Global interior design house HBA, Hirsch Bedner Associates, has announced that it is launching a wide-ranging collaborative venture combining more than 50 years of innovative design experience with a cutting edge background of leading architect, Jeffrey M. Williams, AIA. Ian Carr and René Kaerskov, co-CEOs, announced the launch of HBA Architecture.
The shared skills, capabilities, and scope of the newly formed HBA Architecture provide a game-changing alternative for property ownership groups across the globe looking to blend the design acumen of HBA with the architectural standards and integrity of Williams?? project experience.
Carr is based in HBA??s Singapore office and is responsible for all design activities worldwide. Kaerskov is based in Los Angeles and is responsible for all financial and operational activities worldwide. The two have worked as a team to successfully transition the legendary hospitality interior design firm, established in 1964 by Howard Hirsch and Michael Bedner, into the second generation of owners while creating an innovative and ambitious business model that has dramatically expanded the firm??s design services and staff.
Accomplished contemporary architect, Jeffrey M. Williams, the co-founder and former director of Studio Aria, will lead this new global powerhouse, HBA Architecture. ?This is an extremely exciting opportunity,?? enthused Williams. ?I have worked on projects with Carr for over a decade and we embrace the same values and design philosophies, including the importance of creating a sense of place that respects and embodies the unique cultural heritage of a community and offers a vision of its future.??
As a partner and director in architecture for over 21 years, Williams has embraced a variety of roles that support his philosophical values and professional development. As a licensed architect in the State of New York, Williams has extensive design and management expertise gained from being engaged in the activation of master plans, mixed use developments, luxury urban hotels, urban resorts, destination resorts, branded residences, along with offices and retail space.
Williams?? strong pedigree in the architecture industry mirrors the strength of HBA in the hotel arena and compliments the heritage of HBA??s design portfolio that spans the globe. Now a one-stop-shop for design and architecture in a single company, the newly formed HBA Architecture has the distinction of being an industry leader by combining the two dual roles under one roof contrasting itself with a business field that traditionally separates the two. HBA Architecture will provide architecture design services for master plans, mixed-use developments, urban hotels, urban resorts, destination resorts, branded residences, urban offices and branded retail.
?We launched HBA Architecture in response to our clients?? requests to provide architectural design services at the same high standard of quality and innovation as HBA, while seamlessly supporting and expanding our recognised accomplishments in the hospitality design arena,?? said Kaerskov. ?HBA Architecture successfully launched simultaneously in Singapore and Shanghai, with two additional offices in the final planning stages set to launch in the first quarter of 2013.??
Carr added: ?We have been working towards HBA Architecture for a decade. We share a common passion and commitment to continually revolutionising hospitality design, while maintaining a standard of enduring quality on a worldwide scale. Our mission is to create a seamless extension of the established HBA brand, built upon the foundations of experience, creativity and client service.??
