What's new at 179 architecture firms

The BD+C editorial team asked the 2024 Architecture Giants to submit their single-biggest firm innovation or business move during the past 12 months. Here’s a roundup of the most-compelling submissions:

45 ARCHITECTURE & INTERIORS Implemented Entrepreneur Operating System to instill accountability and results-driven performance.

AE WORKS Acquired WTW Architects, Pittsburgh.

AE7 Using AI in conceptual design. New office: Milan, Italy.

AHL Used Joan Workplace Management app to reconfigure HQ office for hybrid work schedule.

ÁLVAREZ-DIAZ & VILLALÓN Launched maker lab and meta lab with AR/VR tools.

ARCADIS Updated its ClimateScout, which connects operational carbon in buildings with design strategies. Named Pablo La Roche Global Sustainable Design Leader. New offices: Dallas, Miami.

ARC/ARCHITECTURAL RESOURCES CAMBRIDGE Implemented mentoring and continuing education for “early career” staff.

ARCDESIGN Completed the 95,000-sf Eskenazi Health Center Grande, its largest healthcare project. 25th anniversary.

ARCHITECTURE, INCORPORATED New Senior Design Managers: Justin Smith, Amy Smyth.

ARRAY ARCHITECTS Acquired DCC Design Group (Wilmington, Del.)

ARROWSTREET Used its Mobility Oriented Development tool to survey (with ULI Boston) 15 Boston-area towns for optimal housing opportunities.

AXIS ARCHITECTURE + DESIGN Hired adaptive reuse expert Roberto Vazquez.

AYERS SAINT GROSS Integrated Twin Motion with Rhino and other visualization software to deliver immersive animations to clients.

BAILEY EDWARD Robin Whitehurst elevated to AIA College of Fellows.

BAKER BARRIOS ARCHITECTS Created “Maker’s Space” for 3D printing of physical models.

BARTON MALOW Used LIFTbuild “Vertical Manufacturing” to complete 16-story, 175-unit multifamily tower in Detroit.

BASE4 Destinations by BASE4 division moving into Caribbean hospitality sector.

BECKER MORGAN GROUP Increased diversity hiring; offering continuing education/accreditation for all staff. New office: Charlotte, N.C.

BENCHMARK GROUP New division: BG Quality Consulting, offering 3D scanning, commissioning, energy services, permitting. New office: Houston.

BLDD ARCHITECTS Acquired Dickinson Hussman Architects, St. Louis.

BWBR Applying “No Wrong Door” approach to design of a pediatric behavioral health facility in Grand Rapids, Mich.

CAMBRIDGESEVEN Used parametric analysis software to design the façade of Northeastern University’s Roux Institute, Portland, Maine.

CANNONDESIGN Acquired SRG Partnership, with offices in Seattle and Portland, Ore.

CARRIER JOHNSON + CULTURE New office: Atlanta.

CESO INC. Implemented HVAC prepurchase program to stockpile HVAC rooftop units.

CETRARUDDY ARCHITECTURE Created new design model for a correctional institution.

CHIPMAN DESIGN ARCHITECTURE Promoted 16 employees to senior-level positions. New office: NYC.

CHOATE PARKING CONSULTANTS 25th anniversary.

CI DESIGN Launched in-house FF&E procurement service. New Director of Interior Design & Procurement: Tim Schelfe. New offices: Dallas; Greenville, S.C.

CLARK & ENERSEN Implemented OpenAsset firmwide. New Commissioning Director: Alex Metschke. AIA Young Architects Award to Kate Hier.

CLARKNEXSEN Established full-time sustainability department. New Civil Engineering Practice Leader: Greg Deubler.

COOPER CARRY Acquired 505Design, adding offices in Boulder, Colo., and Charlotte, N.C.

COOPER ROBERTSON New firmwide co-leaders: Mike Aziz, Bruce Davis, Erin Flynn, John Kirk.

CORGAN Developed a “customer journey map” for Ontario International Airport.  Named Brent Capron NYC Interiors Studio Design Director. New offices: San Antonio; Seattle; Washington, D.C.; Dublin, Ireland.

CONVERGENCE DESIGN Designed grade-level entries for each of six floors on a steeply sloped site for F&M Bank Arena, Clarksville, Tenn.

CORDOGAN CLARK Using dual fuel packaged rooftop units in replacement projects. Formed partnership with Cleveland-based Lesko Associates.

CSARCH Introduced new technologies: Leica BLK360 G2 laser scanner, VIVE Pro headsets, Alienware laptops, Enscape design workflow software.

