Dallas-based design firm Wilson Associates has launched its newest studio in Shanghai in response to ongoing growth and project development in the region. Relocating from the firm’s Singapore office, principal and design director Dylan Wills is leading the new office’s design team. The new studio’s first project is the design of the Marriott Shanghai hotel.
“We have a fantastic opportunity to participate in the growing hospitality, residential, and transportation segments in this region,” says Wills. “Having a local design studio enables us to not only conceptualize the overall design direction with the client, but to also respond to the specific nuances of the project’s location, history, culture, budget, and schedule.”
Wills has an extensive portfolio of work in the region including the Hilton Doubletree Jiangmen, the Guangzhou Matsunichi Headquarters hotel and serviced apartments, the Maritim Hotel in Anhui, China, and the upcoming Lisboa Palace Hotel and casino in Macau. The studio joins Wilson’s existing Shanghai production studio led by Lei Berger, the firm’s vice president for development in China. Berger will assist Wills in operating the new studio.
“I am endlessly inspired by the international atmosphere and bustling energy of my hometown, Shanghai,” Berger says. “Our goal is to further develop the firm’s China portfolio, ensuring each project is imbued with the Wilson standard of excellence and sophistication.”
