Maybe it was too good to be true. For five consecutive months starting last December, the AIA’s Architectural Billings Index, a leading indicator of construction activity, was showing hopeful numbers about future architectural billings.
Then—wham!—the May ABI score came in at a measly 45.8, reflecting “a sharp decrease in demand for design services,” as the AIA put it. (Any score above 50 indicates an increase in billings.) And while the “new projects inquiry index” registered a promising 54.0, that was not enough to dispel the notion that architecture firms are going to have to keep scratching for every dollar.
“We see another global slowdown, with great downward pressure on fees,” said Ralph Hawkins, FAIA, LEED AP, Chair/CEO of HKS Architecture. “We are continuing to adapt to the economy with both our geographic and market sectors.” To that end, the firm recently opened offices in New Delhi and Singapore, having already expanded into Europe, China, the Middle East, North Africa, and India.
SCROLL DOWN FOR GIANTS 300 ARCHITECTURE & A/E FIRM RANKINGS
“Adapting” is what many Giants 300 architecture firms are being forced to do. With domestic billings down, Giants are setting up shop overseas, merging and forming joint ventures to make one plus one equal three, and creating new services.
NEXT STOP, SOMEPLACE EXOTIC
For Goettsch Partners, work outside the U.S. and Canada “accounts for 80% of our business,” says James Goettsch, FAIA, President. The firm just opened a new office in Abu Dhabi’s Sowwah Square and is active in more than 20 cities in China.
“We’ve been winning work internationally for the last 10 years,” says Guy Geier, FAIA, FIIDA, LEED AP, Managing Partner, FXFOWLE. “Currently, we have projects in design or construction all over the world, including Montreal, Istanbul, Riyadh, Mumbai, and Baku, Azerbaijan.”
Perkins Eastman recently converted its small Mumbai shop into a full-service operation. Coming soon: a permanent office in Hanoi. “We do work in 25 countries at any given time, and overseas revenues constitute up to 30% of our net billings,” says Chair/CEO Bradford Perkins, FAIA, MRAIC, AICP. International clients provide professional opportunities that are rare in the U.S. and Canada. “The skills we have gained on large, fast-paced, and complex international assignments have been invaluable in strengthening our North American practice,” he says.
Nadel Architects, with many years of experience in China and the Middle East, recently expanded work in Southeast Asia and parts of Africa, says Greg Lyon, Vice President/Director of Business Development.
“Global work is growing in importance for our firm,” said Phil Harrison, FAIA, LEED AP, CEO of Perkins+Will. “We significantly expanded our U.K. and Dubai operations with the addition of Pringle Brandon. We are likewise pursuing growth opportunities in South America and Asia.”
This year, LEO A DALY opened an office in Riyadh; another is in the works in Doha, Qatar. The firm has offices in Beijing, Istanbul, Abu Dhabi, and Hong Kong.
Populous, a creator of stadia and event venues, has operated globally for nearly 30 years. “As events like the FIFA World Cup and the Olympic Games begin to infiltrate into atypical areas of the world like the Middle East, we are seeing the potential for work,” says Earl Santee, AIA, Senior Principal.
MORE DOMESTIC OFFICES, MERGERS, NEW HIRES
In the past 18 months Perkins+Will acquired three practices, expanding its operations in the province of Ontario (Toronto, Ottawa, and Dundas), Seattle, London, and Dubai. The Boston office hired Robert Brown, AIA, IIDA, LEED AP, as Managing Director and Brian Healy, AIA, as Design Director.
Early this year, FXFOWLE formed a joint venture with CO Architects, combining FXFOWLE’s strength in urban planning, infrastructure, commercial, cultural, and education projects with CO Architects’ experience in healthcare and science and technology. The JV’s name: CO|FXFOWLE.
In late June, NELSON agreed to merge its Chicago/Midwest region operations with Torchia Associates, an architecture/interior design firm.
This year, Shepley Bulfinch opened an office, its third, in San Francisco, with Peter Schlosser, AIA, leading as Principal. Mario Vieira, AIA, was also hired as Principal in the Boston office.
