inPLACE Design is an architecture, planning, and design firm with the experience and capabilities to create engaging mixed-use, retail, and resort destinations. We are dedicated to places that engage people, nurtures community and enhances urban life.
What Makes inPLACE Design Different?
inPLACE Design provides the combination of highly-personalized service found at a small shop with the global reach and creative experience of an international firm. We work closely with developers who understand the importance great places have on the value of their assets. Investigating, analyzing, and guiding our client’s development strategy helps our firm stand out from the crowd.
inPLACE Design Principles
- Improve the environment through design
- Meet client’s goals and unique design challenges
- Draw on our 25+ years of national and international experience
- Value client and partner relationships
- Contribute to social, economic, and environmental sustainability
- Listen to and serve the needs of our clients
inPLACE Design Leadership
Led by Founder and Principal Dustin Watson, inPLACE Design is committed to a collaborative approach and an innovative culture.
Dustin Watson
Founder & Principal
With more than 20 years of experience as an architect and designer, Dustin Watson, AIA, LEED AP BD+C, NCARB, CDP, has overseen projects ranging from master-planned communities to high rises and resort destinations. Watson, however, is best known for creating dense, richly detailed, sustainable, mixed-use environments, streetscapes, and neighborhoods with layers of texture, designed to work together to create a true experience and a memorable sense of place. As a result, his work has been recognized with some of the industry’s top awards.
Tackling some of the largest, most prestigious planning and mixed-use retail assignments worldwide, Watson’s work spans the globe to include projects from the Puri Indah Master Plan in Jakarta, Indonesia to the mixed-use development at Washington, D.C.’s National Harbor, as well as the Dreamland Golf, Equestrian & Health Resorts and the Corporate Offices in Cairo, Egypt.
As a global expert who is passionate about designing spaces that are both memorable and sustainable, he is a frequent speaker at top industry conferences and a contributing author for numerous trade publications. Additionally, Watson serves on the ULI Sustainable Development Council, the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) Retail Green Planning Committee, and the American Institute of Architects Committee on the Environment (COTE).
Haris Koentjoro
Principal, Director of Design
As an industry expert with more than 20 years of experience, Haris Koentjoro, spent the early years in his career working in Indonesia, where he was born and raised. He was able to bring his knowledge and experience with him when he joined a large, Maryland-based architecture and design firm in 1999. As a principal and senior designer, Koentjoro was at the forefront of the design concept and development of countless international projects, including master plans, retail, mixed-use, corporate offices, and entertainment centers. A few noteworthy examples of his Indonesian work are: the Pondok Indah Mixed Use, Bintaro X-Change TOD masterplan, Grand Kamala Lagoon Smart District, Metland Cyber City, and Metland Ubud Bali Resort.
Over the years, he was also involved in projects based in China, Turkey, Russia, Middle East and South America, such as the Xicheng, Shenzen China, Kartal Tower, Istanbul Turkey, Marina Roscha mixed use Russia and the Dubai Festival City. Haris’s design work has taken him to 26 countries and over 114 cities around the world, providing a wealth of knowledge about worldwide design trends and what makes at great place.
While Koentjoro has a strong portfolio of award-winning U.S.-based projects – such as Easton Town Center, Columbus Ohio and Westgate City Center in Glendale, Arizona – his primary goal as a principal at inPLACE Design is to increase the depth and breadth of the firm’s existing international portfolio of mixed-use and retail projects.
Curtiss Taylor
Principal, Director of Graphics
With nearly 25 years of experience, Curtiss Taylor oversees the design and coordination of multifaceted signage and graphics projects for inPLACE Design while providing hands-on service that clients value. Throughout the course of his career, he has focused on environmental graphics and wayfinding for the mixed-used retail and entertainment industries, both for national and international projects.
Curtiss strongly believes that environmental graphics are one of the most important elements of placemaking, as it is the way visitors interact with a specific project. Additionally, Curtiss sees signage and graphics as the aspect of a project that identifies, directs, and bridges the 2D to the 3D world. As the firm’s Director of Graphics, he brings his knowledge and passion for this specific aspect of the industry, as well as his deep understanding of business, management, and local government regulations and zoning laws.
In addition, Curtiss has an impressive list of U.S.-based projects he has worked on, including the Rockville Town Square in Rockville, Maryland, Fairfax Corner in Fairfax, Virginia, and Eastgate Crossing in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and the Egyptian 24 Theaters in Hanover, Maryland. Some of Curtiss’ international experience includes the Mall of Istanbul in Turkey, Dreamland in Egypt, and Saint John Airport in Canada.
Katie Livingston
Director of Operations
With a background in mediation and projects that transcend construction project management, custom product development, purchasing, and operations management, Katie brings a wide range of experiences to inPlace Design.
Though finance and operations are her current objectives; her previous projects have never been ordinary and have included mall development, redevelopment and custom production.
She is a proponent that believes project management requires more than accurate schedules and budgets – “it requires a love of innovation, creativity, and human interaction. That is the key to getting an exemplary product whether it is a healthy P&L, a mall development or Snoopy’s 40’ Dog house.”
Winston
Team Leader & Office Mascot
In the bustling world of office management, there exists a unique and charming character known as Winston, the canine office manager that embraces the approach. Winston is not your typical manager; he doesn’t bark orders or demand strict deadlines. Instead, he embodies a philosophy of creating a harmonious work environment by promoting a sense of comfort and ease. His strategy involves strategically placing cozy dog beds and play areas throughout the office, encouraging employees to find their most comfortable and productive spaces. Winston’s presence fosters a relaxed atmosphere, breaking down traditional office hierarchies and inspiring creativity among the team.
Winston’s approach to office management goes beyond the physical layout. He understands the importance of a flexible and adaptive work culture. Winston encourages employees to embrace a mindset of adaptability and resilience, creating a workplace where change is not feared but welcomed. Whether it’s rearranging the furniture or introducing new collaborative spaces, Winston’s inPLACE Design philosophy ensures that the office remains a dynamic and evolving space that reflects the innovative spirit of the team. With Winston at the helm, the workplace transforms into a vibrant and efficient hub where productivity meets comfort in a truly unique and inspiring blend.
