High-end hotels in the U.S. have been having a good 2012 and can expect to do even better next year, with average daily room rates expected to be up 5.3% in 2013 compared to 4.7% this year and the 2.8% long-term average, according to PKF Hospitality Research. That bodes well for firms doing hotel design and construction.
On the retail side, the ULI Center for Capital Markets and Real Estate forecasts vacancy rates to begin to turn around this year, down to 12.5% in 2013. Retail rentals should be up 2.0% next year, says the ULI. +
TOP 10 HOSPITALITY SECTOR ARCHITECTURE FIRMS
| Rank | Company | 2011 Hospitality Revenue ($) |
| 1 | WATG | 54,939,171 |
| 2 | Gensler | 51,750,000 |
| 3 | HKS | 32,336,523 |
| 4 | HOK | 18,287,163 |
| 5 | Hnedak Bobo Group | 14,580,025 |
| 6 | tvsdesign | 14,188,382 |
| 7 | RTKL Associates | 13,970,968 |
| 8 | BLT Architects | 12,200,000 |
| 9 | BBG-BBGM | 12,058,000 |
| 10 | Perkins Eastman | 11,050,000 |
TOP 10 HOSPITALITY SECTOR ENGINEERING FIRMS
| Rank | Company | 2011 Hospitality Revenue ($) |
| 1 | AECOM Technology Corp. | 296,000,000 |
| 2 | Parsons Brinckerhoff | 17,600,000 |
| 3 | Rolf Jensen & Associates | 9,000,000 |
| 4 | Arup | 8,838,492 |
| 5 | Jacobs | 6,310,000 |
| 6 | KPFF Consulting Engineers | 6,000,000 |
| 7 | Thornton Tomasetti | 5,850,000 |
| 8 | WSP USA | 5,300,000 |
| 9 | Michael Baker Jr., Inc. | 4,340,000 |
| 10 | Stantec | 4,230,000 |
TOP 10 HOSPITALITY SECTOR CONSTRUCTION FIRMS
| Rank | Company | 2011 Hospitality Revenue ($) |
| 1 | Tutor Perini Corp. | 839,703,000 |
| 2 | Swinerton | 243,415,560 |
| 3 | Hardin Construction | 239,457,598 |
| 4 | Structure Tone | 223,330,000 |
| 5 | Balfour Beatty US | 170,785,709 |
| 6 | Hunt Construction Group | 164,500,000 |
| 7 | Yates Co., The | 137,600,000 |
| 8 | Weitz Co., The | 118,200,000 |
| 9 | Pepper Construction Group | 89,843,000 |
| 10 | Manhattan Construction Group | 84,325,000 |
TOP 10 RETAIL SECTOR ARCHITECTURE FIRMS
| Rank | Company | 2011 Retail Revenue ($) |
| 1 | Gensler | 84,700,000 |
| 2 | RTKL Associates | 58,957,056 |
| 3 | MulvannyG2 Architecture | 42,033,036 |
| 4 | WD Partners | 35,294,000 |
| 5 | Perkowitz+Ruth Architects | 32,686,910 |
| 6 | MBH Architects | 30,541,000 |
| 7 | RSP Architects | 17,641,000 |
| 8 | FRCH Design Worldwide | 16,630,000 |
| 9 | LawKingdon Architecture | 15,600,000 |
| 10 | CASCO Diversified Corp. | 14,650,000 |
TOP 10 RETAIL SECTOR ENGINEERING FIRMS
| Rank | Company | 2011 Retail Revenue ($) |
| 1 | AECOM Technology Corp. | 136,000,000 |
| 2 | Jacobs | 60,550,000 |
| 3 | Stantec | 59,220,000 |
| 4 | Henderson Engineers | 47,600,000 |
| 5 | URS Corp. | 23,650,000 |
| 6 | Parsons Brinckerhoff | 21,700,000 |
| 7 | Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates | 18,562,000 |
| 8 | Bergmann Associates | 14,200,000 |
| 9 | Science Applications Int’l Corp. | 11,860,000 |
| 10 | Wallace Engineering | 7,210,000 |
TOP 10 RETAIL SECTOR CONSTRUCTION FIRMS
| Rank | Company | 2011 Retail Revenue ($) |
| 1 | Whiting-Turner Contracting Co., The | 396,821,222 |
| 2 | Shawmut Design and Construction | 276,700,000 |
| 3 | PCL Construction Enterprises | 188,344,721 |
| 4 | EMJ Corp. | 164,437,662 |
| 5 | Weitz Co., The | 136,700,000 |
| 6 | Structure Tone | 97,500,000 |
| 7 | O’Neil Industries / W.E. O’Neil | 96,620,000 |
| 8 | Ryan Companies US | 92,895,680 |
| 9 | E.W. Howell | 79,395,000 |
| 10 | KBE Building Corp. | 70,365,040 |
Related Stories
| Jan 3, 2011
Chicago Architectural Foundation’s media expert takes all 85 tours in one year
Jennifer Lucente, the social media expert at the Chicago Architecture Foundation has completed her year of taking tours—taking all 85 tours in 2010. The challenge that began last January with a tour of the Board of Trade building has ended today with the architecture foundation’s newest tour: Razzle Dazzle – featuring the Loop theater district followed by a celebration at the Chicago Theatre.
