CannonDesign is acquiring and merging with Astorino, a Pittsburgh-based multidisciplinary firm in a deal that strengthens processes, assets, and opportunities for both firms. The merger increases collective capabilities, opens new markets, and enhances value for clients.
The firms cited their close alignment on values, vision, and culture as the foundation of the new relationship—both CannonDesign and Astorino place a premium on design solutions that address unique challenges faced by clients.
“Together, our talented professionals will pursue outcome-based design solutions that optimize our clients’ performance,” commented Gary Miller, Co-Chairman and CEO of CannonDesign. “This merger brings added value and opportunity to both organizations.”
The merger also extends CannonDesign’s presence in the markets Astorino currently serves and positions the firm to expand capabilities into industry innovations for project delivery offering increased choices for clients.
A Design-Led Design-Build division to be managed from the Pittsburgh office will advance innovative methods for project delivery. Louis P. Astorino, Jr., who spearheaded Astorino’s Design Led-Design Build practice group during the last decade, will lead this strategic growth initiative nationwide.
“CannonDesign is a recognized global leader, and we’ve partnered on projects in the past,” said Louis Astorino, Jr., CEO of Astorino. “We are compatible in culture, and complementary in talent, experience and capabilities. This is a superb opportunity for our team to work with CannonDesign’s professionals to expand and innovate.”
While strengthening the firm’s existing focus on healthcare, education, and corporate commercial markets, CannonDesign will gain access to Astorino’s breadth and depth of talent and experience in both standard architectural services as well as innovative processes in research, design, and construction. The firm also will gain access to a valued network of relationships in Pittsburgh and Abu Dhabi, vibrant regions with high growth potential.
Related Stories
| Oct 13, 2010
Residences bring students, faculty together in the Middle East
A new residence complex is in design for United Arab Emirates University in Al Ain, UAE, near Abu Dhabi. Plans for the 120-acre mixed-use development include 710 clustered townhomes and apartments for students and faculty and common areas for community activities.
| Oct 13, 2010
HQ renovations aim for modern look
Gerner Kronick + Valcarcel Architects’ renovations to the Commonwealth Bank of Australia’s New York City headquarters will feature a reworked reception lobby with back-painted glass, silk-screened logos, and a video wall.
| Oct 13, 2010
New health center to focus on education and awareness
Construction is getting pumped up at the new Anschutz Health and Wellness Center at the University of Colorado, Denver. The four-story, 94,000-sf building will focus on healthy lifestyles and disease prevention.
| Oct 13, 2010
Community center under way in NYC seeks LEED Platinum
A curving, 550-foot-long glass arcade dubbed the “Wall of Light” is the standout architectural and sustainable feature of the Battery Park City Community Center, a 60,000-sf complex located in a two-tower residential Lower Manhattan complex. Hanrahan Meyers Architects designed the glass arcade to act as a passive energy system, bringing natural light into all interior spaces.
| Oct 13, 2010
Community college plans new campus building
Construction is moving along on Hudson County Community College’s North Hudson Campus Center in Union City, N.J. The seven-story, 92,000-sf building will be the first higher education facility in the city.
| Oct 13, 2010
Bookworms in Silver Spring getting new library
The residents of Silver Spring, Md., will soon have a new 112,000-sf library. The project is aiming for LEED Silver certification.
| Oct 13, 2010
County building aims for the sun, shade
The 187,032-sf East County Hall of Justice in Dublin, Calif., will be oriented to take advantage of daylighting, with exterior sunshades preventing unwanted heat gain and glare. The building is targeting LEED Silver. Strong horizontal massing helps both buildings better match their low-rise and residential neighbors.
| Oct 12, 2010
Holton Career and Resource Center, Durham, N.C.
27th Annual Reconstruction Awards—Special Recognition. Early in the current decade, violence within the community of Northeast Central Durham, N.C., escalated to the point where school safety officers at Holton Junior High School feared for their own safety. The school eventually closed and the property sat vacant for five years.
| Oct 12, 2010
Guardian Building, Detroit, Mich.
27th Annual Reconstruction Awards—Special Recognition. The relocation and consolidation of hundreds of employees from seven departments of Wayne County, Mich., into the historic Guardian Building in downtown Detroit is a refreshing tale of smart government planning and clever financial management that will benefit taxpayers in the economically distressed region for years to come.
| Oct 12, 2010
Richmond CenterStage, Richmond, Va.
27th Annual Reconstruction Awards—Bronze Award. The Richmond CenterStage opened in 1928 in the Virginia capital as a grand movie palace named Loew’s Theatre. It was reinvented in 1983 as a performing arts center known as Carpenter Theatre and hobbled along until 2004, when the crumbling venue was mercifully shuttered.