SHAPE Architecture Practice and Research is a UAE­-based architecture firm founded by Abdulla in 2006. The firm is dedicated to set an example of excellence in design in the Middle East. SHAPE’s interest lies in the incorporation of digital design and production technologies in the design process. The firm believes in the importance of research in the enhancement of design and its processes. Abdulla Al-Shamsi studied architecture at Columbia University, New York (Master of Science in Advance Architectural Design MSAAD), under Bernard Tschumi. He also studied at the American University of Sharjah where he received his Bachelor of Architecture – Magna Cum Laude (B.Arch). The firm is currently working on a number of projects including residential buildings and a large scale industrial urban development.