CTA ARCHITECTS Landed its biggest project ($400 million in construction value).

CUNINGHAM Introduced leadership development program, Design Catalyst, for eight employees to address college students’ housing insecurity. New CEO: Nathan Harris.

CURTIS + GINSBERG ARCHITECTS Named to the NYC Mass Timber Studio by the NYC Economic Development Corp.

DAHLIN Acquired Design Line Interiors, San Diego. Promoted Emily Bonato to COO.

DELAWIE Acquired SimonGlover, Long Beach, Calif.

DLA+ ARCHITECTURE & INTERIOR DESIGN New office: Morgantown, W. Va.

DLR GROUP Investing in automation and AI tools to reduce risk for clients. Appointments: John Fuller, COO; Jessica Bantom, Global Leader, Equity, Diversity, and Belonging; Peter Rutti, Chief Design Officer; Beth Miller, Chief Growth Officer; Ignacio Reyes, Chief Development Officer. New offices: Nashville; Durham, N.C.

DLZ CORP. Won a national award for model detention facility for Franklin County, Ohio. New office: Jacksonville, Fla.

DRAW COLLECTIVE ARCHITECTURE Upgraded its Systems Thinking design decision communications process.

DYER BROWN & ASSOCIATES Overhauled its materials library to comply with the AIA Materials Pledge.

E4H Created new space planning pipeline that integrates a custom-developed bubble tool for Revit for multi-user collaboration.

ELEVATUS ARCHITECTURE Acquired health and wellness firm Bona Vita Architecture, Fort Wayne, Ind.

ELLENZWEIG Designed ceiling-mounted lab service and instrument carriers and overhead mobile equipment racks for college labs.

ENNEAD Studying the potential use of architectural terra cotta for high-performing rainscreen systems.

EUA Completed first Parksmart-certified garage in Wisconsin. Promotions: Emily Dunn, Director of Workplace Strategy; Dave Hubka, Sustainability Practice Leader. Jennifer Herr named Interior Design Practice Leader.

FCARCHITECTS Developing Sustainability Action Plan under the AIA 2030 Commitment.

FENNICK MCCREDIE ARCHITECTURE New office: Philadelphia.

FENTRESS New President: Patrick McCue. Received design approval for Visitor Education Center at the 9/11 Pentagon Memorial.

FERGUSON PACE BALDWIN ARCHITECTS Entered the food technology market, providing process architecture for a “cultivated meat” facility.

FGM ARCHITECTS Named Jaime Palomo Managing Director, Austin/Fort Worth offices.

FIFTH DIMENSION ARCHITECTURE & INTERIORS Cut design approval time 30% by applying customized client design standards.

FK ARCHITECTURE Developed “microhome design” for compact modular units (450-600 sf). 60th anniversary.

FLAD ARCHITECTS Using proprietary IoT sensor technology to collect data points over time. New President: Laura Serebin.

FOGARTY FINGER Expanded operations in Atlanta and Boston.

FXCOLLABORATIVE ARCHITECTS Launched fxmodes, an internal technology work group focused on AI, computation, model translation, and visualization.

GBBN Launched IRA Calculator, a tool that reveals funding incentives for sustainable strategies under the Inflation Reduction Act.

GBD ARCHITECTS Using AI to streamline workflows. Expanding into Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Tennessee.

GLENN|PARTNERS Designed environmental wall graphics for Acrovyn panels in lieu of tile for a Texas elementary school.

GMB Acquired Up&Up Agency (higher education branding). Hired 52 new FTEs.

GOODWYN MILLS CAWOOD Acquired Southland Engineering, Cartersville, Ga.

GRACE HEBERT CURTIS ARCHITECTS Acquired BSSW Architects and Hahnfeld Hoffer Stanford Architects.

GREENBERGFARROW Singapore office used Prome.ai

AI on façade options for a massing tower project. Acquired DBI Architects, Reston, Va.

GRESHAM SMITH Launched MPATH, which links biometric data sourced from modern wearables with location tracking.

GWWO ARCHITECTS Developed an automated QA/QC system and a Learning Management System to speed up onboarding of new staff.

H2M ARCHITECTS + ENGINEERS Using VR, drones, laser scanners, and 3D cameras in the field.

HASENSTAB ARCHITECTS Added two building enclosure commissioning experts. Increasing use of prefab bathrooms, headwalls, and corridor utility racks in projects.

HBG DESIGN New Dallas Office Leader: Ray Mabry. Completed new non-gaming amenities at WinStar World Casino & Resort.

