President & Design Director, NORR
Yahya Jan is President & Design Director at NORR. With over 30 years of global experience, Yahya leads the design efforts of the group’s operations in the Middle East and Asia.
Yahya undertook his undergraduate and graduate studies in the US, earning a Bachelor of Science in Architecture & Engineering and a Master of Architecture, both at Princeton University. A licensed architect in New York, Yahya worked for 10 years in New York and Boston, before moving to the UAE in 1996. He joined NORR’s Dubai office as the Senior Designer on the Jumeirah Emirates Towers.
Since then, Yahya has played a lead design role at NORR, bringing to life visionary projects throughout the region, including signature office developments, residential and hotel towers, retail malls, and multi-use developments.
A prolific architect, Yahya believes in the ability of integrated design to transform the built environment. Central to his design philosophy is a multi-disciplinary approach that includes owners, architects, structural & environmental engineers, and others, working collaboratively to unlock hidden potential. An advocate for research and design collaboration, Yahya believes that a key challenge in the continuing evolution of our cities is the need to question conventional wisdom. A winner of numerous international awards, Yahya’s design and research is featured at conferences and in leading publications worldwide.