Flad Architects unfurled its flag in New York City, as did EwingCole. Mark Hebden, AIA, LEED AP, EwingCole’s President, says the firm is “reevaluating and refining its service offerings, process, and deliverables to align with client business and leadership challenges.” The firm hired Steve McDaniel as Director of Science and Technology.
HKS established beachheads in Chicago, Indianapolis, San Diego, and New York. The firm continues to expand into S&T and urban design.
Cannon Design recently acquired Peter Ellis New Cities, an urban planning and design group based in Chicago and New Delhi. Peter Ellis now leads Cannon Design’s urban planning and city design practice.
Other major hires in the last year:
• Kenneth Drake, AIA, NCARB, to EYP Architecture and Engineering as Senior S&T Project Executive.
• John Whitaker, AIA, DBIA, to HKS as Principal of its federal market sector and design-build practices, and Rick Bond, AIA, FHFI, as Federal Healthcare Strategy Leader.
• Dan Viscardi, to LEO A DALY as Corporate Director of the firm’s aviation program, and Archie Aamoth as Corporate Director of the healthcare program.
• Mark Chen, to Heery International as Director of Design.
NEW CLIENT SERVICES
Perkins+Will has formed a joint venture with Construction Specialties for a building products labeling system. The firm is expanding its sustainability advisory services and combining many services into a single offering. “Speed of delivery, innovative technology, advanced sustainable design practices, integrated design services, and extreme collaboration are all defining our work,” says P+W’s Harrison.
Populous introduced a new design service, Populous Activate, to enhance the in-stadium experience. The goal: optimize sponsor partnerships while meeting visitor needs and desires, says Populous’s Santee.
Cannon Design’s products group has invented the eVap series of heat exchange/cooling units, which separates water used in laboratories from the poorer quality water of the main building’s cooling system.
SmithGroupJJR developed WorkSIM—programming software that connects to Revit and produces 3D programmatic space models and room databases.
In short, a frantic year for architecture firms, with relief in sight. +
ARCHITECTURE FIRMS
Rank | Company | 2011 Total Revenue ($) |
1 | Gensler | 731,360,500 |
2 | Perkins+Will | 365,781,000 |
3 | NBBJ | 181,636,000 |
4 | Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates | 143,880,000 |
5 | Perkins Eastman | 130,000,000 |
6 | Callison | 128,480,000 |
7 | ZGF Architects | 120,248,889 |
8 | HMC Architects | 87,973,699 |
9 | Populous | 86,000,000 |
10 | Corgan Associates | 79,500,000 |
11 | Fentress Architects | 61,920,000 |
12 | WATG | 60,839,000 |
13 | Ennead Architects | 52,200,000 |
14 | RSP Architects | 52,190,000 |
15 | SHW Group | 50,588,390 |
16 | MulvannyG2 Architecture | 50,172,283 |
17 | FKP Architects | 42,434,000 |
18 | LS3P Associates | 42,168,717 |
19 | Perkowitz+Ruth Architects | 39,000,000 |
20 | Cooper Carry | 38,005,433 |
21 | tvsdesign | 35,720,659 |
22 | KMD Architects | 35,143,453 |
23 | Payette | 33,582,508 |
24 | MBH Architects | 32,279,000 |
25 | VOA Associates | 31,337,853 |
26 | Swanke Hayden Connell Architects | 30,500,000 |
27 | Shepley Bulfinch Richardson & Abbott | 29,800,000 |
28 | Beyer Blinder Belle Architects & Planners | 29,700,000 |
29 | Solomon Cordwell Buenz | 29,610,000 |
30 | RBB Architects | 29,100,000 |
31 | FXFOWLE Architects | 26,666,523 |
32 | Ware Malcomb | 26,400,000 |
33 | NTD Architecture | 24,369,266 |
34 | NAC|Architecture | 24,199,811 |
35 | FRCH Design Worldwide | 24,100,000 |
36 | WHR Architects | 23,581,538 |
37 | Francis Cauffman | 23,205,403 |
38 | WDG Architecture | 23,080,297 |
39 | OZ Architecture | 23,053,928 |
40 | Goettsch Partners | 22,748,000 |
41 | Jerde Partnership, The | 22,500,000 |
