Design International

Design International
Name	Design International
Type	Private
Industry	Architecture, Urban Design, Interior Design
Founded	1968
Founder	Bahram Shirdel
Headquarters	London, United Kingdom; Shanghai, China; Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Area served	Global
Key people	Bahram Shirdel; Hadi Tehrani

Design International

Design International is a multinational architecture and design firm with a portfolio spanning commercial, cultural, retail, hospitality, and mixed-use projects. The firm operates across Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and Africa and has collaborated with major developers, investors, and cultural institutions on large-scale urban regeneration and landmark buildings. Its work intersects with global trends in urbanism, retail transformation, and tourism-driven development.

History

Design International was founded in 1968 by Bahram Shirdel amid the postwar expansion of international architecture practices alongside studios such as Foster and Partners, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, SOM (architecture firm), HOK (design, architecture, engineering), and Arup Group. Early commissions linked the firm with European retail and leisure developers including Westfield Corporation, Unibail-Rodamco, Cadogan Estates, and regional patrons in Basel, Geneva, and Milan. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s the studio expanded into the Middle East and Asia, collaborating with stakeholders connected to Emaar Properties, Nakheel, Majid Al Futtaim, and Damac Properties. In the 2000s Design International opened studios in London, Shanghai, and Dubai, aligning with the urbanization waves led by Shanghai Expo 2010 and the rapid development programs of Abu Dhabi and Doha. Partnerships and joint ventures connected the firm to large-scale events and institutions such as Expo 2020, World Expo, Beijing Olympics, and major cultural clients including Guggenheim Foundation-linked projects and municipal agencies in Istanbul and Casablanca.

Notable Projects

Design International’s portfolio includes mixed-use and retail masterplans, convention centers, museums, and hospitality projects that often become regional landmarks. Signature projects have been compared alongside works by Norman Foster, Zaha Hadid, and Renzo Piano in scale and ambition. Notable schemes and clients include collaborations for projects associated with Mall of the Emirates, developments in the Dubai Marina district, and urban retail destinations in Istanbul and Moscow. The firm has delivered shopping centres and entertainment complexes that sit in the company of projects by Gehry Partners, Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners, and Richard Rogers Partnership; airport retail and terminal-related developments linked to operators like Dubai Airports and Heathrow Airport Limited; and hospitality schemes for brands such as Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, Hilton Worldwide, and Marriott International.

Design Philosophy and Approach

Design International emphasizes contextual responsiveness, placemaking, and commercial viability, positioning its design approach alongside practices advocated by Jan Gehl and theoretical frameworks referenced by Rem Koolhaas and Aldo Rossi. The firm integrates urban design, landscape architecture, and experience design—disciplines practiced at studios like Bjarke Ingels Group, Atelier Jean Nouvel, and OMA. Its methodology often involves stakeholder workshops with municipal authorities such as Dubai Municipality and cultural stakeholders comparable to ICOMOS and UNESCO advisory processes, as well as feasibility engagement with financial partners including Goldman Sachs, Deutsche Bank, and Qatar Investment Authority.

Organizational Structure and Leadership

Design International operates as a private practice with regional offices and a leadership team that has included founders and principal designers connected to institutions such as The Bartlett, UCL, Architectural Association School of Architecture, and École des Beaux-Arts. Senior principals have experience comparable to leaders from KPF (Kohn Pedersen Fox), Perkins+Will, and Gensler. The company’s governance model reflects networks common among global firms that coordinate design directors, technical directors, and project management teams to deliver projects across jurisdictions including United Kingdom, China, United Arab Emirates, Turkey, and Morocco.

Awards and Recognition

Design International projects have been recognized in regional design awards and international exhibitions alongside honors typically awarded by institutions like Royal Institute of British Architects, International Council of Shopping Centers, World Architecture Festival, Aga Khan Award for Architecture, and European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies. The firm’s work has been profiled in publications such as Architectural Digest, Dezeen, Architectural Record, Wallpaper*, and Domus and exhibited in venues comparable to Serpentine Galleries and national pavilions at Venice Biennale of Architecture.

Controversies and Criticism

Like many global developers and design firms, projects associated with Design International have faced criticism tied to urban displacement, commercial homogenization, and heritage impacts—issues debated in forums attended by organizations such as Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and academic conferences at Harvard Graduate School of Design and MIT School of Architecture and Planning. Critics draw parallels with controversies surrounding large-scale projects by firms linked to Lendlease, Brookfield Properties, and developers implicated in disputes in cities like London, Istanbul, and Dubai. Debates have involved planning approvals, environmental assessments comparable to scrutiny by Environmental Impact Assessment regimes, and stakeholder consultations similar to cases reviewed by European Court of Human Rights and national planning tribunals.

Category:Architecture firms