Evolving into more comprehensive design-build services was the driver behind CannonDesignâs recent merger with gkkworks, an integrated planning, design, and construction firm.
Founded in 1991, gkkworks employs 120 people in its offices in Irvine, Pasadena, and San Diego, Calif.; Denver; and Pune, India. (CannonDesign has an office in Mumbai.) Its annual revenue ranges from $50 million to $60 million.
Praful Kulkarni, president and CEO of gkkworks, says his goal has been to âcreate a firm with multiple professionals to customize the design process.â He notes that his companyâs progressive design-build delivery model is promulgated on the belief that âarchitecture and construction are inseparable.â
Kulkarniâs new title at Cannon Design is director of integrated services, focused on advancing the combined firmâs design and construction capabilities.
Praful Kulkurni is now Cannon Design's director of intergated services, focused on the firm's design and construction capabilities. Image: courtesy of Cannon Design
Â
Last year, Fast Company magazine recognized CannonDesign as one of the 10 most innovative architectural firms in the world. CannonDesign became acquainted with gkkworks through a âclient connection,â says Brad Lukanic, AIA, LEED AP, CannonDesignâs growth-minded CEO.
Merging with gkkworks expands CannonDesignâs west-coast partnerships and moves the firm into the hospitality sector. Lukanic further explains the rationale behind this merger by stating âweâre finding that the industry is really hungry for alternative delivery methods. When thereâs a single source of delivery, fewer mistakes are made.â
Cannon Design got into integrated modular design two years ago. Based on post-occupancy studies that CannonDesign has conducted on those subsequent projects, its delivery model is reducing delivery times by 28%, lowering costs by 20%, and reducing material waste by 30%. Kulkarni observes that these results ârest on involving the construction company at the point of selection.â
Deb Sheehan, Cannon Design's Executive Director-Firmwide Strategies, is looking forward to her company working earlier with subs and suppliers. Image: Cannon Design
Â
Merging with gkkworks extends CannonDesignâs delivery reach to the supply chain, says Deb Sheehan, CannonDesignâs Executive Director-Firmwide Strategies. The company is already collaborating with GCs, and has started to include large subcontractors such as Hill Mechanical in early design discussions. Sheehan speaks enthusiastically about working sooner with suppliers and subcontractors to get costs down.
When asked why more firms should go the IDP route, Kulkarni cites a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that, he says, set âan impossibly high barâ for the accuracy of design drawings. In any disputes among building team members or with clients, that ruling âbecame a defensive position.â But when design and construction are integrated, âyou no longer have these disputes.â
Since joining Cannon Design in 2016, CEO Brad Lukanic has been acquisition minded. Image: Cannon Design
âI believe our firm can play a vital role in a unified approach, as clients seek integrated solutions that link a projectâs design and delivery phases,â says Lukanic. âBy breaking traditional boundaries, our firm seeks to delivery every project aspectâfrom shaping the design experience to final construction.â
Its merger with gkkworks brings to 24 the number of offices Cannon Design operates. Over the next several months, Cannon Design and gkkworks will be combining their respective operations, âespecially in California,â says Lukanic.Â
Related Stories
| Dec 7, 2010
Green building thrives in shaky economy
Green buildingâs momentum hasnât been stopped by the economic recession and will keep speeding through the recovery, while at the same time building owners are looking to go green more for economic reasons than environmental ones. Green building has grown 50% in the past two years; total construction starts have shrunk 26% over the same time period, according to âGreen Outlook 2011â report. The green-building sector is expected to nearly triple by 2015, representing as much as $145 billion in new construction activity.
| Dec 7, 2010
USGBC: Wood-certification benchmarks fail to pass
The proposed Forest Certification Benchmark to determine when wood-certification groups would have their certification qualify for points in the LEED rating systemdid not pass the USGBC member ballot. As a result, the Certified Wood credit in LEED will remain as it is currently written. To date, only wood certified by the Forest Stewardship Council qualifies for a point in the LEED, while other organizations, such as the Sustainable Forestry Initiative, the Canadian Standards Association, and the American Tree Farm System, are excluded.
| Dec 7, 2010
Prospects for multifamily sector improve greatly
The multifamily sector is showing signs of a real recovery, with nearly 22,000 new apartment units delivered to the market. Net absorption in the third quarter surged by 94,000 units, dropping the national vacancy rate from 7.8% to 7.1%, one of the largest quarterly drops on record, and rents increased for the second quarter in a row.
| Dec 7, 2010
Hot rumor: Norman Foster designing Appleâs new campus
Lord Norman Foster, reportedly has been selected to design Appleâs new campus in Cupertino, Calif. If the news is true, Foster is a good match for Apple say experts. Foster built his celebrity by marrying big gestures to technological wizardry. And, unlike some starchitects, he has glommed onto the environmental revolutionâsomething Apple has made a point of embracing, too.
| Dec 7, 2010
10 megacities of the near future
With Beijing, Shanghai, and Mumbai already on the global radar, where can the next wave of construction be found? Far beyond China, India, and even Brazil itâs predicted. The worldâs next future megacities could include Istanbul, Turkey; Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam; and Khartoum, Sudan, among others. Read about these emerging and little-known behemoths.
| Dec 7, 2010
Product of the Week: Petersen Aluminumâs column covers used in IBMâS new offices
IBMâs new offices at Dulles Station West in Herndon, Va., utilized Petersenâs PAC-1000 F Flush Series column covers. The columns are within the officeâs Mobility Area, which is designed for a mobile workforce looking for quick in-and-out work space. The majority of workspaces in the office are unassigned and intended to be used on a temporary basis.
| Dec 6, 2010
Honeywell survey
Rising energy costs and a tough economic climate have forced the nationâs school districts to defer facility maintenance and delay construction projects, but they have also encouraged districts to pursue green initiatives, according to Honeywellâs second annual âSchool Energy and Environment Survey.â
| Dec 2, 2010
GKV Architects wins best guest room design award for Park Hyatt Istanbul
Gerner Kronick + Valcarcel, Architects, PC won the prestigious Gold Key Award for Excellence in Hospitality Design for best guest room, Park Hyatt Macka Palas, Istanbul, Turkey. Park Hyatt Maçka Palace marries historic and exotic elements with modern and luxurious, creating a unique space perpetuating Istanbulâs current culture. In addition to the façade restoration, GKV Architects designed 85 guestrooms, five penthouse suites, an ultra-hip rooftop bar, and a first-of-its-kind for Istanbul â a steakhouse, for the luxury hotel.
| Dec 2, 2010
U.S Energy Secretary Chu announces $21 Million to improve energy use in commercial buildings
U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced that 24 projects are receiving a total of $21 million in technical assistance to dramatically reduce the energy used in their commercial buildings. This initiative will connect commercial building owners and operators with multidisciplinary teams including researchers at DOE's National Laboratories and private sector building experts. The teams will design, construct, measure, and test low-energy building plans, and will help accelerate the deployment of cost-effective energy-saving measures in commercial buildings across the United States.