OUR MASTERPLANNING TEAM LEADERS

As a Design Director and Principal for master planning and hospitality, John delivers intensity and passion for the creative process. His ability to harness innovative and strategic thinking with the architectural design process transforms the built environment into an experiential masterpiece, a key for any destination development. He brings his design expertise to each of his projects, first crafting a visual story and then transforming clients’ opinions into tangible destinations.

Throughout his career, John worked as a creative and design director for major architecture, exhibit design, and communication firms, providing architecture, design, advertising, marketing, and creative management experience solutions. John has a Bachelor of Architecture from the prestigious Carnegie Mellon University and has lived and worked in the US, Hong Kong, Australia, and Dubai.

John believes that architecture is the perfect amalgamation of poetry and engineering. While a space must be functional, it also must be meaningful, visually stimulating, and provide for a better environment for the community. It must be programmatically sound and allow users to inhabit the space. John acts as the gatekeeper of the project vision and ensures that the final construction is a unified reflection of these characteristics.

In his designs, John draws from client aspirations, the site context, nature, and even memories. His intuitive approach grants him the ability to recreate experiences for users of the space, utilizing colors and structures with carefully selected silhouettes that together evoke emotional responses. Seeing his projects come to life, impact communities, and architecturally create a story has garnered him international accolades and recognition.

Designing prominent mixed-use destinations around the world, Philip is one of the leading architects in retail-centered and large-scale master planning. He leads teams that design complex retail destinations that attract residents and visitors alike to engage, shop, and explore. Throughout Philip’s career, he has worked closely with developers to create highly desirable and profit-generating developments that deliver experiences like none other.

Philip helps to evaluate the feasibility of the development by collaborating with developers from the conceptualization of the project. He proactively assesses the existing characteristics of the site and estimates its compatibility with the program, allowing investors to generate proforma and make decisions more efficiently. This further aids in financing and marketing efforts for the development.

Philip has a strong understanding of consumer psychology and market trends. As the retail industry evolves and can no longer function as a standalone domain, Philip crafts solutions that are different and engaging – attracting shoppers to the development and enticing them to stay. He understands the advantages that ‘brick and mortar’ offers in contrast to the online shopping experience and capitalizes on those strengths to create well-performing retail destinations in the age when many proclaim that the malls are dying. Retail-centered mixed-use developments created by Philip and his team become destinations for the community as well as tourists.

As Principal and Designer Director spearheads not only marketing development but also the high-level for mixed-use and masterplan rewarding, highly engaging challenges from both a logistics standpoint are where his skills He has proven himself essential award-winning, high-profile and internationally recognized sustainable design, exceptional leadership skills, which complement principles of AE7.

With many of his projects located Middle East, Erik has learned of transforming an otherwise a must-see destination, complete overarching theme that draws landscape. He leverages these baseline to initiate his intuitive considering the economics and the site. This balance between and budget/timeline restrictions cultivated throughout his brilliant Erik’s inherent ability to listen and turn their vision into a realized development is one he demonstrates leads his design teams by example, team the responsibility and designing spaces and places make memories and build community. project grow from sketches space has motivated Erik throughout turns innovative visions into equally excited and impressed.

Director at AE7, Erik marketing and business high-level design aspiration masterplan developments. These projects that present logistics and architectural skills are best exhibited. essential in the delivery of projects. Erik is locally recognized for his commitment to exceptional competency and strong complement the fundamental located in Dubai and the learned to navigate the challenges otherwise barren landscape into complete with a story and draws from the existing natural these flat, natural features as a intuitive design approach while and business plan behind between design aspirations restrictions is one that Erik has brilliant 20+ year career. listen to client aspirations realized master plan demonstrates constantly. He example, instilling in his reward that comes from places that people seek out to community. Watching a on paper to a developed throughout his career as he reality, keeping clients impressed.

As the Practice Director of US operations, Jeff oversees multiple offices and supports AE7’s growth through the implementation of forward-thinking business development initiatives. Driven by his goal of strategically expanding AE7’s national footprint in the North American region, Jeff spearheaded the opening of the Pittsburgh office in 2014. Throughout his career in the US and the Middle East, Jeff has gained the experience required to fluently manage the daily operations, team engagement and coordination, and delegation of key tasks to support the seamless functioning of the firm.

From the beginning, Jeff has placed importance on hiring the right people. While the proper experience and qualifications are vital, he insists that it is equally important to hire flexible, “up for anything” employees who demonstrate a strong desire to learn. Jeff strives to maintain an office atmosphere of engaged collaboration, ensuring that every employee has a say around the table regardless of experience level. Leading the office in this way allows team members to learn from a variety of diverse backgrounds, experiencing tools and methods they may not have been familiar with before.

As AE7 has grown in North America, Jeff has overseen an array of projects from all market sectors. His ability to coordinate multiple offices through his strategic implementation of management procedures, delegation of responsibilities to key members, and ability to make sound decisions align seamlessly with this role. His overarching goal is to strategically open AE7 offices across North America as he continues to expand the national footprint.

It is clear to all who work with Hugo that he has a true passion for master planning. He believes every new project is inspired by a multitude of different fragments pulled from existing places, past experiences, and client aspirations, all coming together to create a brandnew destination. Hugo maintains that the process of envisioning a day in the end-user’s life, from the moment they step out of their home to when they return, is an incredible opportunity to utilize design & planning to improve all aspects of their daily lives from the beginning.

Over the years, Hugo has been involved in the master planning of several large, high-profile development projects, covering tourism, mixeduse developments, residential communities, and commercial market sectors. His ability to understand conceptual large-scale planning and detail-level design enables him to translate conceptual ideas into an unforgettable environment for end-users. His over 20 years of experience working with multiple design methodologies and tools has equipped him with the skills necessary to deftly change perspective and rethink a design until the best solution has been achieved.

Hugo most enjoys alternating between tasks, jumping in to help his team wherever possible. Whether he is helping with design, production, or sketches, the flexibility to step in as necessary keeps his days exciting and offers him chances to share advice with his colleagues. Hugo believes a successful leader guides with the intention and conscious effort to help others, something he exemplifies through his work every day.