Global architecture and design firm Perkins+Will has named David Dymecki, AIA, LEED BD+C, the new managing director of its Atlanta office. Dymecki comes from the firm’s Boston office, where he helped launched Perkins+Will’s successful Sports and Recreation practice in 2010 and played key roles on such projects as the Northwestern University’s Ryan/Walter Athletics Center and the University of Massachusetts McGuirk Alumni Stadium.

“Becoming the managing director of our Atlanta office is an exciting opportunity to take all that I’ve learned building an international practice from the ground up and apply it to help lead and grow a multi-disciplinary office,” Dymecki says. “The possibilities for new markets and new projects are endless, and I’m thrilled to start this new chapter surrounded by such a diversity of talent.”

An award-winning architect with notable expertise in the planning, programming, and design of sports and recreational facilities, Dymecki is also a leader in performance health, an emerging hybrid typology that blends sports and fitness with healthcare and science. Examples of performance health projects include the Sports Therapy and Research Center in Frisco, Texas—a first-of-its-kind collaboration between the Dallas Cowboys and Baylor Scott & White Health System, currently under construction; the LA Lakers Headquarters and Training Center in El Segundo, California, on which Perkins+Will is collaborating with Rossetti; and Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts.

“All across Perkins+Will, our projects are pushing boundaries and challenging the status quo by incorporating knowledge and best practices from various design disciplines and practice areas,” Dymecki says. “Synergy and convergence are key. And our Atlanta office is perfectly positioned to deliver this kind of innovation to clients.”

Dymecki’s projects span the globe, but some of the work in his portfolio will likely be quite familiar to Atlantans. This includes the University of Georgia’s Vince Dooley Athletic Complex Master Plan and South Milledge Athletic Master Plan in Athens, Georgia; Mississippi State University’s Athletic Master Plan in Starksville, Mississippi; and the University of South Alabama Recreation Center in Mobile, Alabama. Incidentally, his first project out of architecture school was with architect Michael Graves: the Michael C. Carlos Museum at Emory University in Decatur, Georgia. He holds a Master of Architecture from Princeton University and a Bachelor of Arts in Architecture from Washington University, where he graduated Summa Cum Laude.

Dymecki succeeds Willard Lariscy, who served as managing director of the Atlanta office for the past 11 years. Consistently ranked as the leading design firm in the Southeast during his tenure, Lariscy transformed the multi-disciplinary practice, adding landscape architecture, urban design, and branded environments to complement its core strengths of architecture and interior design.  He also expanded its global reach, delivering award-winning projects throughout North America, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. As a managing principal, Lariscy will now focus on growing the firm’s global healthcare practice and leading strategic client relationships.  

“David is a genuine people-person and the right person to pass the torch to,” Lariscy says.  “I know that under his leadership, the Atlanta office will continue to deliver design excellence in service to our clients.”