A good office fit-out does more than furnish a floor. It sets how a team meets, concentrates, welcomes clients and grows. In Riyadh, many companies, including regional headquarters moving to the city, are taking new floors in towers delivered as shell and core or Category A. In Cairo, businesses are relocating to New Cairo, Sheikh Zayed and the New Administrative Capital, often into buildings handed over with minimal finishes.
This guide sets out what to expect from an office fit-out in both cities, based on how our team at NoVi Designs & Finishing plans and builds workplaces from our offices in Cairo and Riyadh.
Start with the workplace brief
Before any drawing, agree how the office will be used. Hybrid work has changed the mix: many teams now need fewer assigned desks and more spaces for video calls and small meetings. The brief should answer a few practical questions.
- How many people come in on a typical day, and on the busiest day?
- Which teams need quiet focus, and which work together all day?
- What mix of phone booths, small huddle rooms and larger boardrooms fits your meeting habits?
- Where do visitors go: a reception, a client lounge, a majlis-style guest room?
- What support spaces are needed: prayer rooms, pantry, storage, server or comms room?
- How much will the team grow over the lease, and how easily must the layout adapt?
Cat A vs Cat B office fit-out
Before planning your own works, read exactly what the landlord hands over. A Cat A ceiling and lighting grid may be removed anyway under a layout full of meeting rooms, so some tenants prefer to take the space earlier in its shell-and-core condition. Either way, the handover specification defines where your scope starts.
| Element | Cat A (landlord) | Cat B (tenant) |
|---|---|---|
| Floors and ceilings | Raised floor, grid ceiling | Carpet, timber or stone finishes, feature ceilings |
| HVAC and lighting | Base system for an open floor | Rebalancing for rooms, feature and task lighting, controls |
| Fire and life safety | Base detection and sprinklers | Adjustments for every new room and partition |
| Fit-out and brand | Not included | Partitions, joinery, reception, pantry, furniture, signage |
Definitions vary by building. We check the landlord's handover specification during the survey.
Office fit-out essentials: MEP, IT, acoustics and lighting
Air-conditioning
Meeting rooms and glass offices need their own zones and controls. In Riyadh summers, an open floor designed for a Cat A layout rarely performs once walls go up.
IT and power
Structured cabling, Wi-Fi coverage, a ventilated comms room, meeting-room AV and access control are coordinated with the layout from day one. See our MEP works.
Acoustics
Glass walls and hard floors look sharp and carry sound. Acoustic ceilings, wall panels, door seals and partitions taken up to the slab keep conversations private.
Lighting
Glare-free general light, daylight used without heat gain, and warmer layers in lounges. Good lighting design is also where energy is saved.
Sustainability starts with the basics: LED lighting with occupancy and daylight sensors, well-zoned air-conditioning, water-saving fittings, durable finishes and reuse of existing partitions or furniture where they still perform. If the building follows a green certification, the fit-out should respect its tenant guidelines.
Brand, furniture and wellbeing
Office interior design should say who you are without a logo on every wall. Reception, boardroom and client lounge carry most of the brand. In Saudi and Egyptian offices, hospitality matters: a well-designed guest area, often majlis-inspired, says as much as any brand book.
Furniture is selected, coordinated and installed through our FF&E service, sourced with suppliers and manufacturing partners rather than a single catalogue. For wellbeing, the basics make the difference: daylight, fresh air, low-emission paints and adhesives, sit-stand options, water points and a pantry people actually use.
The office fit-out process and timeline
Brief and test fit
Headcount, work patterns and a first layout on the actual floor plate.
Design and approvals
Concept, detailed drawings and BOQ, then landlord and authority submissions.
Procurement
Long-lead items first: glass partitions, HVAC equipment, light fittings and furniture.
Site works and commissioning
Partitions, services, finishes and joinery, then testing of MEP, IT and life-safety systems.
Move-in
Furniture, IT set-up, snagging and handover documents before day one.
The programme depends on floor size, starting condition, decision speed and building rules, such as night-only noisy work in occupied towers. For the full sequence and approvals, read our commercial fit-out steps.
How to choose an office fit-out company
Whether you are shortlisting an office fit-out company in Cairo or a fit-out contractor in Riyadh, compare them on the same points, and ask for evidence rather than promises.
- Design and execution under one contract, with one accountable project manager.
- In-house coordination of MEP and IT, not an afterthought.
- A detailed BOQ, a named specification and a fixed quote.
- Experience with landlord approvals in your city.
- A certified quality system and a clear site safety plan.
- Office projects you can see, such as our corporate office design gallery.
