Award winning international design partnership dwp is expanding in Australia, having completed a full financial merger with dwp|suters, bringing with it a new dynamism to the design industry in Australia.

This fully establishes dwp – design worldwide partnership – as a global firm with its heart in Asia, serving an increasingly diverse client base in the Australian market, notes CEO Leone Lorrimer.

Since its founding in Asia by Scott Whittaker, dwp now has more than 450 staff in 12 global studios.

The merger is the 'next evolution' in the transformation of the design house, after dwp and Suters Architects announced their commitment to work together as a fully integrated design solution in 2013.

"As the Australian and dynamic Asian markets become increasingly integrated, and investment flows in both directions, dwp will bring a new level of architecture and design sensibility to our clients," Ms Lorrimer says.

"This move brings dwp's now world-renowned design expertise to our Australian studios and expands our reach into new markets, bringing skills in hospitality design, luxury residential, and tall building architecture."

dwp's extensive client base includes global brands and Fortune 500 companies such as Mercedes Benz, Accor, Mandarin Oriental, and HSBC.

At the forefront of the reinvention of the design industry, dwp is driven by 100% cloud based technologies bringing world-class collaborative design tools such as Virtual Reality and BIM to clients in Australia and Asia. Ms. Lorrimer notes that dwp has already integrated these leading design technologies extensively on the Star Casino project at Sydney's Darling Harbour.

"We are excited to bring a new Asian sensibility and creativity to Australian design projects as a significant point of difference for our clients."

dwp brings brand values of beauty, tailoring, new world and partnership to its projects.

Scott Whittaker expands his role as Group Creative Director along with Brenton Mauriello's new position as Executive Chairman. Both hail from Adelaide, and have worked in Asia since the mid-1990s.

"Our bespoke design approach reinterprets global trends relevant to clients locally by bringing together different cultures, ideas and creative thinking," Mr Whittaker says.

"Australia attracts increasingly sophisticated investors from China, South East Asia and the Middle East seeking international design quality they've come to expect in Shanghai, Dubai or New York," Mr Whittaker adds.

At the same time, the rise of Asia's affluent professional class means there's a growing population focusing on the environment, lifestyle, health and wellness. dwp Australia's strong design and technical capabilities in these areas resonate well in Asia."

Mr. Mauriello says "dwp is creative and entrepreneurial at its core."

"Our point of difference is our ability to bring to our clients' local knowledge, cultural sensitivities and market insights together with international design and technical expertise.

"The integration of the two organisations expands dwp as an international brand. It's the next step of our strategy to build a design worldwide partnership," Mr Mauriello concludes.

Note to Editors:

dwp is a global and local firm. From entrepreneurial beginnings in 1993, dwp has grown into an award winning, one stop integrated design service with global reach. dwp employs 450 professionals in studios in Bangkok, Bahrain, Brisbane, Dubai, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, Melbourne, Newcastle, Saigon Singapore, Shanghai and Sydney. dwp delivers architecture, interior design and masterplanning, and tailors global future thinking to specific local needs. www.dwp.com