Duccio Grassi is an architect and founder of Duccio Grassi Architects, which has been involved in architecture and interior design since 1983. Considered one of the benchmarks in international retail design, it is recognized for a poetics aimed at design rigor, a close study of light and the relationships between volumes, and a refined elegance of details and furnishing finishes. Based in Milan and Reggio Emilia, the studio develops projects carried out in Italy, Europe, the Middle East, Asia and the USA. DGA began in the 1980s an intense and ongoing collaborative relationship with the Max Mara Group, which lasts to this day, with the design of more than 2,000 stores. At the same time as working with brands such as Canali, Ray-Ban, Guess by Marciano, Ceramiche Refin and Iris Ceramica, the firm established its presence in the Middle East, overseeing the expansion of the Wafi City Mall in Dubai, the Al Yasra Headquarters in Kuwait City, the interiors of the Al Hamra Luxury Complex (first prize The Plan Awards 2015) and private residences. In 2010 DGA won the international competition announced by Inditex for the restoration and renovation of the centrally located Palazzo Bocconi in Rome into a Zara flagship store of over 5,000 square meters. Recent projects include suites at the Sofitel The Obelix, the pool deck at the Raffles Hotel and the facade of the Missoni Tower in Dubai, the Franck Namani boutique in Paris, the David Webb jewelry store, and the Brandon Maxwell and Mansam flagship stores in Riyadh.