Architecture giant faces new rival

EDINBURGH-based architecture giant RMJM is up against a new rival after five senior staff left to set up an international outfit, it emerged yesterday.

Gordon Affleck, Scott Findley, Ted Givens, Adrian Boot and Kishor Lad held senior positions in RMJM's offices in Asia, the Middle East and Europe until recently.

But they have joined forces to launch a Hong Kong-based practice, 10 Design, just weeks after it emerged RMJM had suffered a mass exodus of about 80 staff from its office in the city. The walkouts happened after shamed banker Sir Fred Goodwin landed a leading role in the company.

Other 10 Design offices are planned in Shanghai, the United States and the UK.

RMJM, the fifth largest architecture firm in the world, has expanded rapidly since being taken over by the Morrison family in 2003.

The firm, established in 1956, now boasts about 1,000 staff and 17 offices around the world, including New York, Washington, Moscow, Abu Dhabi, Singapore, Hong Kong and Shanghai. However it has been dogged by problems in the last 18 months.