A F F A N
I N N O V A T I V E
Experimental and inventive
It is this forward-thinking ethos that has allowed the organisation to excel in the 15 years since its unconventional inception. “Back in 2004 I worked on a job for one person, but they could only pay the money into a business account,” Affan answers when asked about the firm’s history. “Affan Innovative Structures was therefore only initially launched so that I could accept this single payment, but soon after we began to take on more jobs and I hired my own team.” From three staff at the end of year one to seven at the end of year four, the enterprise has expanded exponentially, now employing 250 workers across a diverse multitude of different divisions and specialisms. Naturally, this growth has been accompanied by an ability to provide turnkey solutions that include an abundant range of adept design,
A meeting taking place between the Affan Innovative Structures team
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fabrication, installation and building and maintenance system services, and in turn countless contracts and innovative architectural projects. And for Affan, this portfolio is epitomised by The Lady Bug – a play area for children commissioned by the Dubai Health Authority for the Al Jalila Hospital in Dubai in 2014. “We’ve delivered everything from 46-metre carbon fibre palm trees at the Palm Jumeirah to a sculpture bus
stop for Airbus, but The Lady Bug is particularly fond in my memory,” he states. “I asked the hospital Director why he didn’t want to spend the finances allocated to this project on extra hospital equipment, and I couldn’t believe his answer. He said a happy child recovers much faster than an unhappy child – brighten their days and you can help to get them home and healthy where they belong.”