East Architecture Landscape urban Design

Global architecture and design firm Perkins+Will announces the expansion of its urban design services with a new team in Dubai. Leading the team is recently appointed Steve Velegrinis, an urban planner and landscape architect with more than 19 years of experience, six of those in the Middle East as well as in his native Australia, Singapore, Brazil and Nigeria.

“The decision to expand our core services to include a dedicated urban design team is a logical next step in our expanding Middle East presence and fits seamlessly with the economic and development vision of the region’s governments as they look to create vibrant sustainable city environments of the future, ” said Steven Charlton, Managing Director at Perkins+Will in Dubai.

“Steve is a fantastic addition to the Perkins+Will team and his wealth of hands-on experience will be complemented by that of an international team of designers that has helped shape cities around the world with imaginative master plans, smart strategic frameworks, innovative infrastructure, animated public spaces and distinctive building complexes, ” he added.

Offering urban design, master planning and landscape architecture expertise across a wide variety of current and pipeline projects, the new team will provide a full range of services from research and conceptualization through to testing and delivery.

Velegrinis has previously worked with a variety of global practices including Woods Bagot, GCLA Landscape Architects and ICN Design International, as well as for government and municipal bodies such as Singapore’s Urban Redevelopment Authority and the City of Yarra, Melbourne, Australia. He is also completing a PhD whose research focus is on landscape urbanism as a compelling model for sustainable urban development. Steven teaches as an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Urban Design at the American University of Sharjah and has recently written essays in two forthcoming books on Gulf Urbanism by Cambridge University and Architectural Design.

“I am really excited to join Perkins+Will in Dubai as Director of the Urban Design team. The team is comprised of a range of urban designers, architects and landscape architects who have all worked together before in the UAE and we are receiving strong support from other urban design teams in Perkins+Will. Perkins+Will has a fantastic global approach and a real belief in multi-disciplinary, sustainable design practice, ” said Velegrinis.

Prior to joining the practice, he had also been directly involved in a number of key master planning projects in the region including the Dubai Design District Masterplan, Qatar’s Science & Technology Park master plan, Masdar City Phase 1 Vision Masterplan and the Sharjah Lagoons urban framework plan.