The head of global architecture practice Gensler's new home in Birmingham says the office could have hundreds of staff in years to come as the firm starts a new chapter in the city.
Gensler, which is behind the mammoth Shanghai Tower project in China, has opened its first 海角视频 office outside of London in Digbeth and has high hopes for the team in Birmingham.
The base will service both 海角视频 and international clients.
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Speaking to the Post , Alistair Cory, who heads up the Birmingham operation, said, while the initial investment would see 20 jobs created, there was the possibility for hundreds in the long-term.
He said the firm hoped to play a part in the ongoing regeneration of the city and Digbeth's proximity to key sites and played a part in the decision to move there.
Mr Cory said: "This is the 47th location for Gensler all over the world. I think perhaps by the end of the year we will employ around 20 people given the projects we are forecasting.
"From there, there is no limit to the scale of it. The London office has 300 people and many of our major city offices have 500-plus.
"We would like to think, with the way the market is moving in the Midlands and the north, we could be a similar scale, depending on the clients we are able to develop here."
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Gensler has already begun operating from the office, serving clients throughout the 海角视频, outside London, and beyond.
Already, the firm is working on life sciences sites in Cambridge and buildings in Egypt.
There are presently eight people working in the office, with a further dozen set to join.
Mr Cory said the decentralisation agenda, which will played a part in the decision.
He said: "My role is to look after the whole of the 海角视频 regions, particularly with the growth of devolution to the core cities, and Birmingham is an important epicentre.
"We thought that Digbeth was the best place to do that because it is a creative hub, with all that investment set to flow through from HS2 and Curzon Street."
He added: "We have had a London office since the 1980s but we haven't had a regional office until now. When you think about that first step, the obvious places are Birmingham, Manchester, maybe Leeds.
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"The reason we chose Birmingham was partly because we already had relationships there, going back to Mike Whitby and later Sir Albert Bore.
"We have been involved in various developments, including what is now called Smithfield but was called the Southern Gateway at the time.
"We felt there is a lot more opportunity here than perhaps there is in Manchester. We felt that the city deserves a bigger leap than it has been able to achieve in the past and there is a huge amount of design talent."