42 | Cuningham Group Architecture | 22,134,253 |
43 | H+L Architecture | 22,034,014 |
44 | Smallwood, Reynolds, Stewart, Stewart & Associates | 21,642,757 |
45 | Gould Evans | 20,135,000 |
46 | Niles Bolton Associates | 19,830,000 |
47 | Good Fulton & Farrell | 19,581,000 |
48 | Morris Architects | 19,454,000 |
49 | GBBN Architects | 18,000,000 |
50 | Mithun | 17,686,000 |
51 | LMN Architects | 17,281,900 |
52 | Lee, Burkhart, Liu | 17,200,000 |
53 | Ziegler Cooper Architects | 17,054,105 |
54 | FGM Architects | 16,226,488 |
55 | Kirksey Architecture | 16,216,783 |
56 | BBG-BBGM | 15,978,000 |
57 | Hnedak Bobo Group | 15,889,341 |
58 | SRG Partnership | 15,757,000 |
59 | BLT Architects | 14,900,000 |
60 | Nadel Architects | 14,200,000 |
61 | Wight & Company | 13,370,900 |
62 | Lord, Aeck & Sargent | 12,150,916 |
63 | Carrier Johnson + CULTURE | 11,699,266 |
64 | Anderson Mikos Architects | 11,393,000 |
65 | Harvard Jolly | 11,175,348 |
66 | Legat Architects | 10,420,000 |
67 | ARCHITEKTON | 9,827,002 |
68 | Ashley McGraw Architects | 9,500,000 |
69 | SLATERPAULL Architects | 9,321,914 |
70 | SEI Design Group | 7,986,000 |
71 | DesignGroup | 7,397,440 |
72 | H3 Hardy Collaboration Architecture | 6,700,000 |
73 | Massa Montalto Architects | 6,224,932 |
74 | Omniplan Architects | 5,776,000 |
75 | JRS Architect | 5,575,000 |
76 | Adache Group Architects | 4,500,000 |
77 | api(+) | 3,330,000 |
78 | PHX Architecture | 1,750,000 |
79 | RDH Interests | 1,423,620 |
80 | AXIS Architecture + Design | 1,370,000 |
81 | Horn Design | 1,145,000 |
ARCHITECTURE/ENGINEERING FIRMS
Rank | Company | 2011 Total Revenue ($) |
1 | HOK | 447,435,170 |
2 | HDR Architecture | 364,100,000 |
3 | Skidmore, Owings & Merrill | 255,000,000 |
4 | Cannon Design | 231,000,000 |
5 | HKS | 213,212,437 |
6 | RTKL Associates | 201,932,903 |
7 | IBI Group | 196,186,927 |
8 | SmithGroupJJR | 177,100,000 |
9 | LEO A DALY | 132,483,964 |
10 | Hammel, Green and Abrahamson | 127,900,000 |
11 | DLR Group | 110,000,000 |
12 | PageSoutherlandPage | 91,950,000 |
13 | EYP Architecture & Engineering | 72,681,105 |
14 | HNTB Architecture | 70,510,849 |
15 | Flad Architects | 65,100,000 |
16 | EwingCole | 63,500,000 |
17 | Gresham, Smith and Partners | 54,245,261 |
18 | Heery International | 48,487,000 |
19 | Ballinger | 48,311,631 |
20 | LPA | 48,194,126 |
21 | BSA LifeStructures | 45,316,495 |
22 | CTA Architects Engineers | 44,316,300 |
23 | PGAL | 42,513,800 |
24 | Reynolds, Smith and Hills | 42,000,000 |
25 | NELSON | 41,046,070 |
26 | Little | 40,700,000 |
27 | S/L/A/M Collaborative, The | 39,475,964 |
28 | Moseley Architects | 38,069,206 |
29 | PBK | 37,700,000 |
30 | HLW International | 36,000,000 |
31 | WD Partners | 36,000,000 |
32 | Harley Ellis Devereaux | 33,660,000 |
33 | Fanning Howey Associates | 29,880,000 |
34 | FreemanWhite | 28,500,000 |
35 | Albert Kahn Family of Companies | 27,200,000 |
36 | SMMA|Symmes Maini & McKee Associates | 25,335,391 |
37 | Westlake Reed Leskosky | 25,000,000 |
38 | Tetra Tech Architects & Engineers | 21,536,000 |
39 | Sasaki Associates | 21,237,056 |
40 | RNL | 21,129,700 |
41 | Epstein | 19,923,242 |
42 | LawKingdon Architecture | 19,100,000 |
43 | Fletcher Thompson | 18,450,000 |
44 | Sherlock, Smith & Adams | 15,400,000 |
45 | CASCO Diversified Corp. | 15,000,000 |
46 | Fishbeck, Thompson, Carr & Huber | 14,900,000 |
47 | Goodwyn|Mills|Cawood | 14,136,833 |
48 | Baskervill | 13,868,700 |
49 | Taylor | 12,210,121 |
50 | Pearce Brinkley Cease + Lee | 11,498,000 |
51 | Integrated Design Group | 11,436,000 |
52 | Rosser International | 10,700,000 |
53 | KZF Design | 9,295,703 |
54 | TEG – The Estopinal Group | 9,081,012 |
55 | BBS Architects, Landscape Architects and Engineers | 8,100,000 |
56 | DLA Architects | 7,000,000 |
57 | Rule Joy Trammell + Rubio | 4,200,000 |
Related Stories
| Mar 25, 2011
