A complex of office buildings that will be built near Piata Romana in Bucharest, the new stadium in Craiova, the future suspended highway in Bucharest or the Scientific Research Centre Extreme Light Infrastructure - Nuclear Physics that will be built on the Physics Platform from Magurele are some of the most important objectives from the project portfolio of Proiect Bucuresti, one of the most renowned architecture and design companies, which will celebrate this year six decades of activity. Whilst being involved in the development of numerous plans for objectives which presuppose the investment of several hundred million EUR, the company recently initiated a series of discussions for partnerships in foreign markets, with particular countries like Iraq or Libya, but also with neighboring countries of Romania. Arch. Viorel Constantinescu, CEO of Proiect Bucuresti analyzes below the potential of the local design market, referring to the company's growth opportunities, the problems faced by local architects and the current projects. The influence of the economic downturn on the design segment was overwhelmingly - the profile companies faced a drastic decrease in orders, delays in the payment of works and the inherent problems in what concerns the reorganization of the activity through new types of works and the decrease of the number of employees. "The financial crisis has affected quite strongly the architecture market. For example, our company has now reached a critical mass in terms of staff, which decreased from 350 employees in 2008 to about 120 at the present time. The context is quite extensive, there is nothing smooth, nothing certain. Even with the introduction of an investment in the general plan there is no certainty that things will develop according to the original design or that the project will be brought to an end", said Arch. Viorel Constantinescu, CEO of Proiect Bucuresti. Moreover, the company official claims that only 85% of the belabored projects are completed through the execution of the construction works. These gaps registered in the trade relations had an impact on the turnover of the company, which stood at 15.3 million RON in 2012, down from the one recorded during the previous year when it was over 20 million RON. For further information and a detailed analysis of the current Agenda Constructiilor issue click here!