The nation's largest architecture, engineering, and construction companies are on the BIM bandwagon in a big way, according to Building Design+Construction's premier Top 50 BIM Adopters ranking, published as part of the 2009 Giants 300 survey.
Of the 320 AEC firms that participated in Giants survey, 83% report having at least one BIM seat license in house, half have more than 30 seats, and nearly a quarter (23%) have 100-plus seats. In total, the Giants hold 28,174 BIM seats, with the average firm having 106 seats.
As expected, design firms are the biggest adopters of BIM, representing 48 of the top 50. AECOM Technology Corp. and HDR Architecture hold the most BIM seats, each with 2,000, followed by Parsons Brinckerhoff (1,800), Gensler (1,320), and HOK (840). Turner (#8 with 530 seats) and Mortensen Construction (#38 with 163 seats) are the only pure contractors to make the Top 50 BIM Adopters list.
![]() |
Project: Yankee StadiumArchitect: HOK Sport + Venue + EventStructural engineer: Thornton Tomasetti (EA 10)MEP engineer: M-E Engineers (E 15)General contractor: Turner (C 1, CM 17)Construction manager: Tishman Speyer PropertiesRendering: Courtesy Turner Construction Co. |
BIM adoption seems to be slowing among the Giants, which is expected given the rough economic environment. Slightly more than half (51%) of the respondents have added or plan on adding BIM seat licenses in 2009, down from 63% in 2008. And the number of seats being purchased is expected to drop by 56% this year, from a total of 6,465 in 2008 to 2,837 in 2009.
Stantec and Gensler are adding the most seats this year (250 and 199) and are two of only four firms adding more than 100 seats in 2009—compared to eight firms in 2008.
Expanded Top BIM Adopter rankings are available at www.BDCnetwork.com/Giants.
Company* | # of BIM seat licenses | # seats added in '08 | # seats adding in '09 | |
*Several firms, including Fluor Corp., report having an enterprise license for BIM-related software, and, therefore, cannot provide adoption numbers. Source: 2009 Giants 300 survey. Expanded BIM rankings at: www.BDCnetwork.com/Giants. | ||||
1 | AECOM Technology Corp. | 2,000 | — | — |
1 | HDR Architecture | 2,000 | 2,000 | — |
3 | Parsons Brinckerhoff | 1,800 | 40 | 50 |
4 | Gensler | 1,320 | 300 | 199 |
5 | HOK | 840 | — | — |
6 | Perkins+Will | 800 | 80 | — |
7 | HKS | 650 | 200 | — |
8 | Turner | 530 | 200 | 100 |
9 | SSOE | 500 | 150 | 50 |
10 | Skidmore, Owings & Merrill | 450 | 75 | 25 |
11 | Arup | 407 | — | — |
12 | RTKL Associates | 373 | 43 | — |
13 | Cannon Design | 320 | — | — |
14 | SmithGroup | 312 | 80 | — |
15 | Merrick & Co. | 302 | 15 | 25 |
16 | CH2M HILL | 300 | 40 | — |
17 | Jacobs | 280 | 280 | 15 |
18 | Middough | 270 | 10 | 20 |
18 | TLC Engineering for Architecture | 270 | 25 | — |
20 | Day & Zimmermann International | 265 | — | — |
21 | Stantec | 250 | 100 | 250 |
22 | Dewberry | 233 | 30 | 65 |
23 | Perkowitz+Ruth Architects | 225 | — | — |
23 | Smith Seckman Reid | 225 | 45 | 20 |
25 | KJWW Engineering Consultants | 209 | 35 | — |
26 | HNTB | 208 | — | — |
27 | Burt Hill | 205 | 25 | — |
28 | Gresham, Smith and Partners | 203 | 30 | — |
29 | Bergmann Associates, Architects Engineers Planners | 200 | 30 | 20 |
29 | Syska Hennessy Group | 200 | — | — |
31 | X-nth | 199 | 10 | — |
32 | PageSoutherlandPage | 181 | 36 | 50 |
33 | Albert Kahn Associates | 180 | 35 | 10 |
33 | Goodwyn Mills and Cawood | 180 | 20 | — |
35 | Affiliated Engineers | 175 | 13 | — |
36 | Heery International | 173 | 10 | 10 |
37 | Fanning/Howey Associates | 169 | 12 | 26 |
38 | Mortenson Construction | 163 | 25 | — |
39 | Morris Architects | 162 | 20 | — |
40 | KMD Architects | 155 | 20 | 10 |
41 | Clark Nexsen | 153 | 10 | — |
42 | KlingStubbins | 150 | 50 | 75 |
42 | RNL Design | 150 | — | — |
44 | GRAEF | 145 | 15 | 5 |
44 | Leo A Daly | 145 | 22 | 30 |
44 | NTD Architecture | 145 | — | — |
47 | Arquitectonica | 140 | — | — |
47 | Corgan Associates | 140 | 25 | — |
47 | CTA Architects Engineers | 140 | 115 | — |
47 | Little | 140 | — | — |
2009 | 2008 | Company | 2008 Billings ($) |
Rank | |||
Source: 2009 Giants 300 survey. For expanded Architecture Firm rankings, visit: www.BDCnetwork.com/Giants | |||
1 | 1 | Gensler | 744,300,000 |
2 | 2 | Perkins+Will | 400,000,000 |
3 | 3 | Callison | 185,000,000 |
