DDG has produced iconic destinations around the world. Chairman Emeritus, Roy Higgs, talks to RLI about the spectacular projects the company is working on.
DDG is an internationally renowned planning, architecture and design company, based in Baltimore, Maryland, USA. The company is unique in its ability to deliver dynamic, extraordinary solutions to place-making in cities, towns and suburbs all over the world.
The firm, has been able to register the DDG corporate name and is now branding its projects accordingly.
In 2010, despite the economic downturn, the company continued to grow and its portfolio has expanded into countries like China, Turkey, Indonesia and Kazakhstan.
Roy Higgs, Chairman Emeritus, said: “In a normal year, like 2007, we would have done about a third of our work outside of the United States at the most, but last year over 90 per cent was overseas.
“Since the start of 2011, the phones have been ringing with enquiries for large scale projects in the United States, Mexico and Canada. I’m encouraged by our renewed interest from the US and North American market.
“We have been asked to look at a large 200 acre mixed use development just outside Toronto in Markham at Buttonville, and a sizeable expansion of a super-regional shopping centre in Calgary – which is an area on fire in terms of development and prosperity.”
Higgs said: “The USA is ‘waking up’ and one of the challenges will be gearing up to work here at home because the projects are very different to what we do overseas.
There hasn’t been an enclosed shopping centre build here for about six years – they are all open air. We are going to have to recalibrate and rehire because the enquiries are very significant.
“In recent years we have diversified our product mix and diversified geographically – that has been what’s allowed us to pull through the recession.”
Speaking about the number of in-house services the firm offers, Higgs said the company has a number of divisions including DDG Green, DDG Sports, DDG Interiors, DDG Graphics and DDG Multimedia.
He said the company’s multimedia department was very busy, as the company often uses multimedia to present their design work to clients, with drawings as a secondary presentation tool.
Their graphics department has also been very busy. Higgs explains: “Even though there has been a slump here for a couple of years, an inexpensive way to renovate a project is with signage and graphics. They have also been busy overseas because on most of our contracts, graphics is usually a component of that work.”
Although DDG is receiving enquiries from all over the world, Higgs said the country still showing phenomenal growth was China where they have been awarded a number of mixed-use contracts including Gaoerji Road in Dalian and Tianjin Mall – which will be the largest shopping centre in China, and will form part of a huge Tiajin City Cultural Development.
www.ddg-usa.com
For the full article, please see the May 2011 issue.
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