Doug Wignall Named President of HDR Architecture, Inc.

Doug Wignall, AIA, RAIC, LEED AP has been named president of HDR Architecture, Inc., succeeding Merle Bachman, AIA, who retired on December 30, 2011. Wignall, a 20-year veteran of HDR, was previously senior vice president and international director of the firm’s Healthcare program.

“Doug and his team have produced unprecedented results with eight consecutive years of HDR being ranked the No. 1 healthcare design firm by Modern Healthcare magazine,” commented George A. Little, CEO of HDR, Inc., parent company of HDR Architecture. “Continuing to grow the Architecture business will be critical to HDR’s success and I believe that will happen with Doug’s vision, a strong leadership team, and a skilled group of professionals leading the practice into the future.”

HDR Architecture, Inc. is well-known globally for its award-winning designs for urban environments, campuses and buildings in the healthcare, science and technology, civic, justice and higher education markets. The firm provides complete design services to clients from more than 40 offices across the United States, as well as in Canada, the United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates and its newest office in Shanghai, People’s Republic of China.

Wignall’s leadership was instrumental in the growth of the Healthcare program’s presence throughout the United States and abroad, concentrating international efforts on increased work in Canada and the Middle East. He also oversaw increased activity from the Federal market segment and championed the evolution of HDR’s “non-traditional” architectural services to keep pace with the challenging and diverse architectural field.

“Becoming the next president of HDR Architecture is a tremendous opportunity for many reasons,” noted Wignall. “Under Merle’s leadership these past 10 years, we grew to become one of the top four architectural firms in the world. HDR is a progressive firm and one of the first to establish significant depth of expertise in specific market segments.  To maintain our leadership status we will seek to broaden our synergies between these markets as well as explore the growth potential in new market segments worldwide.  We will continue to deliver unparalleled service to our clients and create exciting opportunities for our staff to grow and develop both personally and professionally.”

Wignall holds a Masters of Architecture degree in Architectural Studies from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where he also received his undergraduate degree.