Custer is also driving a strategic emphasis on 3D digital concept design, pushing the boundaries of what is possible and creating designs that are not only beautiful but also thought-provoking and meaningful.

Darryl Custer serves as the Managing Director of the Design Division for KEO International Consultants. He has 33 years of design leadership and project management experience with a keen understanding of development, design, and operations across multiple sectors. Currently based in the UAE, Darryl’s experience is truly global, spanning China and Southeast Asia, the US, the GCC, and North Africa.

Custer holds a Bachelor of Architecture degree from the US and is a licensed architect and NCARB certified.  He is also a LEED Green Associate and an executive at large member of the American Institute of Architects Middle East (AIA ME).

Custer’s passion is urban mixed-use projects, and he is committed to improving communities by utilising sensible, sustainable, and creative vertically stacked mixed-use configurations.

Emaar’s recently released Golf Heights at Emirates Hills; a stylish, cutting-edge residential tower in a prime location, offering spectacular views of some of Dubai’s most iconic landscapes. The tower features 1,2,3 and-4 bedroom apartments with sophisticated and modern living spaces and close proximity to a host of world-class amenities.

Custer leads a team of approximately 150 architects and engineers across KEO’s offices, collaborating with them to create designs that push boundaries and projects that address sustainability issues, utilising architecture to create community-driven, smart, urban mixeduse environments for today and tomorrow. These start with solutions within the architectural concept design process with his teams guiding clients, making the case that sustainability is an investment and not a cost.

He sees technology as a significant enabler for a better tomorrow, and investing in digital design will be a priority for KEO Design this year as the industry pushes for a stronger connection between the human and machine to enable design teams to deliver solutions that fully leverage all available design technology.

He is also driving a strategic emphasis on 3D digital concept design, pushing the boundaries of what is possible and creating designs that are not only beautiful but also thought-provoking and meaningful.

“Design technology is rapidly evolving and I see a tremendous need for design firms to embrace this change in order to better deliver results to their clients.  As an example, using digital design and machine driven ideation can enhance the design process by offering more solutions early in the process for better results downstream,” says Custer.

As he grows his team, Custer is committed to ensuring a broad cross-section of multicultural designers is on the team. This is supported by KEO’s soon-to-belaunched Nationalization program that aims to attract, empower and develop National talent, to become the next generation of architects, designers and business leaders.

Custer has overseen the prototype design for one of the largest residential developers in the region. These homes fuse modern with traditional architecture to deliver high quality villas, duplexes, and townhouses to the communities they serve.

Custer is actively involved in delivering projects around the region, including a diverse mix of commercial, hotel and residential. Current high-profile projects include Emaar Beach Vistas and Emaar’s recently released Golf Heights in Dubai and a multitude of resort hotels for the Red Sea Development in KSA. Darryl has overseen the prototype design for one of the largest residential developers in the region. These homes fuse modern with traditional architecture to deliver high-quality Villas, Duplexes and Townhouses to the communities they serve. Darryl is also overseeing work on several mixed-use developments in the region. These will elevate the typology, creating exceptional levels of livability based on life, work, play, and principles.

Custer is passionate about the architecture profession. In the early days of his career, Darryl was fortunate to be mentored by several first-class architects who introduced him to a broad range of ideas, methodologies, clients and project typologies. This foundation led him to a philosophy where he considers himself as a teacher more than a Managing Director working to offer young architects, designers and engineers a platform for growth, happiness and success with a pay-it-forward frame of mind.

KEO is a creative enterprise, where innovation is a way of life. We are uniquely resourced with end-to-end services to take clients from inspiration – through conceptualisation – to the realisation of design or project delivery in the built and natural environments. For over 59 years we’ve led with vision, contributing to many of the world’s most ambitious projects, iconic places, remarkable experiences and prosperous communities.

KEO is guided by a profound sense of purpose, with an abiding responsibility to those who experience it. The ambition is to create, engineer or manage the delivery of essential environments that reward users and owners with prosperity, comfort, community, health, safety, and memories.

Custer shares: “I believe architecture is a vehicle to improve communities and the overall human condition. Good design has a way of inspiring people beyond borders and if done properly can uplift and connect humanity immeasurably. There is also no doubt the design and development sector has a critical impact on the planet concerning urbanized demographic opportunities, climate change, energy and resource consumption. I have always felt the urban mixed-use project typology is the best response to our changing world from an urbanization point of view to address sustainability and SMART growth. In most cases, mixed-use projects use less ground area, comparably reduce the overall carbon footprint, and generally make better use of the urban context.”

“These drivers are why I am passionate about using architecture to create community-driven, smart, urban mixed-use environments – this is what architecture is all about for me,” adds Custer.