How have the client’s requests changed in recent months?
The construction of offices and residential towers, after a stop of a few months in the first period of the pandemic, shows good dynamism again.
Who are the most active and interesting designers in this area? Are there many Italians?
The influence of Italian design and architecture in the Dominican Republic are well known. Suffice it to say that the Palacio Nacional was designed by the Italian architect Guido D’Alessandro Lombardi or that one of the deans of national architecture Rafael Calventi studied and trained in Rome as a pupil of Pier Luigi Nervi and, once back in the Caribbean country, defines an architectural trend known as ‘Eje Italia’ (Asse Italia) together with the equally famous Dominican architects Victor Bisonó and Manuel Salvador Doi Guatier, integrating the concept of history and humanism into the vision of the project. To return to our days, the first RD Design Week organized in 2019 which saw Italy as a guest of honor and the presence of several Italian architects as speakers at various conferences should be remembered.
Without a doubt, there is the possibility of finding good areas for expansion in the design and furnishing of hotels, shopping centers, offices and residential works. As regards the infrastructural works, however, let us not forget that important Italian companies, such as Impregilo and Acea, are already present in the country and that good opportunities could arise from alliances or orders from large groups in the sector. Last but not least, among the projects currently in progress, there is the construction and modernization of the metropolitan railway network with the consequent construction or renovation of its stations.