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
Industry Research | Mar 2, 2023
Watch: Findings from Gensler's latest workplace survey of 2,000 office workers
Gensler's Janet Pogue McLaurin discusses the findings in the firm's 2022 Workplace Survey, based on responses from more than 2,000 workers in 10 industry sectors.
AEC Innovators | Mar 2, 2023
Turner Construction extends its ESG commitment to thwarting forced labor in its supply chain
Turner Construction joins a growing AEC industry movement, inspired by the Design for Freedom initiative, to eliminate forced labor and child labor from the production and distribution of building products.
Multifamily Housing | Mar 1, 2023
Multifamily construction startup Cassette takes a different approach to modular building
Prefabricated modular design and construction have made notable inroads into such sectors as industrial, residential, hospitality and, more recently, office and healthcare. But Dafna Kaplan thinks that what’s held back the modular building industry from even greater market penetration has been suppliers’ insistence that they do everything: design, manufacture, logistics, land prep, assembly, even onsite construction. Kaplan is CEO and Founder of Cassette, a Los Angeles-based modular building startup.
Airports | Feb 28, 2023
Data visualization: $1 billion earmarked for 2023 airport construction projects
Ninety-nine airports across 47 states and two territories are set to share nearly $1 billion in funding in 2023 from the Federal Aviation Administration. The funding is aimed at help airports of all sizes meet growing air travel demand, with upgrades like larger security checkpoints and more reliable and faster baggage systems.
Seismic Design | Feb 27, 2023
Turkey earthquakes provide lessons for California
Two recent deadly earthquakes in Turkey and Syria offer lessons regarding construction practices and codes for California. Lax building standards were blamed for much of the devastation, including well over 35,000 dead and countless building collapses.
Sports and Recreational Facilities | Feb 27, 2023
New 20,000-seat soccer stadium will anchor neighborhood development in Indianapolis
A new 20,000-seat soccer stadium for United Soccer League’s Indy Eleven will be the centerpiece of a major neighborhood development in Indianapolis. The development will transform the southwest quadrant of downtown Indianapolis by adding more than 600 apartments, 205,000 sf of office space, 197,000 sf for retail space and restaurants, parking garages, a hotel, and public plazas with green space.
Architects | Feb 27, 2023
Hord Coplan Macht announces retirement of Founder/CEO Lee Coplan, FAIA, and names successor
Hord Coplan Macht, an award-winning integrated architecture, interior design, landscape architecture, and planning firm, announces the retirement of Founder and Chief Executive Officer Lee Coplan, FAIA. Lee leaves behind a long and celebrated career leading the practice over the last four decades while bringing innovative design strategies and leadership to the architecture and design community.
Libraries | Feb 26, 2023
A $17 million public library in California replaces one that was damaged in a 2010 earthquake
California’s El Centro community, about two hours east of San Diego, recently opened a new $17 million public library. With design by Ferguson Pape Baldwin Architects and engineering services by Latitude 33 Planning & Engineering, the 19,811-sf building replaces the previous library, which was built in the early 1900s, damaged by a 7.2 earthquake that struck Baja California in 2010, and demolished in 2016.
Architects | Feb 24, 2023
7 takeaways from HKS’s yearlong study on brain health in the workplace
Managing distractions, avoiding multitasking, and cognitive training are key to staff wellbeing and productivity, according to a yearlong study of HKS employees in partnership with the University of Texas at Dallas’ Center for BrainHealth.
University Buildings | Feb 23, 2023
Johns Hopkins shares design for new medical campus building named in honor of Henrietta Lacks
In November, Johns Hopkins University and Johns Hopkins Medicine shared the initial design plans for a campus building project named in honor of Henrietta Lacks, the Baltimore County woman whose cells have advanced medicine around the world. Diagnosed with cervical cancer, Lacks, an African-American mother of five, sought treatment at the Johns Hopkins Hospital in the early 1950s. Named HeLa cells, the cell line that began with Lacks has contributed to numerous medical breakthroughs.