Design 3 International

What Design 3 International does

Design 3 International (D3i) is a privately held architectural design firm headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland, operating as a PLLC and founded by three partners—Jim Baeck, Simon Sykes, and William Lopez—who previously served as Senior Partners at DDG. The firm provides architectural design and master planning services for mixed-use, retail, hospitality, entertainment, and residential developments, serving enterprise clients such as Steiner + Associates, Tavistock Development Company, Keystone Group, and Latin American developers including Corporación DK and Urbanizadora Naciones Unidas. Headcount is reported in the 11-50 range, with the named team spanning three founders, four senior/project designers (Sholander, Puyana, Guitard, Liflyandchick) hired between March and December 2017, and additional support staff operating out of a 3,500 sq. ft. office at the Kornblatt Building in Baltimore.

The firm's core technology is a proprietary design methodology the company brands as "Creative Chaos," anchored on the "charrette" process—an extended collaborative brainstorming session that brings together owners, developers, investment partners, leasing professionals, and consultants, lasting from several hours to several days. This process is paired with extensive hand-built physical model work throughout design phases, from quick massing models during charrettes to detailed illuminated marketing models for leasing presentations, deliberately differentiating D3i from digital-only design workflows. The service portfolio spans eight core areas: Mixed Use Design, Master Planning, Town Centers, Office, Retail, Hospitality, Entertainment Venues, and Residential Design. There is no software platform, API, or AI/ML component to the offering.

D3i operates as a B2B professional services firm with project-based fees, quoted per engagement based on scope, complexity, and scale. Distribution is exclusively direct enterprise engagement with C-suite executives and founders of real estate developers, landowners, and sports franchise owners. Go-to-market relies on industry publication features, ICSC trade show presence (RECon, CenterBuild), and the firm's marquee project portfolio. Geographic reach spans five continents and 15+ countries including the U.S., Ecuador, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Turkey, China, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, Vietnam, Kazakhstan, and Russia, with notable projects including National Harbor (Washington DC), Easton Town Center (Ohio), Lake Nona Town Center (Florida), Mall of Istanbul, and Estadio Banco Guayaquil (Ecuador). Revenue is not disclosed. The firm has won multiple ICSC awards including Gold for Easton Town Center Expansion (2021) and Quicentro Shopping (2024), Silver for Quicentro (2024), and 3rd place in StadiumDB.com's 2021 Stadium of the Year for Estadio Banco Guayaquil.

Name

Design 3 International

Legal name

Design 3 International, PLLC

Website

https://d3i-usa.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Design 3 International is a Baltimore-based architectural design firm specializing in mixed-use, retail, hospitality, and entertainment developments for enterprise real estate developers globally, using a proprietary charrette-based methodology centered on hand-built physical models.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architectural Design Services

NAICS

Architectural Services (54131), Architectural Services (541310), Interior Design Services (541410), Interior Design Services (54141)

SIC

Services-Engineering Services (8711)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAHAKAA

Architectural Design Services

Business & Public Services/Professional Services (Legal, Accounting, Consulting)/Architecture, Design & Planning Services

SECONDARYBPAHAKAB

Interior Design Services

Business & Public Services/Professional Services (Legal, Accounting, Consulting)/Architecture, Design & Planning Services

Keywords

• Architectural design services
• Mixed-use development design
• Master planning services
• Retail center design
• Hospitality design services

Headquarters

HQ city

Baltimore

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Architectural Design Services: Professional services revenue generated through architectural design, master planning, and consulting engagements for mixed-use, retail, hospitality, entertainment, and residential developments. Fees are structured as project-based professional services contracts.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Design 3 International (D3i) is an architectural design firm that provides integrated design, master planning, and consulting services for mixed-use, retail, hospitality, entertainment, office, and residential real estate developments. Services are delivered through a proprietary "charrette" collaborative design methodology that incorporates stakeholders in extended brainstorming sessions and hands-on physical model building throughout the design process. The firm serves real estate developers, property owners, and sports franchise operators on projects ranging from master-planned communities to retail center repositioning.

