This page is not a contact form. It is a threshold — the point at which a prospective client and this practice determine whether a conversation is worth beginning. What happens before that conversation is as important as the conversation itself. Read it carefully.
Before You Proceed
INJ Architects is not a firm that produces options for clients to choose between. It does not present sketches for selection, offer alternative concepts, or operate as a service provider executing a client’s predetermined vision. The practice works the other way: the Principal analyzes the client, the site, and the intent — and from that analysis, a single direction emerges. That direction is then developed with rigor and defended with conviction.
This is not the right practice for every client. It is the right practice for clients who understand the difference between hiring an architect and hiring someone who will tell them what they want to hear. The two are not the same, and the gap between them is where most projects fail.
Three pages form the basis of any productive submission. A submission from someone who has not read them will not be reviewed.
Who We Are
The identity and philosophy of the practice.
How We Work
The methodology from first analysis to final document.
Projects
The portfolio. Understand the design language before making contact.
The Principal
Ibrahim Nawaf Joharji founded INJ Architects in Jeddah in 2009. He is a Saudi architect, design theorist, and visual artist — originator of the Archigenetics theory, which proposes that architecture is a biological and cultural extension of human identity. He has led projects for government ministries, international diplomatic missions, military institutions, and private owners of significant means. Every project accepted by the office is directed personally by him from the first site analysis to final handover. This is not a management structure. It is the practice’s founding condition. His personal work is documented at ibrahimjoharji.com.
What This Practice Is Not
The following inquiries are not considered under any circumstances and will not receive a response.
Requests to visit completed projects or contact previous clients. Every client of this practice is owed absolute confidentiality. Past commissions are not references to be inspected — they are private works. The portfolio is the reference.
Inquiries from intermediaries who do not identify the owner. The practice engages only with the owner or a formally authorized representative whose identity is fully disclosed from the outset.
Requests to replicate, adapt, or improve an existing design. This practice produces original architecture rooted in specific analysis of a specific owner and site. Replication is not a service it offers.
Submissions from clients seeking reassurance, validation, or a second opinion. The practice is not a consultancy. If a client is approaching multiple firms simultaneously and selecting on price or speed, this is not the right office.
Projects without genuine architectural ambition. The scale of a project is not the measure of its suitability. A 200 m² beach house with a clear vision and a committed owner is more interesting than a 5,000 m² compound submitted without thought. What the practice cannot work with is the absence of intent.
Work without advance payment. No engagement of any kind begins before a retainer is in place. This is not negotiable and it is not a reflection of distrust — it is the structure that makes serious work possible.
What We Take On
The practice has delivered work across a range of typologies. The list below describes the categories the office has direct experience in — not the limits of what it will consider. A project that sits outside these categories but carries genuine architectural ambition will be reviewed on its own terms.
Palaces, Residences, and Compounds
Private commissions of any scale, from single-family villas to multi-unit family complexes. The depth of the owner’s vision matters more than the footprint.
Diplomatic and Sovereign Buildings
Embassy and consulate architecture operating under bilateral institutional protocols. This typology demands a level of regulatory and diplomatic literacy that most practices do not possess. The office has delivered a completed design-and-build commission in this category.
Military and Governmental Facilities
Ministry buildings, command and control centers, operational and administrative complexes. Security, protocol, and institutional hierarchy are treated as design inputs, not constraints.
Hospitality
Ultra-luxury resorts, five-star hotels, and branded residential environments where the quality of spatial experience is the primary product.
Cultural and Research Institutions
Museums, visitor centers, research institutes, and academic buildings where the architecture must carry meaning beyond its function.
Uncommissioned Typologies
Projects in categories that have not yet been designed well — production facilities, logistics centers, or infrastructure buildings that deserve architectural intelligence rather than generic engineering. If you believe your building deserves to be built differently, the office will listen.
How Engagement Works
The practice offers three contract structures. Which one is appropriate depends on the project and is discussed after initial alignment is confirmed — not before.
Design Only
Complete design documentation and construction drawings. Execution is managed by the owner or a contractor of their appointment.
Design and Supervision
Design documentation plus active site supervision to ensure that what is built corresponds precisely to what was designed.
Design and Build
Full responsibility from first concept to final handover. One point of authority across design, engineering, procurement, and construction.
What to Submit
Send your submission to i@inj.sa. Submissions that omit any of the following will not be reviewed. There are no exceptions and no follow-up requests for missing information.
01 — Identity
Your full name and role. If you are representing an owner, provide the owner’s full name and a statement of your authorization. Anonymous or intermediary submissions are not considered.
02 — Profile
A LinkedIn profile, institutional website, or equivalent document that establishes who you are. The practice studies its clients before it designs for them. This is not a formality — it is the first stage of the design process.
03 — Project Location
City, district, and a Google Maps link to the plot. Submissions without a verifiable location are not reviewed.
04 — Available Documentation
Plot area in m², and any documents you hold — title deed, survey, municipal approvals, zoning regulations, or existing studies. Government and semi-government entities should attach the official RFP and full project documentation.
05 — Your Vision
Not a room schedule. Not a reference image. A genuine account of what you are trying to create and why it matters to you. What should this building feel like? What should it mean to those who inhabit it? This is what the Principal reads first — and it is what determines whether the conversation continues.
06 — Budget Range
An approximate range. The practice does not require precision at this stage — it requires honesty. Alignment between ambition and resource is the foundation of every successful commission.
07 — Contract Preference
Design only, design and supervision, or design and build. If you are unsure, say so.
08 — What Resonated
Identify the project, idea, or design position in the office’s work that made you reach out. This confirms you have engaged with the portfolio — not simply found the contact page.
Every submission is read personally by Ibrahim Nawaf Joharji. If the practice sees a genuine fit, he will respond directly. Not every submission receives a response — and a response, when it comes, is itself a form of selection. The clients this office works with understand that being accepted is not a transaction. It is the beginning of a partnership that the practice takes as seriously as they do.
Who We Are · How We Work · Projects · The Principal · Sustainability · Archigenetics · Contact