Global built environment consultancy, Okana has welcomed four new partners to its line up of experts, as the firm seeks to expand its reach and expertise.
The arrival of the new partners has followed hot on the heels of Okana’s launch earlier this year, having been formed to building on the combined strengths and success of BIM Academy.
Okana says it is is now looking to the future by aligning with partners that can support its technological development by combining place shaping and economics to drive new efficiencies across the built environment.
The firm’s portfolio of partners and expertise now has a presence in Dubai and Ukraine, as well as two further locations within the UK thanks to new partnerships with Future Places Studio, Growth Incorporated, LDesign and Urban Col.labs.
Graham Kelly, managing director at Okana, said: “Welcoming four new partners marks a significant milestone in our continued global expansion. One of our key drivers is delivering tangible results for our clients and continuing to strengthen our expertise with a community of best in class partners.”
The first of the four new partners is London-based Future Places Studio, a well established research, content, and placemaking studio, using insights, data and trends to shape future vision, strategy and engagement activity across the built environment.
Jack Sallabank is the founding director at Future Places Studio, which has already established a strong working relationship with Okana over the past six months. He said: “Transitioning to the partnership was the next logical step.
“Collaborating with Okana has allowed us to further establish our market leading research in the UK and Europe. We have strong ambitions that we intend to realise with Okana as we continue to expand our place shaping reach.”
Business Strategists Helen Puddefoot and Tony Danker are the founders of Growth Incorporated. When setting up their new consultancy, they had the intention of bringing something different to their clients, stepping beyond what a typical consultancy can offer, and placing strategic vision at its core.
Puddefoot said: “We are business growth and policy specialists, and working with Okana really helps us support clients who care deeply about place and how to grow the places where they live and work.”
For more than 20 years LDesign , an award winning Ukrainian landscape architecture company, has been creating and implementing complex landscape designs for urban spaces, social and private businesses, as well as local and national government clients.
Founder and chief executive, Iurii Baigot said: “By integrating local and regional expertise with the global connectivity of a leading growth specialist such as Okana, we aim to deliver impactful solutions together. Okana possess an exceptional track record of success and we plan to emulate this success in Ukraine.”
With a presence in Barcelona and Dubai, Urban Co.labs is a collaboration of international experts in the fields of urban design, public art and data science. Its vision is to merge the worlds of urbanism, art and technology to create community focused, sustainable solutions for cities and the public spaces.
Leyla Saadi, the founder of Urban Col.labs, said: “This partnership with Okana supports our passions of creating better places, reducing waste and promoting social equality through design. These are areas evident in Okana’s past successes in urban design and development, and I am excited to see what the future brings.”
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