Founded in Manama, 2024
Our History
nicholas was founded in Manama in 2024, but the studio did not start from a blank page. It builds on more than 30 years of practice by our founding director, Nicholas Bonaventure, much of it spent shaping some of the Gulf's best-known places.
Today we are a RIBA chartered practice with our head office in the Bahrain World Trade Center, a studio in Kolkata, and new offices opening soon in Saudi Arabia and Libya.
Key statistics
30+
years of practice behind the studio
2024
nicholas founded in Manama
10
years of practice outside the GCC before launching nicholas
RIBA
chartered practice
Before nicholas
Before founding the practice, Nicholas Bonaventure worked on several of the region's defining projects: the Bahrain World Trade Center, the master plan for Durrat Al Bahrain and its marina, the Al Sharq Office Tower in Kuwait City, and a notable competition entry for the Kuwait Investment Authority headquarters.
Several were recognised and awarded. Al Sharq Office Tower won Best High Rise Architecture at the Arabian Property Awards and a MIPIM Future Projects Award in 2007, and Durrat Al Bahrain Marina was named Best Marina Development in 2008. Nicholas himself was named Middle East Architect of the Year 2008. These awards are his, not the studio's, but they set the standard to which we hold ourselves.
He then spent ten years running his own practice outside the region, broadening his work into education, healthcare, hospitality, and community projects. In 2022, the Edendale Primary School Garden-to-Table project received the Supreme Award from Learning Environments New Zealand.
Why Bahrain
"Having operated my architecture practice outside of the region for the past 10 years, I made the decision to return to the Gulf two years ago, and chose Bahrain."
Nicholas Bonaventure, Why Bahrain, March 2026
The reasons were practical. Bahrain is an easy place to establish and run a growing practice, with a skilled, English-speaking workforce and close links to its universities. Its airport makes it simple to work across the region, and its open, welcoming society and clear national vision make it a stable base, while neighbouring markets transform through Giga-projects.
The studio opened in the Bahrain World Trade Center, a landmark Nicholas had worked on previously.
A studio in India
In 2026, nicholas opened its first studio outside Bahrain, in Kolkata. It brings the practice closer to clients across the Indian subcontinent. Nicholas’ previous work includes significant projects for Bombay Dyeing in Mumbai. The studio sits in one of India's planned Smart City townships, a fitting base for a practice that plans and designs cities.
Next: Saudi Arabia and Libya
Two more offices are planned: one in Riyadh, in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and one in Benghazi, Libya. Each will bring the same principal-led approach closer to our clients, in the Kingdom and across North Africa.
Our vision
To establish Bahrain as an international centre of design excellence, and to show that exceptional architecture, urbanism, and design leadership can be created in the Kingdom and delivered to the world.
Our mission
Our mission is to make built environments better. We do it by bringing international design standards and local understanding into one studio, so our clients do not have to choose between a global firm and one that knows their market, their regulations, their climate, and their culture.
Our values
Design excellence
Design is the organising principle of every decision, not a phase of the project.
Regenerative design
We go beyond sustainability and aim to leave places, communities, and clients better off.
Culture and climate
Architecture that belongs to its place, from Khaleeji culture to Najdi and Hijazi principles.
Global and local
International standards, delivered by a team that knows the region.
Principal-led
The principal who takes your brief stays with it to handover.
How we work
Our approach comes down to five principles, set out by Nicholas in 2024:
Listen to understand
Good design begins with comprehension, not assumptions.
Innovate through practical means
Ideas matter when they are buildable, viable, and meet real needs.
Do whatever it takes
We take ownership of our clients' success.
Learn continuously
With every project comes the chance to get even better.
Find joy in the process
Teams that enjoy their work deliver better outcomes.
What we stand for
We judge an idea by what it delivers. Too many projects are commissioned as striking concepts and handed on before anyone has tested whether they will work. We would rather design places that respond well to how people live.
"Practicality is not the enemy of progress. It is often the foundation of it."
Nicholas Bonaventure, The Concept Fallacy
That is why we learn from place rather than import models built for other climates and cultures, whether that means the Najdi tradition behind Riyadh's contemporary Salmani style or shaded, walkable streets for a Gulf summer. It is also why we speak of regeneration rather than sustainability. We aim to leave places better than we found them.
Milestones
2007
Al Sharq Office Tower, Kuwait City: Best High Rise Architecture, Arabian Property Awards, and MIPIM Future Projects Award
2008
Durrat Al Bahrain Marina: Best Marina Development, Arabian Property Awards
2022
Edendale Primary School Garden-to-Table: Supreme Award, Learning Environments New Zealand
2024
nicholas founded, located in the Bahrain World Trade Center, Manama
2025
Interior design for NJD's Heart Tower, Riyadh · exhibiting at Cityscape Global, Riyadh
2026
Speaking at Design in Bahrain, British University of Bahrain · exhibiting and on a panel at FutureScape Global, Riyadh · studio opens in Kolkata
Next
Offices in Riyadh and Libya, opening soon
Start your project
We understand our clients and their markets. We are dynamic, accessible, and highly responsive, and we would be glad to hear about yours.
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