Product overview

Design 3 International (D3i) is an architectural design firm offering a comprehensive suite of design services centered on mixed-use, lifestyle, retail, and hospitality development. The core portfolio spans eight primary service areas: Mixed Use Design, Master Planning, Town Centers, Office, Retail, Hospitality, Entertainment Venues, and Residential Design. These services are delivered through the firm's distinctive "Creative Chaos" methodology, which combines collaborative charrette sessions with extensive physical model-building throughout the design process. Rather than a software platform, D3i provides architectural design services where physical models serve as integral communication and design tools, differentiating the firm from digital-only design approaches. Projects range from comprehensive master-planned communities to targeted renovation and repositioning of existing retail and mixed-use destinations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Mixed Use Design

Quantifiable outcome

• ICSC Gold Award for Easton Town Center Expansion (2021)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• PopulouscoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2023Stadium design partner for Eleven Park development. Populous designed the 20,000-seat soccer stadium with ETFE roof while D3i handled master planning and district design for the surrounding mixed-use development.
• Ekron ConstruccionescoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 October 2020Construction partner for multiple Ecuador projects including Quicentro Shopping renovation and expansion, and Estadio Banco Guayaquil. D3i worked with Ekron to bring designs to life on projects in Ecuador including Quito Airport Center, Portal Shopping, and Mall Del Pacifico.
• Urbanizadora Naciones UnidascoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDeveloper client for Quicentro Shopping project in Quito, Ecuador. One of three developer partners (along with Corporación DK and Ekron Construcciones) for the award-winning renovation and expansion.
• Corporación DKcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDeveloper client for Quicentro Shopping project. Received ICSC Gold award for the project. Partner in the development consortium with Urbanizadora Naciones Unidas.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• HOK: Large global architecture practice with mixed-use, hospitality, and sports/entertainment teams. Broader scale than D3i but competes for the same developer and institutional clients on similar mixed-use project types.
• Gensler: Largest global architecture/design practice with broad mixed-use, retail, and hospitality portfolios (e.g., American Dream, CityCenter). Bigger and broader than D3i but competes for similar developer-led mixed-use commissions.
• Populous: Premier global sports venue and large-event architecture firm; an existing D3i partner on Eleven Park. Overlap occurs in stadium-anchored mixed-use districts, though Populous specializes in the venue itself rather than the surrounding district.

Direct peers

• Arquitectonica: Miami-founded international architecture practice with strong mixed-use, hospitality, and high-rise portfolio across the Americas and Middle East. Comparable in international reach and developer-focused mixed-use work.
• Steinberg Hart: Architecture practice with strong mixed-use, multifamily, and town center portfolio on the US West Coast. Comparable scope and developer client base.
• CallisonRTKL (Arcadis): Architecture practice within Arcadis with deep retail/mixed-use/lifestyle center portfolio (CityCentre, Westfield). Comparable client type (real estate developers, retail landlords) and project typologies to D3i.
• The JERDE Partnership: Architectural firm specializing in lifestyle-centered, mixed-use 'destination' design (Roppongi Hills, Mall of America). Closely comparable to D3i in focus on experiential mixed-use and town centers for retail/entertainment clients.
• Elkus Manfredi Architects: Boston-based firm focused on retail, mixed-use, hospitality, and master planning (e.g., The Shops at Columbus Circle, Copley Place). Directly comparable in scale, client base, and mixed-use/retail design orientation.
• Cooper Carry: Mid-size architectural firm with prominent mixed-use, retail, hospitality, and master planning practice (Atlantic Yards, Avalon). Closely aligned with D3i in mixed-use and retail destination design for developers.
• WATG: Global hospitality and mixed-use architecture firm (Waikiki resorts, integrated resorts). Comparable in hospitality/lifestyle master planning and international project delivery.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/design-3-international

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Design 3 International