Design International

Design International is an international architectural firm, which was founded in Toronto in 1965. The firm initially operated mainly in the North American market, but has since developed into a major international player and was one of the first architecture companies that truly worked on a global scale. Today, the company's headquarters are in London, with subsidiary offices in Milan, Shanghai and Jakarta.

Design International works across 7 integrated divisions: Architecture, Masterplanning, Interior Design, Lighting Design, Landscape Design, Branding & Signage, and Leasing.[1] The company is run by CEO Davide Padoa.

The firm's portfolio includes a number of award-winning developments,[2][3] especially in the retail and entertainment sector, such as CocoWalk (1990), an upscale lifestyle center in the Coconut Grove neighborhood of Miami, Florida; Odysseum (2009), a retail and entertainment complex in Montpellier, France; and the iconic Morocco Mall (2011), Africa's largest destination mall located on the Casablanca beach front promenade. The mall also includes one of only four Galeries Lafayette stores outside France.

More recently, in 2014, the firm completed Nave de Vero, which is located in Venice, Italy. The concept behind Nave de Vero is based on Venice’s merchant trading history. The project has won many awards, and in November 2014, was awarded a BREEAM rating of ‘Very Good’.[4] This achievement makes the shopping centre the first commercial project in Italy to achieve this certification.

Design International is also responsible for the Cleopatra Mall, which is due to open in 2017, in Cairo, Egypt. The shopping mall, which is currently under construction, is characterised by a gigantic canopy covering the central area of the scheme with a span of over 200 metres. The project includes over 300 shops and restaurants, and is set to include an outdoor musical fountain, gourmet markets and Egypt’s first dedicated luxury mall inside a shopping centre.

In 2015, Design International announced their involvement in the ‘Wessal Bouregreg[5] project in Rabat which is part of the King of Morocco's ‘Royal Vision’ for making Morocco an international destination.

The summer of 2015 also marked the moving of Design International’s London headquarters to a new location in Bermondsey.

Major projects

References

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