There is no public record as to the first Aeroplane to use Dubai's new Airport
There is the remote possibility it was a BOAC VC10
Sheikh Rashid persuaded BOAC to fly into Dubai by guaranteeing Passenger loads and Freight
As the new Airport opened during the daytime, it is more likely there were no planes due to land
BOAC VC10 would have landed at night
Sketch by Brian Houghton
Brian contacted me in January 2021 complaining DAIUTB's page about Dubai Airport Terminal (opened 1971) did not refer to "Page and Broughton" as the Architects or mentioning Brian's role in designing the airport.
What followed was a series of email exchanges with Brian during January and February 2021 whereby Brian told his story of designing and building Dubai Airport's new terminal building in late 1960s.
I gathered together that information and photos Brian provided then, with Brian's permission, put together this web page to tell Brian's story.
Brian approved the finished web page and was happy for it to go Online.
Brian was anxious his role in Dubai's development was available for all to read.
Sadly, Brian Broughton died on June 26th 2022
Although Dubai then had a population of something less than 100,000, State Planners saw economic sense in building a grand and prestigious international airport. Architects Page and Broughton were asked to design a Terminal aimed at persuading international airlines to use Dubai as a major transit traffic center.
Result was a structure that provided ahead-of-its-time passenger facilities for Jumbo Jets, restaurants and kitchens to serve 400, free-zone shopping area and sleeping accommodations for travelers in transit. Plans also called for more ground service and fueling facilities for visiting aircraft.
Brian Broughton of Page and Broughton tells the story of Dubai International Airport
To achieve an arabesque quality, the Architects created a visually open and vaulted structure rather than relying on purely decorative motifs. The roof is composed of 56 lightweight, insulated "umbrella" units (each approximately 40 feet square) made of glass-reinforced plastic framed by steel and supported on reinforced concrete. Dome over the VIP Lounge is also reinforced plastic. 110-foot concrete control tower complements the vaulting curvature and punctuates the long horizontal roof line.
Automobile traffic approaches the second level of the three-level terminal on an elevated roadway. Passengers move between the Terminal and aircraft by four spiral ramps each positioned at the end of four shaded "finger" piers
In 1950, I was working for an architectural practice in London when I met a senior manager with British Contractor Richard Costain. He asked if I was interested in being Chief Architect for a new consultancy company Costains were forming in Kuwait. I would be heading up Construction Consultants Kuwait known as CCK- and it was this new company
Costains wanted a rapid decision. I agreed a few days later. Getting to Kuwait was a three day trip by plane via Rome and Beirut and on to Kuwait, finishing at a desert camp in East Ahmadi adjacent to headquarters of Kuwait National Petroleum Company.
Shortly after becoming CCK's Chief Architect, Costain's management partnered with Bader al Mulla, a prominent Kuwaiti, to establish themselves as contractors. I was in Kuwait and unemployed. However, I met Ghazi Sultan,Kuwait's first qualified Architect just returned from America. He asked me to assist him in expanding an engineering practice, Kuwaiti Engineers Office, into an architectural practice. Having done so I subsequently worked with Ghazi on various projects and the design of the first modern petrol filling stations for Kuwait National Petroleum Company. Then Gordon Jones, a partner of a Beirut based architects Design Construction Group approached me to assist with supervision some of their Kuwait projects, principally National Bank of Kuwait's head office plus design and supervise several small interior design projects.
Credit: Brian Broughton
Keith Page was an architectural technician resident in Kuwait but visited Dubai to supervise a small interior design project for Mahdi Tajir. Keith had learned that Dubai's Ruler wanted to rapidly construct a modern airport terminal. There was no clear brief and Mahdi Tajir had requested a brief to be urgently prepared, together with a sketch design, for submission to Dubai's Ruler. Keith Page invited me to undertake this task which I did. We visited Dubai to submit the brief and design to Mahdi Tajir and the HH Sheikh Rashid who publicly applauded our proposals in his Majlis.
While preparing my brief and design proposals, I asked for Costain's assistance in researching possible use of a prefabricated roof structure of an arabesque nature that could be rapidly and economically manufactured in the UK, shipped to Dubai and erected there. A company named Mickleover Transport put forward a proposal for a glass reinforced plastic roof based on my design. This was approved and became the VIP Terminal's roof which still exists.
Costains were now in partnership with Mahdi Tajir and appointed as main contractor for the Dubai International Airport project They invited me to set up a small team in London to prepare working drawings for the project which I did. This way I was able to control the aesthetic and practical aspects of the construction project.
Costain Civil Engineering Ltd. of London was awarded the $10 million construction contract.
Brian Houghton explains he was faced with powerful people trying to take the DIA Contract from him
Reginald Maudling was a UK Politician. John Poulson owned the largest Architectural practice in Europe although Poulson was not a qualified Architect. Maudling was also a Director of Poulson's company and used his political influence to help secure contracts for Poulson's practice. Acting in unison, Maudling and Poulson attempted to wrest the Dubai International Airport Project away from Page and Broughton. Life became very difficult for Brian Broughton. HH Sheikh Rashid's unswerving support for Page and Broughton meant Maudling and Poulson's overtures were rejected. A few months after Dubai International Airport opened, Poulson was declared bankrupt and found to have extensively used bribery to secure contracts. In 1972, John Poulson was jailed for seven years with the Judge describing Poulson an "incalculably evil man". Reginald Maudling had to relinquish his powerful political positions as a result of his connection to Poulson.
Credit:Robert Azzi/AramcoWorld
Whilst preparing my brief and design proposals I asked for Costain's assistance in researching the possible use of a prefabricated roof structure of an arabesque nature that could be rapidly and economically manufactured in the UK, shipped to Dubai and erected there. On the basis of a sketch design that I had prepared, a company named Mickleover Transport put forward a proposal for a GRP (glass reinforced plastic) roof. The GRP Roof was approved and still exists today.
Credit: Brian Broughton
Brian Broughton is standing second from the left
Credit: Brian Broughton
Credit: Brian Broughton
Thus started the practice known as Page and Broughton with Keith Page managing supervision of project construction from a Dubai office whilst I designed and supervised drawing production of all the practice's projects, initially from Kuwait then latterly from a Cyprus based office in Nicosia.
My involvement in Dubai was primarily the DIA project but the practice also undertook other projects namely :
Oman projects, designed in my Nicosia office, resulted from an invitation from the British Embassy in Oman because of my Gulf experience in the Gulf. There was a need to rapidly construct a small Palace complex at Seeb in northern Oman as the new Sultan residence following a plan to move him from the Salalah area because of political problems there. During construction of Seeb Palace, Sultan Qaboos, the new Ruler, appointed me to design and supervise construction of Royal Guard headquarters next to his new palace plus Royal Stables nearby. I was asked to recommend an expert in racecourse design for a racecourse surrounding the Royal Stables. I arranged for Ian Balding, Horse Trainer for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth 2, to visit Oman to advise on the design of the racecourse.
