Two prominent Atlanta-based design firms whose specialties include the hospitality sector are joining forces.
On Jan. 1, The Johnson Studio, which has been in business for more than 25 years and currently has 22 employees, will blend its operations into the Atlanta offices of Cooper Carry, a full-service architectural design firm founded in 1960, with offices in New York and Alexandria, Va., and an international portfolio.
Kevin Cantley, AIA, Carry Cooper’s CEO, says that his firm is one of the top three hotel designers in the country. As such, it has worked with myriad restaurant design firms, including The Johnson Group. “We are delighted to have them work alongside our talented hotel and retail team every day,” Cantley said about the merger.
Bill Johnson, AIA, Senior Principal and Founder of The Johnson Studio—whose first big restaurant design project was a Cheesecake Factory in Atlanta’s Buckhead neighborhood in the early 1990s—is staying on to lead the new business’s restaurant design practice. He will work with Cooper Carry’s seven Hospitality Studio principals.
The Johnson Studio will maintain its own brand. “This collaboration provides a platform for future services that we feel will be unparalleled,” said Johnson in a prepared statement.
According to its website, Cooper Carry has 11 specialty practices. Its services include architecture, interior design, landscape architecture, planning, sustainability consulting, and environmental graphics and wayfinding. The company emphasizes “environmentally responsible design,” as well as “connective architecture” that brings people and buildings within neighborhoods together.
Among its recent hotel design projects are the 1.1 million-sf Marriott Marquis Hotel in Washington, D.C., the 37,916-sf Sea Pines Plantation Golf Clubhouse in Hilton Head, S.C., and the 613,942-sf Hilton Cleveland Downtown.
Related Stories
Energy Efficiency | Jan 28, 2015
An urban wind and solar energy system that may actually work
The system was designed to take advantage of a building's air flow and generate energy even if its in the middle of a city.
Multifamily Housing | Jan 27, 2015
Multifamily construction, focused on rentals, expected to slow in the coming years
New-home purchases, which recovered strongly in 2014, indicate that homeownership might finally be making a comeback.
Office Buildings | Jan 27, 2015
London plans to build Foggo Associates' 'can of ham' building
The much delayed high-rise development at London’s 60-70 St. Mary Axe resembles a can of ham, and the project's architects are embracing the playful sobriquet.
Multifamily Housing | Jan 22, 2015
Sales of apartment buildings hit record high in 2014
Investors bet big time on demand for rental properties over homeownership in 2014, when sales of apartment buildings hit a record $110.1 billion, or nearly 15% higher than the previous year.
| Jan 22, 2015
Architecture Billings Index rebounds at end of 2014
The American Institute of Architects reported the December ABI score was 52.2, up from a mark of 50.9 in November. This score reflects an increase in design activity.
| Jan 21, 2015
From technician to rainmaker: Making the leap in your career
Many AEC firms focus on training for the hard skills of the profession, not so much for business prowess, writes BD+C's David Barista.
Modular Building | Jan 21, 2015
Chinese company 3D prints six-story multifamily building
The building components were prefabricated piece by piece using a printer that is 7 meters tall, 10 meters wide, and 40 meters long.
| Jan 21, 2015
Tesla Motors starts construction on $5 billion battery plant in Nevada
Tesla Motors’ “gigafactory,” a $5 billion project on 980 acres in Sparks, Nev., could annually produce enough power for 500,000 electric cars.
| Jan 20, 2015
Daring hotel design scheme takes the shape of cut amethyst stone
The Dutch practice NL Architects designed a proposal for a chain of hotels shaped like a rock cut in half to reveal a gemstone inside.
| Jan 20, 2015
Avery Associates unveils plans for London's second-tallest tower
The 270-meter tower, dubbed the No. 1 Undershaft, will stand next to the city's "Cheesegrater" building.