Global architecture and design firm Perkins+Will announced today that they have signed an agreement which will result in The Freelon Group joining forces with Perkins+Will.
Founded by Phil Freelon, FAIA, LEED AP in Research Triangle Park, N.C., The Freelon Group is world renowned for design excellence and consulting work with museums, libraries, universities, and other civic and institutional clients.
Perkins+Will offers a full range of architectural expertise from its offices in Charlotte and RTP, notably to healthcare, science and technology, education, corporate, commercial, civic, and cultural clients. These capabilities will be enriched by The Freelon Group’s similar work, expanding the firm’s portfolio in these sectors. The combined practice will have nearly 80 professionals creating one of the largest and most award-winning architecture and design practices in North Carolina.
The Freelon Group will bring a portfolio of design achievements on behalf of some of America’s most respected cultural institutions including the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C., the National Center for Civil and Human Rights in Atlanta, the Emancipation Park in Houston, the Museum of the African Diaspora in San Francisco, and multiple projects for the Washington, D.C. Public Libraries.
The Tenley Library, a Washington, D.C. Public Library designed by Freelon. Photo credit: Mark Herboth Photography
“By joining Perkins+Will, we can offer our clients in North Carolina and around the world a full spectrum of services for just about any type of project,” said Freelon. “The firms are ideally matched as we share a dedication to design excellence and commitment to social responsibility.”
Upon completion of the transaction, Freelon will assume a key leadership role at Perkins+Will in both North Carolina and globally. As the Managing and Design Director of the North Carolina practice, he will lead both Perkins+Will North Carolina offices in RTP and Charlotte. Freelon will come to Perkins+Will as an important member of the firmwide leadership team and will join the Board of Directors. He will also be a key leader for the firm's cultural and civic practice.
Freelon founded The Freelon Group in 1990. He is the recipient of the Thomas Jefferson Award for Public Architecture from the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and a member of the AIA College of Fellows.
He was appointed by President Obama to serve on the National Commission of Fine Arts and earned the academic appointment of Professor of Practice at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) School of Architecture and Planning, where he will continue to be a member of the faculty.
Freelon has lectured at more than 30 major universities, museums, and other prominent venues, and his work has been published globally. A native of Philadelphia, Freelon earned his Bachelor of Environmental Design in Architecture degree from North Carolina State University and his Master of Architecture degree from MIT. He also received a Loeb Fellowship and spent a year of independent study at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design.
“With Phil Freelon, his experienced team of 40 designers, and other professionals who intend to join Perkins+Will, we look forward to offering clients a deeper level of cultural design expertise,” said Perkins+Will President and Chief Executive Officer Phil Harrison, FAIA, LEED AP. “Phil will further strengthen our leadership team and is a natural complement to the design excellence culture at Perkins+Will.”
Perkins+Will employees in the RTP office intend to relocate to The Freelon Group’s RTP office space. This office will work collaboratively with the Perkins+Will Charlotte office to service clients throughout North Carolina, nationally, and globally. Under Freelon’s direction, current Perkins+Will leadership will continue to serve the North Carolina practice, with David Brownlee in the role of Director of Operations in the RTP office and David Gieser as Director of Operations in the Charlotte office.
Related Stories
| Jun 19, 2013
Architects upbeat about the construction market
Following the first reversal into negative territory in ten months in April, AIA's Architecture Billings Index bounced back in May, reaching 52.9.
| Jun 19, 2013
NSF Sustainability begins verifying EPDs that can be used for LEED V4
NSF Sustainability has verified Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) for nylon carpet styles and colors manufactured by Mannington Commercial and for J+J Flooring Group’s Kinetex® flooring product and Invision brand modular styles that use eKo® backing.
| Jun 19, 2013
Florida is latest battleground over LEED standards centered on certified wood
A nationwide battle over forest certification standards continues to be played out nationally and in Florida with legislation passed this month.
| Jun 19, 2013
Construction site safety improved in 2011
On-the-job construction fatalities dropped from 802 in 2010 to 781 in 2011, and recordable injuries fell from 4.7 per 100 workers in 2008 to 3.9 per 100 in 2011, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
| Jun 19, 2013
New York City considers new construction standards for hospitals, multifamily buildings
Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s administration has proposed new building codes for hospitals and multifamily dwellings in New York City to help them be more resilient in the event of severe weather resulting from climate change.
| Jun 18, 2013
Report: HVAC occupancy sensors could slash building energy demand by 18%
Researchers at the DOE's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory conclude that significant energy savings can be achieved by varying ventilation levels based on the number of people in a given space.
| Jun 18, 2013
Turner report: Activity in urban markets driving construction cost increases
Turner Construction Company announced that the Second Quarter 2013 Turner Building Cost Index – which measures costs in the non-residential building construction market in the United States – has increased to a value of 859. This reflects a 1.18% increase from the First Quarter 2013 and 4.00% yearly increase from the Second Quarter 2012.
| Jun 17, 2013
First look: Austin to get first high-rise since 2003
Developer Cousins Properties broke ground on the 29-story Colorado Tower in downtown Austin, Texas, the city's first high-rise building since Cousins' completed the Frost Bank Tower a decade ago.
| Jun 17, 2013
DOE launches database on energy performance of 60,000 buildings
The Energy Department today launched a new Buildings Performance Database, the largest free, publicly available database of residential and commercial building energy performance information.
| Jun 14, 2013
First look: Callebaut's eye-popping Möbius building for Taichung arts center
French design firm Vincent Callebaut Architectures has released renderings of "Swallow's Nest," an entry in a design competition for a new cultural center, fine arts museum, and public library in Taichung City, Taiwan. The building, based on a Möbius ring, swirls around a central "Endless Patio."
