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American Architect Designs Iconic Projects (http://www.worldpropertyjournal.com/featured-profiles/) | By Alma Kadragic (http://www.worldpropertyjournal.com/author/alma-kadragic/) | May 23, 2009 12:31 PM ET
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(ABU DHABI, UAE) -- Catching up with architect Gregory Dungan AIA isn't the easiest thing because he's moving most of the time and spends around 50 percent of each year traveling outside the Orlando area that represents home base for his family and his company, HHCP Design International, with offices in Maitland, Florida, Puerto Rico . . . and Shanghai. Those two facts tell a lot of the story. Domestic business is down for what Dungan describes as a mid size regional firm employing 80 people and focusing on Florida and the Southeast United States with niche markets in Forensic Expertise and Healthcare throughout the United States. "We're not known nationally," he explained, "but internationally, we compete with the best in the world." One of HHCP's defining moments as an international design company came in 1997 when Dubai's ruler came up with the idea of the Palm islands, and HHCP was selected to create the master plan for the Palm Jumeirah, the first of what grew into three palm-shaped artificial
Greg Dungan
(http://www.realestatecha
island complexes.
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Palm Jumeirah design and site utilization work won the company awards in 2004, 2005, and 2006 from ARDA, the American Resort Development Association. But today, work in Dubai has slowed down as the emirate faces an almost complete stoppage of funding for real estate projects. Work on the Palm Jumeirah has slowed down too, and everyone seems to be waiting before embarking on new developments. Dungan who's been in Dubai during the very good times says today, "The key for us is keeping in contact with clients. We're maintaining relationships while waiting for things to turn around." At the same time, he's "reestablishing contact with a lot of old colleagues that were in Dubai and are now in Abu Dhabi and other parts of the world." The UAE's capital is "slow growth where Dubai in five years has done 30 years of work," Dungan estimates. Abu Dhabi is 90 minutes south of Dubai, along a fast highway. So far it