AE Works Ltd. (AE Works), an award-winning building design and consulting firm is excited to announce that WTW Architects, a national leader in higher education design, has joined the firm. This move brings together over 100 talented professionals. The acquisition is effective as of March 15, 2024.
AE Works is a top-ranked firm on the Architectural Record Top 300 that has delivered a diverse range of projects for leading commercial clients, research institutions, hospitals, and public agencies throughout the region and country. The addition of WTW Architects expands AE Works’ design leadership and presence in Pennsylvania and nationally.
Founded in Pittsburgh in 1959, WTW Architects has earned a reputation as a design leader in higher education, commercial, and healthcare projects. WTW Architects has worked on over 140 different college and university campuses to enhance student living and learning. This work includes significant projects at the University of North Dakota, Texas A&M, University of Nebraska–Lincoln, Penn State, University of Vermont, and Towson University.
AE Works Acquires WTW Architects
AE Works’ Founder, President & CEO, Michael Cherock, PE, shares, “We are excited to have WTW Architects join AE Works. WTW’s design leadership in delivering higher education facilities is now combined with our track record of work nationwide for leading businesses, research institutions, hospitals, and public agencies like the Department of Veterans Affairs, National Institutes of Health, CDC. This move is a key part of our strategic firm vision to diversify our experience regionally and nationwide.”
In its 16 plus years of being in business, AE Works has been on the Inc. 5000’s fastest growing companies list seven times—which puts them in the top 0.1% of all companies in the country. AE Works has grown consistently beyond its start-up years and has proven to be resilient throughout the recent pandemic and other industry challenges like the Great Recession. This move furthers the firm’s resilience and commitment to deliver excellence to clients with national reach, diverse market expertise, and wide range of building design and consulting services.
“We are excited to join a leading firm headquartered in our hometown of Pittsburgh. AE Works is focused on making building projects a better value for clients,” adds Larry Payne, AIA, President & CEO of WTW Architects. “Together, we will be able to do that better than ever. This is about providing clients and partners with the best value possible from an architecture firm and providing our staff more opportunities. United by tradition and innovation, I know we’ll continue to impact the architecture landscape in Pennsylvania and beyond.”
This strategic move isn't just about combining resources; it's about values, a strong vision for the future, and providing a great place to work for staff. Larry Payne has been appointed as Managing Principal and will serve on the AE Works’ firm management council. In collaboration with Michael Cherock and the leadership team, he will play a pivotal role in driving the growth and impact of the firm, both locally and on a broader scale.
AE Works and WTW Architects are jointly developing an integration strategy, aiming to synergize their strengths and further cement AE Works' position as an industry leader.
About AE Works
A top-ranked building design and consulting firm on the Architectural Record Top 300, AE Works has delivered over $1 billion of building projects for a diverse range of leading businesses, research institutions, hospitals, and public agencies. Leveraging the power of diverse services delivered by one team, AE Works makes building projects a better value. The firm is a certified B Corp, underscoring the company’s commitment to making a positive impact on employees, communities, and the environment. Services include architecture, interior design, engineering, and planning + project services. AE Works is headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania with additional offices in State College, Pennsylvania, and Washington, DC. Learn more at aeworks.com
About WTW Architects
Headquartered in Pittsburgh, WTW Architects is an architecture, interior design, and planning firm with over sixty-five years of distinguished design experience. This experience is marked by over 50 recent awards across higher education, commercial, healthcare, and mixed-use development sectors. Renowned for its leadership in higher education facility design, WTW brings an impressive portfolio on over 140 college and university campuses, including the University of North Dakota, The University of Pittsburgh, The Pennsylvania State University, and the University of Miami. WTW is recognized nationwide as a thought leader in the programming, planning, and design of student life projects. The firm's impact extends to iconic Pittsburgh landmarks such as Acrisure Stadium, Fifth Avenue Place, and the University of Pittsburgh William Pitt Union. Learn more at wtwarchitects.com
Related Stories
| Oct 13, 2010
HQ renovations aim for modern look
Gerner Kronick + Valcarcel Architects’ renovations to the Commonwealth Bank of Australia’s New York City headquarters will feature a reworked reception lobby with back-painted glass, silk-screened logos, and a video wall.
| Oct 13, 2010
New health center to focus on education and awareness
Construction is getting pumped up at the new Anschutz Health and Wellness Center at the University of Colorado, Denver. The four-story, 94,000-sf building will focus on healthy lifestyles and disease prevention.
| Oct 13, 2010
Community center under way in NYC seeks LEED Platinum
A curving, 550-foot-long glass arcade dubbed the “Wall of Light” is the standout architectural and sustainable feature of the Battery Park City Community Center, a 60,000-sf complex located in a two-tower residential Lower Manhattan complex. Hanrahan Meyers Architects designed the glass arcade to act as a passive energy system, bringing natural light into all interior spaces.
| Oct 13, 2010
Community college plans new campus building
Construction is moving along on Hudson County Community College’s North Hudson Campus Center in Union City, N.J. The seven-story, 92,000-sf building will be the first higher education facility in the city.
| Oct 13, 2010
Bookworms in Silver Spring getting new library
The residents of Silver Spring, Md., will soon have a new 112,000-sf library. The project is aiming for LEED Silver certification.
| Oct 13, 2010
County building aims for the sun, shade
The 187,032-sf East County Hall of Justice in Dublin, Calif., will be oriented to take advantage of daylighting, with exterior sunshades preventing unwanted heat gain and glare. The building is targeting LEED Silver. Strong horizontal massing helps both buildings better match their low-rise and residential neighbors.
| Oct 12, 2010
Holton Career and Resource Center, Durham, N.C.
27th Annual Reconstruction Awards—Special Recognition. Early in the current decade, violence within the community of Northeast Central Durham, N.C., escalated to the point where school safety officers at Holton Junior High School feared for their own safety. The school eventually closed and the property sat vacant for five years.
| Oct 12, 2010
Guardian Building, Detroit, Mich.
27th Annual Reconstruction Awards—Special Recognition. The relocation and consolidation of hundreds of employees from seven departments of Wayne County, Mich., into the historic Guardian Building in downtown Detroit is a refreshing tale of smart government planning and clever financial management that will benefit taxpayers in the economically distressed region for years to come.
| Oct 12, 2010
Richmond CenterStage, Richmond, Va.
27th Annual Reconstruction Awards—Bronze Award. The Richmond CenterStage opened in 1928 in the Virginia capital as a grand movie palace named Loew’s Theatre. It was reinvented in 1983 as a performing arts center known as Carpenter Theatre and hobbled along until 2004, when the crumbling venue was mercifully shuttered.
| Oct 12, 2010
University of Toledo, Memorial Field House
27th Annual Reconstruction Awards—Silver Award. Memorial Field House, once the lovely Collegiate Gothic (ca. 1933) centerpiece (along with neighboring University Hall) of the University of Toledo campus, took its share of abuse after a new athletic arena made it redundant, in 1976. The ultimate insult occurred when the ROTC used it as a paintball venue.