AD: Egypt's Two Emms On Designing Thoughtful Work & Commercial Spaces

Founded in 2017 by siblings Mahy and Mostafa Sedky, Two Emms has built a strong presence in Egypt’s corporate and commercial design landscape, working across a wide range of scales, from compact offices of around 200 sqm to large headquarters exceeding 10,000 sqm. The studio operates with a team of around 15 professionals split between design and technical departments.

At the core of the studio’s approach is a belief that every project should carry its own narrative. Their design process begins with extensive research into the client’s brand identity, culture, and ambitions, alongside a careful reading of the site and its spatial opportunities. This acts as a foundation for a concept that is both contextually grounded and tailored to the way each organisation functions.

The studio’s process then involves hand sketching as a way of exploring ideas in a more intuitive and immediate form before moving into digital development and technical documentation. As the design progresses, it enters a detailed execution phase where every element is coordinated with construction realities in mind, ensuring that what is imagined can be precisely translated into built form.

A distinctive aspect of Two Emms’ work lies in its treatment of architectural surfaces, particularly ceilings and flooring. The studio uses them as storytelling tools that help shape circulation, establish hierarchy, and reinforce the concept. These elements often become key contributors to the overall spatial experience, guiding how users perceive and move through a space.

The studio’s portfolio spans collaborations with a wide range of clients across industries. On the corporate side, projects include offices for CO55, LMD, Thndr, Suez Canal Bank, Minlo, Smart Village, Augustus Media–the company behind Lovin Dubai and Lovin Cairo–as well as global firms such as Accenture and ServiceNow. In many of these projects, particularly those developed with CO55, the studio has worked within strict international workplace design standards while still finding ways to introduce distinct spatial identities.

Beyond corporate offices, Two Emms has also worked with leading real estate developers such as Emaar, Mountain View, Al Ahly Sabbour, Redcon, and City Edge. In the commercial sector, the studio has delivered spaces for brands including Pao, Breadfast, Takosan, Nutcracker, Cloud, In Your Shoe, RiseUp Summit, and Elevate, reflecting its ability to move between different typologies.

One of the most significant ongoing projects in the studio’s portfolio is the new Suez Canal Bank Headquarters. As a full-building workplace environment, the project required the development of a comprehensive structure capable of accommodating multiple departments within a unified and future-ready space.

Across all its work, Two Emms relies on observation and interpretation, drawing from the client’s behaviour, movement, and everyday life instead of repeating trends. This keeps each project specific to its setting, with design emerging from a clear understanding of people and place. As the studio often emphasises, "great design doesn't come from following trends—it comes from understanding people, spaces, and stories, then finding a new way to connect them."