I believe that the very basics of a fully aligned vision requires a personal, intellectual and almost emotional connection with everyone involved in the process.
Steven Velegrinis
Associate Principal - Perkins+ Will
"Gabriel distinguished himself as one of the most thorough and meticulous Project Managers and Design Managers I have ever worked with. He is passionate about design, extremely tenacious and ambitious in his management of design projects.
Intellectually Gabriel takes a very astute and practical approach to every challenge and demonstrates scholarly rigor while remaining personable and convincing.
Gabriel worked directly for me on a series of projects such as the Ras al Hadd Masterplan, Chedi Hotel Ras Al Hadd, Equestrian Park Dubai and a series of DTCM Tourism-related projects. He understands deeply the intricacies of Hospitality projects and Masterplan projects and remains firmly in control of the projects in his charge.
Gabriel is unusual in that he distinguished himself both as a Project Manager and as a Design Manager. In my experience, it is rare to find one person who combines both these roles so effectively. He has proven himself adept at managing multiple stakeholders in extremely complex design projects while maintaining a high level of design integrity. This is due to his deep understanding of the design process and client management protocols.
Working within a large multi-national firm he also proved adept at managing work across several offices with all its attendant challenges. During the last 3 years that I have worked with Gabriel I have found his to be an inspired designer with excellent team working skills. His team was consistently inspired by his leadership and would provide delivery because of his support of them.
I feel that Gabriel has grown immensely as an Architect and as a person and I do genuinely believe him to be an exceptional example on both of those fields."
Marcelle Van Der Merwe
Sr Project Designer - Perkins + Will
"Upon joining Perkins+Will, Gabriel had an immediate positive impact on the firm; bringing a stellar work ethic and strong design ethos backed by an impressive portfolio of work done previously.
With a highly sophisticated design sensibility coupled with an intimate knowledge of construction and engineering, Gabriel develops designs with diligence and precision always striving to elevate the level of design quality and translating this through well-structured client presentations and precise technical documentation.
Gabriel exhibits strong leadership qualities and well-rounded team management skills bridging the gap between commercial business operations and the design process. He immediately earns respect from those he encounters; colleagues and clients alike through a collaborative and engaging attitude, inspiring intellectual dialogue in and outside of the office with probably one of the most addictive personalities.
Most recently Gabriel led and mentored a team that has contributed a large amount of creativity to the office’s portfolio. Such qualities led Gabriel in promoting a multi-disciplinary approach to design that seamlessly integrates architecture, interior and urban design into one holistic design vision, bringing people / colleagues together to share the same passion for design he had. He strives for design perfection in the form of a clear and integrated process, one that engages the user on multiple scales of experience, from the site plan down to the finer details.
Throughout his career at Perkins+Will Gabriel has demonstrated his ability to lead the design development process and has refined his skills to focus on the translation of innovative architectural design into realized works. His proficiency in a variety of software applications coupled with his intimate knowledge of construction and project management brings a balanced approach to the design process; all within the budgetary and time constraints of demanding high profile projects.
Gabriel not only mentors those around him, but his team of designers have developed significantly under his leadership into a strong and creative team with limitless ambitions. He played an integral part in the molding process of their careers and ambitions, and has built a relationship with them that goes beyond the office. He strongly believes that everyone has a voice, and that the team has a heightened sense of trust, resulting in creative freedom that has consistently proven & delivered successful design after successful design.
He supports and encourages growth in those around him and shares the victories and successes associated. As a fellow colleague, I am extremely fortunate to have had the opportunity to be a part of Gabriel’s team in the studio."
Jason Fournier
Associate Vice-President, Director of Design - R.W. Armstrong
"I have known Gabriel since he joined AECOM in 2013. Gabriel worked with me on several large complex projects that required managing multiple end users, engaging global resources and providing a high level of design while tip toeing through the mine field of large office politics.
Gabriel is skilled at managing the various requirements of numerous stakeholders. He demonstrates an acute understanding of the requirements of the design process and has the ability to quickly grasp the relevant issues at all phases of the process. Gabriel's expertise is supported by a strong desire to ensure high quality design outcomes.
I really enjoyed my time working with Gabriel and highly recommend him as a design professional and a great team player, consider myself lucky to have him not only as an amazing colleague but as a friend after our years working together"
Oscar a. Cabeza
Senior Technical & Design Manager - Qatari Diar
"Mr. Diaz has worked during almost 2 years as a Lead Architect under the auspices of Perkins + Will, acting as Architectural Consultant on our prestigious Diar Ras Al Hadd Development Project, owned and developed by our Company, Qatari Diar.
During this period, Mr Diaz has demonstrated to be an extremely professional Architect, qualified, diligent and direction-skilled. His academic background and professional experience, coupled with commercial awareness and business acumen, was clear to us from the fore.
Under my supervision as Client’s Senior Technical & Design Manager, Mr Diaz steered the team of Architects and Designers under him, and I would like to highlight on this regard his capacities as a team leader and also a team-builder.
The work assigned to him was managed efficiently and sharply, always with the project end in mind, in the best interest of the Project and, ultimately, ourselves, the Client, always having a clear understanding of the Contract and all other project requirements.
Therefore, I strongly recommend Mr Diaz as a Lead Architect, I am very confident he has enough capacity to undertake any senior project position beyond his area of expertise, to the entire satisfaction of the project. He is a safe pair of hands for any existing or newly built management team and an added asset to the most demanding company and clients."
Yousuf Lootah
Executive Director Tourism Development & Investments - DTCM
"Gabriel has been a pivotal member of our success in creating high quality projects that would redefine the way we develop points of interest and services.
Since we started working together few years ago, he showed an extremely developed sensitivity towards our needs transforming them into visionary resolutions through projects that are already making a difference in the industry. To illustrate this capacity even further, I recall personally approaching him in one occasion regarding our need to create a connection point for city hotels guests to access the public beach, what I envisioned as a bus stop originally, ended up transforming into a much more complex view of the services we should be offering to city hotel guests through the creation of the future hub we are already developing. He conducted a series of workshops with hotel and tour operators to have a better understanding of their needs, capacities and current business models and based on that incredibly diverse feedback he managed to create a whole new beach club facility concept, extending the hospitality services to those guests in an unprecedented alliance of operators in the industry since he managed to get everyone excited with his vision.
This enthusiasm for a beautifully engineered design is what helped us developing one of the most ambitious plans we've executed to date, the full masterplan for the emirate of Hatta. After only a single un-scheduled visit, he managed to develop within a week what we call a vision proposal showcasing the actual potential of historical grounds in the area. After discussing this simple but powerful vision with His Highness Sheikh Mohamed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, we managed to secure a 1.3 Billion Dhs for the whole development of the Emirate giving us the chance to plan together the full Masterplan vision and potential in detail afterwards.
We are lucky to count with his vision and enthusiasm to complete and complement ours, and is my personal hope to keep working together in many future projects."