4 | — | Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates | 146,000,000 |
5 | 4 | NBBJ | 135,735,000 |
6 | 5 | RMJM | 129,989,567 |
7 | 9 | WATG | 110,889,000 |
8 | 6 | Perkins Eastman | 107,000,000 |
9 | 7 | Zimmer Gunsul Frasca Architects | 81,070,000 |
10 | 15 | tvsdesign | 71,000,000 |
11 | 13 | HMC Architects | 65,446,823 |
12 | 8 | Arquitectonica | 62,400,000 |
13 | 10 | MulvannyG2 Architecture | 60,000,000 |
14 | 34 | VOA Associates | 51,000,000 |
15 | 12 | NTD Architecture | 49,200,000 |
16 | 24 | Corgan Associates | 48,929,118 |
17 | 17 | Anshen+Allen | 47,394,883 |
18 | 18 | OZ Architecture | 44,300,000 |
19 | 14 | Perkowitz+Ruth Architects | 44,000,000 |
20 | 21 | FXFOWLE Architects | 43,700,000 |
21 | 19 | Cooper Carry | 42,715,000 |
22 | 11 | Smallwood, Reynolds, Stewart, Stewart & Associates | 42,470,000 |
23 | 23 | Shepley Bulfinch Richardson and Abbott | 42,081,801 |
24 | 26 | Ware Malcomb | 41,896,419 |
25 | 35 | BBG-BBGM | 41,000,000 |
26 | 27 | RSP Architects | 40,091,508 |
27 | — | BLT Architects | 39,500,000 |
28 | 29 | FRCH Design Worldwide | 39,000,000 |
29 | — | SchenkelShultz | 34,880,000 |
30 | 29 | KKE Architects | 33,200,000 |
31 | 37 | WWCOT | 32,400,000 |
32 | 33 | FKP Architects | 31,939,000 |
33 | 48 | Fentress Architects | 31,679,680 |
34 | — | NAC Architecture | 31,551,000 |
35 | 35 | Jerde Partnership, The | 28,700,000 |
36 | — | SHW Group | 28,000,000 |
37 | 43 | Morris Architects | 27,109,737 |
38 | — | RBB Architects | 27,000,000 |
39 | 28 | WHR Architects | 26,400,000 |
40 | 38 | MBH Architects | 26,294,628 |
41 | — | Goodwyn Mills and Cawood | 26,240,000 |
42 | 20 | Nadel Architects | 26,000,000 |
43 | — | Polshek Partnership Architects | 25,397,128 |
44 | 32 | Niles Bolton Associates | 25,300,000 |
45 | 22 | Mithun | 24,000,000 |
46 | 44 | Cuningham Group Architecture | 23,892,676 |
47 | 41 | Harvard Jolly | 23,828,636 |
48 | 45 | Solomon Cordwell Buenz | 23,500,000 |
49 | 42 | Carrier Johnson + Culture | 22,000,000 |
50 | — | Gould Evans Associates | 21,402,000 |
51 | — | Cambridge Seven Associates | 21,400,000 |
52 | 50 | Kirksey | 20,821,686 |
Related Stories
Multifamily Housing | Sep 22, 2021
11 notable multifamily projects to debut in 2021
A residence for older LGBTQ+ persons, a P3 student housing building, and a converted masonic lodge highlight the multifamily developments to debut this year.
Data Centers | Sep 22, 2021
Wasted energy from data centers could power nearby buildings
A Canadian architecture firm comes up with a concept for a community that’s part of a direct-current microgrid.
Hotel Facilities | Sep 22, 2021
Will hotel developers finally embrace modular construction?
Last May, MiTek, a construction software and building services company that’s part of Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway conglomerate, formed a partnership with Danny Forster & Architecture to promote modular design and construction.
Arenas | Sep 20, 2021
LA Clippers unveil $1.8 billion Intuit Dome
AECOM is the lead designer for the project.
University Buildings | Sep 7, 2021
Gateway to the West: Kansas City University Center for Medical Education Innovation
Kansas City University Center for Medical Education Innovation uses GKD Omega 1520 metal fabric.
Architects | Sep 2, 2021
Remembering architect and author Lance Hosey: 1964 - 2021
Architect, sustainability expert, author, and public speaker Lance Hosey passed away unexpectedly on August 27.
Multifamily Housing | Sep 1, 2021
Top 10 outdoor amenities at multifamily housing developments for 2021
Fire pits, lounge areas, and covered parking are the most common outdoor amenities at multifamily housing developments, according to new research from Multifamily Design+Construction.
Architects | Sep 1, 2021
Design unveiled for Copia Vineyards Winery and Tasting Room
Clayton Korte designed the project.
Giants 400 | Aug 30, 2021
2021 Giants 400 Report: Ranking the largest architecture, engineering, and construction firms in the U.S.
The 2021 Giants 400 Report includes more than 130 rankings across 25 building sectors and specialty categories.
Laboratories | Aug 30, 2021
Science in the sky: Designing high-rise research labs
Recognizing the inherent socioeconomic and environmental benefits of high-density design, research corporations have boldly embraced high-rise research labs.