Visa has opened its new headquarters in Dubai that will serve almost 90 countries across Central and Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa (CEMEA) region. The design and construction were managed by Sweid & Sweid, with BSBG as Lead Consultant and Gensler as Interior Designers. UMAYA Lighting Design was appointed to deliver lighting design to all interior front of house spaces as well as the exterior façade and landscape areas.

Spanning 100,000 sq ft, the new HQ will house the company’s almost 500 regional employees – and can accommodate up to 750 employees in the future – expanding the company’s capabilities in the CEMEA region.

The new purpose-built office space was designed to support a hybrid work environment and extends on Visa’s culture of collaboration, connectivity and community. The open layout offers multiple types of workspaces. Some of the facilities include formal and informal meeting rooms, focus booths, prayer rooms and mothers’ rooms. Some highlights of the building include a 10,000 square feet state-of-the-art innovation center holding an immersive experience zone. The new space also houses CEMEA’s first Visa University campus which will host a string of training and educational programs for Visa employees, clients and partners. Not only did UMAYA’s lighting design need to cater to a diversity of spaces, it also had to adapt to the variety of possible uses as well as occupant preferences. Human centricity was thus placed front and center of the lighting and controls scheme UMAYA eventually deployed. 

The ultimate result was an inspiring, functional and future-proof lighting scheme catering to the daily needs of employees and reflecting Visa’s core values.