HDR Completed three-building mass timber IPD project for Canadian Nuclear Laboratories. New CEO: Eric Keen. New Directors: Lois Wellwood, Global Interior Design; Seth Strongin, Building Decarbonization Planning; Andrew Elmer, Sports & Recreation Architecture.

HED New Co-CEOs: Tania Van Herle, Enrique Suarez. Joined Carbon Leadership Forum’s MEP 2040 Challenge and iMasons Climate Accord. Strategic partnership with Larson Incitti Architects. New office: Denver.

HENDY Adopted the Balanced Scorecard for business operations.

HGA New CEO: Mia Blanchett.

HILL WEST ARCHITECTS Completed Gemma Gramercy (NYC), its first Passive House project (20 stories, 108 units).

HKS Developed (with DIRTT) the Clinical Observation Vertical Exam (COVE) space, a 57-nsf exam room. Named Sam Mudro President/CFO. New offices: Seattle; Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

HMC ARCHITECTS Won 4 Gold Nugget Awards at PCBC, including best student housing.

HOK Kimberly Dowdell inaugurated as 100th AIA President. Created new Centers of Expertise for Pediatric and Behavioral Health Design. New Chief Strategy Officer: Riccardo Mascia. New Resilience Leader: Michele Van Hyfte.

HOLLIS + MILLER ARCHITECTS New President: Michelle Chavey.

HUCKABEE Implemented new space planning pipeline that integrates a custom bubble tool for Revit and supports AI-powered

rendering.

HUMPHREYS AND PARTNERS ARCHITECTS Created five prototype designs for attainable housing. New office: St. Petersburg, Fla.

HUNTONBRADY ARCHITECTS Completed 300,000-sf HQ building for Marriott Vacations Worldwide, the firm’s largest interiors project to date.

IKM ARCHITECTURE Integrating Twinmotion visualization into designs and presentations.

IMC ARCHITECTURE For an 82-unit rental project in Brooklyn, designed co-working areas with glazed walls so parents can see their children in adjacent playroom.

INTERIOR ARCHITECTS Published white papers on retail in the metaverse, wayfinding for visually impaired. Promoted Brett Gardner to Director of Sustainability. 40th anniversary.

JACKSON|MAIN ARCHITECTURE Used kit-of-parts in design of townhome workforce housing project in Spokane, Wash.

JB&B Launched 300-course learning management system for staff education. Named Nora Swanson Director of Innovation and Knowledge Management.

JEFFREY BERMAN ARCHITECTS Designing 100-bed International Children’s Cancer Research Center in Ghana for the Wish4Life Foundation.

JLG ARCHITECTS Co-developed (with Winn Construction) a low-carbon concrete mix for the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library (JLG is AOR).

KAHLERSLATER Using Mid-journey AI to produce early design concepts. New Practice Leaders: Julia Jude, Pediatric; Lorraine Kasznia, Workplace; Riley Atlas, Brand Design.

KAI Selected for four new PMCM programs in Texas. New office: Atlanta.

KGD ARCHITECTS Designed $55 million, 500-unit, 100% affordable project in Tysons, Va.

KENNETH PARK ARCHITECTS Completed prototype flagship store for J.Crew in Dallas. Hired Trevor Pollard, former SVP/Head of Design at the Irvine Company.

KIRKSEY Created GISMO tool to coordinate equipment requirements for lab/high-tech projects. Promoted Russell Wooten to Director of Innovation.

KPF Produced design workflow of “comfort-weighted walkability” under conditions of extreme heat and tested it in a Middle East project.

KTGY Moved Tysons, Va., office to Washington, D.C. Added residential interiors practice. Made AIA2030 reporting available to all staff. Named Megan Valentine Director of Sustainability.

LANTZ BOGGIO/ARCHITECTS Using evidence-based design for senior living communities.

LARSON DESIGN GROUP Launched Digital Practice department. New PM Director: Valery Tarver.

LEGAT ARCHITECTS Appointed Saon Mathew Wellness Sector Director. Launched Special Projects Team for building envelope and life safety matters.

LORD AECK SARGENT Designed biopharma Advanced Technology Center for Wake Tech East, Wendell, N.C.

LRK Doubled Dallas staff in the last year. 40th anniversary.

LS3P ASSOCIATES Acquired ENB Architects, Jacksonville, Fla. Appointments: Jonathan Cantor, VP Healthcare; Neil Dawson, Living Practice Leader; Leigh Pfeiffer, Sustainability Leader; Esperanza Harper, Innovation Leader.

LSE ARCHITECTS Won AIA Minnesota Firm Award. Expanding into university work.

MACKEY MITCHELL ARCHITECTS Integrating VR and 3D printing into operations.