Qatar World Cup may feature carbon-fiber ‘clouds’
Engineers at Qatar University’s Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering are busy developing what they believe could act as artificial “clouds,” man-made saucer-type structures suspended over a given soccer stadium, working to shield tens of thousands of spectators from suffocating summer temperatures that regularly top 115 degrees Fahrenheit.
| Mar 23, 2011
AIA adds 13 new contract documents to Documents-on-Demand service
Web-based solution adds 13 popular Architect’s Scope of Services Documents to AIA Documents-on-Demand, providing easy access to documents anytime, anywhere.
| Mar 23, 2011
After 60 years of student lobbying, new activity center opens at University of Texas
The new Student Activity Center at the University of Texas campus, Austin, is the result of almost 60 years of students lobbying for another dedicated social and cultural center on campus. The 149,000-sf facility is designed to serve as the "campus living room," and should earn a LEED Gold certification, a first for the campus.
| Mar 23, 2011
Architecture Billings Index shows nominal increase
The American Institute of Architects (AIA) reported the February Architecture Billings Index score was 50.6, up slightly from a reading of 50.0 the previous month. This score reflects a modest increase in demand for design services (any score above 50 indicates an increase in billings). The new projects inquiry index was 56.4, compared to a mark of 56.5 in December.
| Mar 22, 2011
The American National Standards Institute accredits Stantec for greenhouse gas verification
Stantec Consulting Ltd.’s Atmospheric Environment Group has been awarded accreditation by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) for verification of assertions related to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The Scope of Accreditation is for verification of emissions and removals at the organizational level for Group 1 – General.
| Mar 22, 2011
Mayor Bloomberg unveils plans for New York City’s largest new affordable housing complex since the ’70s
Plans for Hunter’s Point South, the largest new affordable housing complex to be built in New York City since the 1970s, include new residences for 5,000 families, with more than 900 in this first phase. A development team consisting of Phipps Houses, Related Companies, and Monadnock Construction has been selected to build the residential portion of the first phase of the Queens waterfront complex, which includes two mixed-use buildings comprising more than 900 housing units and roughly 20,000 square feet of new retail space.
| Mar 21, 2011
RATIO Architects announces merger with Cherry Huffman Architects
RATIO Architects, Inc. with studios in Indianapolis and Champaign, Ill., recently announced it has merged with prominent Raleigh, N.C., firm Cherry Huffman Architects.
| Mar 18, 2011
Universities will compete to build a campus on New York City land
New York City announced that it had received 18 expressions of interest in establishing a research center from universities and corporations around the world. Struggling to compete with Silicon Valley, Boston, and other high-tech hubs, officials charged with developing the city’s economy have identified several city-owned sites that might serve as a home for the research center for applied science and engineering that they hope to establish.
| Mar 17, 2011
Perkins Eastman launches The Green House prototype design package
Design and architecture firm Perkins Eastman is pleased to join The Green House project and NCB Capital Impact in announcing the launch of The Green House Prototype Design Package. The Prototype will help providers develop small home senior living communities with greater efficiency and cost savings—all to the standards of care developed by The Green House project.