 Wright qualified as an architect the same year he was accepted as a member of the Royal Institute of British Architects in 1983 and went on from there to become a director of the architectural practice Lister Drew Haines Barrow, which was taken over in 1991 by Atkins.Wright became head of Atkins' architecture arm.Wright became design director for the Jumeirah Beach Resort, Dubai, and designed the Burj Al Arab (Tower of the Arabs) at the same time.