The Enigma of THE ONE and The Man Behind It – Samama Randhawa

By Nazil Danish

To those in the know about The One by Randhawa Developments, one thing is clear that “The One” takes your expectations of what it should be and turns them into reality.

Located in the prestigious F-6/3 neighbourhood of Islamabad, The One is an ultra-luxury residence project being developed by Randhawa Developments. Each part of this residence is designed to be the epitome of opulence and exclusivity.

It is said that we shape our buildings and in turn they shape us. Projects like The One stand tall to represent something equally grander: the vision of an ideator and creator which in this case is Samama Randhawa.

Samama Randhawa, the youngest real estate developer of Pakistan, is a true visionary and leader in his field. As the Chairman, CEO, and Chief Creative Officer of Randhawa Developments, he has established himself as a force to be reckoned with in the industry.

Having grown up at the knee of his father, who is one of the oldest real estate developers of Pakistan, the esteemed Muhammad Khalid Randhawa’s name is synonymous with quality, integrity and reliability.

Hence, Samama has a perspective and insight into the real estate world that is unmatched at his age. This allowed him to take on the mantle of leading the well-established legacy of Randhawa Developments into the new era with a perspective that is utterly unique.

Innovation, discernment and exclusivity have been his guiding principles for this new age of Randhawa. Not contending himself with working on the regressive projects that the market is currently saturated with, he has always set his sights on creating projects that create a momentous impact on an industry which is in dire need of it.

A good example of this is one of his early projects, Entourage. In 2011 while he was still in college, he began work on his first independent project involving the conceptualization, design, construction, and running of a high-end fine-dining restaurant in Islamabad.

Entourage was launched in 2014, introducing the concept of purpose-built outdoor dining and the fusion of modern and renaissance architecture amongst many other things. Conversations around unique restaurant experiences in the capital of Pakistan often recall Entourage even today.

So when you put things into that perspective, his approach towards The One does not seem that outlandish. The One is Samama’s brainchild, and it is the result of his passion for design and real estate and his desire to create something unique and something one can be proud of. He has always been ahead of the curve in experimenting with new concepts and ideas.

He wants to create a legacy and for that, he knows that its all about the creation of innovative projects and setting standards for the future ones. According to Samama, the point here is not sales or profit.

The point is to create a cultural paradigm shift; a timestamp in history of sorts. He wants to build something so unprecedented, so atypical, so clutter-breaking, that it causes an uproar loud enough to be heard around the world. Hence, The One is being built to compete with the world and put Pakistan’s real estate on the global map.

Such lofty ambitions may seem intimidating or unrealistic for most, but for a persevering individual such as Samama, the challenge is exactly what drives him. There is no doubt that we are going to see more projects from Samama in the future that will make Pakistan proud and establish new industry norms.

The One is a project that is ahead of its time and will remain relevant in times to come, creating a new benchmark in the real estate market that will pave the way for such developments in the future.

It is not common for this question to be asked, but Samama was asked when he took on this risky project. The question being, “Has it been done before?” To which he replied, “No, but I will… why should I wait for someone else to do something which is already in my mind and then follow suit.”

While The One is under construction, Samama is busy with the final stage of co-developing the first three commercial & corporate office towers of the New Blue Area Islamabad situated in F9. We wish him all the best for his future endeavours.