engagement, and project delivery, ensuring the seamless integration of retail, leisure, and hospitality elements within one of Abu Dhabi's premier mixed-use destinations.

Retail & Leisure GFA: Approx. 32,000 sqm
Project Status: Completed
Total Development GFA: Approx. 205,000 sqm
Project Cost: Confidential (under NDA)

As Senior Design Manager for Faithful+Gould, Roger Barefoot supported Miral in delivering the Hilton Yas Bay hotel, operated by Hilton, from design development through construction, handover, and the defects liability stage. His role focused on protecting the quality of the design while coordinating the needs of the client, operator, design team, contractor, and site delivery teams.

The project comprised an approximately 81,000 sqm luxury resort hotel with 550 guestrooms, including suites and a Presidential Suite. Guest facilities included an executive lounge, conference and business facilities, all-day dining and specialty restaurants, a kids' club, beach club, spa, fitness centre, and extensive leisure and recreational amenities.

During the design stages, Roger led design quality reviews and supported Miral in identifying value engineering opportunities with the design team before tender. He continued this work through procurement, helping the client assess proposals and value opportunities with bidders while protecting the approved design intent and Hilton's operational requirements.

During construction, Roger worked with the engineering site delivery team and contractor to refine construction detailing, with particular focus on ensuring the interior design aligned with the approved CGI imagery. He also supported the handover process to the client's facilities management team, ensuring the completed hotel met both the client's operational needs and Hilton's requirements.

A key challenge was balancing the requirements of multiple stakeholders across design, procurement, construction, operations, and handover. The major achievement was seeing the project through its full design and construction journey while helping deliver the client's budget and approved vision. The project was delivered between 2020 and 2021 and is now completed and operating, with Roger also leading the rectification of works during the defects liability stage.

As Project Architect for Gerry Lytle Associates, Roger Barefoot led the concept design, technical design, contract administration, and site management for The Oratory School in Woodcote, Berkshire. The client was The Oratory School, with the work comprising the delivery of new boarding accommodation and the sensitive restoration and maintenance of a historic chapel.

The boarding house project, valued at approximately £4 million, created boarding rooms for young pupils and accommodation for the house master. Roger coordinated the project from design development through technical delivery, ensuring the accommodation supported the school's operational needs and provided a suitable environment for residential life.

Alongside the boarding houses, Roger managed the approximately £120,000 restoration of a 17th-century Old Chapel. The work required a careful approach to conservation, maintenance, and the recreation of historic detailing, balancing the protection of the building's character with the practical requirements of its continued use.

Roger's responsibilities covered concept design, technical design, contract administration, site management, construction coordination, and communication with the school and project team. This was his first project with full oversight and contract administration responsibilities as a Project Architect, providing a significant step in his professional development.

The key challenge was managing the differing technical, operational, and conservation requirements of new boarding accommodation and a sensitive historic building within the same school environment. Both projects were completed in 2004 and remain operational, supporting the school's residential and community life.

As Assistant Architect for Gerry Lytle Associates, Roger Barefoot contributed to the £32 million complete rebuild of the House of Fraser retail area in Guildford, delivered in 2000. The project was led by Draffin as project manager and interior design consultant, while Gerry Lytle Associates acted as technical architect, securing planning permission and building control approvals and overseeing the technical construction process.

The redevelopment transformed the retail area to improve serviceability and customer experience while retaining and protecting the existing listed street frontage. The rear of the building was reconstructed to create a modern department store environment, requiring careful coordination between the historic frontage, new construction, technical requirements, and the client's retail ambitions.

Roger's responsibilities included preparing production drawings and technical information, coordinating design details with the project team, supporting site delivery, and assisting with the resolution of construction issues. He was particularly responsible for the design and construction oversight of the Albert Roux café, as well as the refurbishment and recreation of the derelict Sir Geoffrey Jellicoe water garden.

As a newly qualified architect, this was Roger's first large-scale project and provided valuable experience in the delivery of a complex commercial development. A key challenge was protecting the listed frontage while enabling the substantial reconstruction behind it. The project was completed on time and within budget, although the store has since closed.

As Design Manager within the project management consultancy, Roger Barefoot supported the Investment Corporation of Dubai on the Deira Waterfront Gold Souq development. AE7 acted as the lead and design architect. Roger managed the design delivery programme, coordinated the multidisciplinary design process, and ensured the client's requirements were addressed through the design stages and up to tender.

The development was a major mixed-use regeneration project in Dubai's historic Deira district, with the hotel component operated by Wyndham Group. The scope included several hotels ranging from two-star to four-star accommodation, residential apartment buildings, the Gold Souq, central parking structures, and a transport hub connection to the Dubai Metro. The wider infrastructure works included the reconfiguration of existing roads and supporting infrastructure to connect the new development with the surrounding district.

Roger's responsibilities focused on maintaining programme, coordinating design information between the client, lead architect, consultants, and project stakeholders, and managing the resolution of design requirements through tender documentation. He worked across the hospitality, residential, retail, transport, parking, roads, and infrastructure interfaces to support a coordinated and deliverable design.

A key challenge was the interface between the four-star hotel and the existing Dubai Metro infrastructure. This required careful coordination of the architectural, structural, transport, and operational requirements so that the new development could be integrated above and around an active metro environment.

Roger worked on the project for approximately two years, from design development through tendering, with his design-stage involvement completing around 2016. Phase 1 was subsequently delivered in stages and the completed development is operational. The project demonstrates experience managing complex urban regeneration, transport interfaces, and multidisciplinary design delivery across a large mixed-use district.