| Dec 28, 2010
Project of the Week: Community college for next-gen Homeland Security personnel
The College of DuPage, Glen Ellyn, Ill., began work on the Homeland Security Education Center, which will prepare future emergency personnel to tackle terrorist attacks and disasters. The $25 million, 61,100-sf building’s centerpiece will be an immersive interior street lab for urban response simulations.
| Dec 20, 2010
Architect Adrian D. Smith on zero-energy cities, new technologies, and high density.
Adrian D. Smith, FAIA, RIBA, is co-founder (with Gordon Gill) of Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture, Chicago. Previously, he was a design partner in the Chicago office of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (1980-2003) and a consulting design partner from 2004 to 2006. His landmark structures include the Jin Mao Tower (Shanghai), Rowes Wharf (Boston), and Burj Khalifa (Dubai, U.A.E.), the world’s tallest structure. He recently collaborated with Gordon Gill to design the world’s first net-zero-energy skyscraper, Pearl River Tower, now nearing completion in Guangzhou, China. This account is based on his recent remarks at the Illinois Institute of Technology.
| Dec 17, 2010
BIM Tools Enhance Project Value
The Building Team for a renovation project at Georgia Tech uses BIM and 3D design tools to solve a complex millwork problem.
| Dec 17, 2010
Historic Rhode Island hotel reborn with modern amenities
The iconic Ocean House resort in Watch Hill, R.I., had to be torn down in 2005 when systemic deficiencies made restoration unfeasible. Centerbrook Architects and Planners, Centerbrook, Conn., designed a new version of the hotel, working with preservation societies to save or recreate favorite elements of the original building, and incorporating them into the contemporary structure. The new resort has 49 guest rooms and 23 residences, plus banquet halls, a corporate boardroom, a private clubroom, a spa and fitness center, an indoor lap pool, a bar, and the obligatory international croquet court. Dimeo Construction, Providence, R.I., was the construction manager.
| Dec 17, 2010
Gemstone-inspired design earns India’s first LEED Gold for a hotel
The Park Hotel Hyderabad in Hyderabad, India, was designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill to combine inspirations from the region’s jewelry-making traditions with sustainable elements.
| Dec 17, 2010
Condominium and retail building offers luxury and elegance
The 58-story Austonian in Austin, Texas, is the tallest residential building in the western U.S. Benchmark Development, along with Ziegler Cooper Architects and Balfour Beatty (GC), created the 850,000-sf tower with 178 residences, retail space, a 6,000-sf fitness center, and a 10th-floor outdoor area with a 75-foot saltwater lap pool and spa, private cabanas, outdoor kitchens, and pet exercise and grooming areas.
| Dec 17, 2010
Sam Houston State arts programs expand into new performance center
Theater, music, and dance programs at Sam Houston State University have a new venue in the 101,945-sf, $38.5 million James and Nancy Gaertner Performing Arts Center. WHR Architects, Houston, designed the new center to connect two existing buildings at the Huntsville, Texas, campus.
| Dec 17, 2010
Alaskan village school gets a new home
Ayagina’ar Elitnaurvik, a new K-12 school serving the Lower Kuskikwim School District, is now open in Kongiganak, a remote Alaskan village of less than 400 residents. The 34,000-sf, 12-classroom facility replaces one that was threatened by river erosion.