MARFARLANE ARCHITECTS Expanded into Austin, Texas, life science market.

MARGULIES PERRUZZI New Principal: workplace design expert Marilyn Shen.

MAY ARCHITECTURE Created “universal room” for Winship Cancer Institute at Emory Midtown, Atlanta.

MBH ARCHITECTS Promoted Helen Herrick and Abhijat Hukoo to Principal.

MCKINLEY ARCHITECTURE AND ENGINEERING Acquired JTSA Sports. Implemented Part 3 construction administration software.

METHOD ARCHITECTURE Developed “LaunchPad,” an internal quality/standardization tool.

MG2 Hired Meghana Joshi as Managing Principal, Irvine, Calif., office. Acquired Studio C Architecture, Portland, Ore.

MILLER DUNWIDDIE Using Matterport LIDAR camera to capture site conditions.

M MOSER ASSOCIATES Launched six ILFI-net-zero “living labs” (Amsterdam, Denver, Paris, San Francisco, Toronto, and Vancouver) to conduct sustainability R&D.

MOODY NOLAN Expanded presence on HBCU campuses (has more completed HBCU projects than any other architecture firm).

MONTROY DEMARCO ARCHITECTURE Expanded its expertise in experiential rooftop facilities, notably “The Beam” at 30 Rockefeller Center, NYC.

MOSELEY ARCHITECTS New President/CEO: Jeffrey M. Hyder. New office: Greenville, S.C.

MS CONSULTANTS Implemented proprietary PM tool. 60th anniversary.

NBBJ Created “The Delight Factor” to measure competitive strength of workplaces. Developed “The Regenerative Lab” to accommodate new life science technologies. Hired Douglas Hocking as Commercial Market Leader.

NELSON Acquired CGL Companies’ AOR business (justice consulting).

NILES BOLTON ASSOCIATES Led a National Multifamily Housing Council task force to clarify EPA mandate regarding low-GWP refrigerants in multifamily HVAC systems.

NORR Using immersive design (VR + simulation) for trauma centers, EDs, ORs, and birthing units. Launched integrated sustainability services to support 12 market sectors.

OCULUS INC. Won its first IDIQ contract through its woman-owned small business joint venture. Promoted to Co-Director: Jim Stotlar, Government & Healthcare; Matt Bradley, Retail & Commercial.

ORCUTT|WINSLOW New leaders: Greg Zier, Forensics; Adam Edelbrock, Entertainment + Hospitality. New office (healthcare focus): Lexington, Ky.

OZ ARCHITECTURE New practice: student housing. 40th anniversary.

PAGE Acquired NYC-based Davis Brody Bond.

PBK New CEO: Eric Dinges. New practice, “Ether,” uses AR/VR to provide immersive learning environments. New offices: Los Angeles; Fort Bend, Texas.

PERKINS EASTMAN Two of its schools featured in Creating the Renerative School book.

PERKINS&WILL Issued its first ESG report on the firm’s operational performance data.

PFLUGER ARCHITECTS Using 360-degree projector (T.I.N.A.) to enhance the design of security and monitoring spaces in K-12 schools. Hired 38 new FTEs.

PREMIER Launched adaptive use practice, led by SVP Aimee Sanborn. Named Johannes Michalsky COO. Consolidated Architectural and Interior Design teams.

QUATTROCCHI KWOK ARCHITECTS Received upgraded ILFI Just label. Formed “JV Team” to assist those applying for architecture licensure. New Leaders: Ector Mojica, Oakland Studio; Alexa Riner, Sustainability/Change Management.

QUINN EVANS Won 2024 AIA Architecture Firm Award. Applying digital twin and its Historic BIM technology to mitigate decorative paint damage in Michigan’s Capitol (1879). 40th anniversary.

RATIO DESIGN Signed the 2030 AIA Materials Pledge; reduced fossil fuel consumption across all projects by 49%. New studio: Milwaukee, Wis.

RBB ARCHITECTS Cut $1 billion from a 900,000-sf, seven-building replacement hospital master plan without compromising the program.

RDC-S111 Completed adaptive reuse of historic I. Magnin building (1948), San Francisco.

RDG PLANNING & DESIGN Used long-distance prefabrication to overcome labor shortage for construction of a rural Nebraska healthcare project. Hired healthcare planner Kerry Cheung.

REZTARK DESIGN STUDIO Expanded its presence in retail, restaurant, entertainment, workplace sectors. New office: Tampa, Fla.

RLF Using AI to develop computational design scripts and improve workflow.

RS&H Launched “Design Academy” in-house education platform. