Despite the departures, a spokeswoman for US-based Burt Hill denied the firm’s Dubai operations were in crisis, and said new management had been appointed.
The firm, which also has an Abu Dhabi office, has worked on a number of projects across the UAE including MotorCity, Jebel Ali Village and several GEMS schools.
Director and former board member Haydar Hassan resigned within the past ten days, the spokeswoman confirmed on Thursday.
Hassan joined Burt Hill in the US 21 years ago and was integral in the firm launching its business in Dubai in 2003 to tap into the emirate’s emerging real estate market. It since opened another office in neighbouring Abu Dhabi.
Hassan’s departure came days after the resignation of principal Tomas Gulisek, who had been with the firm since 1995.
Harry T Gordon, chairman of the Dubai office and managing director of the Middle East and North Africa, had been appointed general manager of the Dubai and Abu Dhabi offices in their place, the spokeswoman said.
In January, Burt Hill announced 111 redundancies, representing 18 percent of its 611-strong workforce in Dubai, blaming the decision on the UAE’s real estate sector slowdown.
A slowdown in the Gulf state’s property market since the turn of the year has badly affected architecture practices, as projects are suspended and the number of new schemes being launched dries up.
But speaking from Burt Hill’s office in Philadelphia, the spokeswoman said no further job cuts were planned and that the Dubai office was “doing well.”
“These are incredible times and I don’t think anyone in the business world has dealt with the level of economic turmoil affecting the world. But Burt Hill is a strong firm that has been around 73 years and we’ve been through challenging times before,” she added.
The firm has ten offices across the US as well as an office in India.
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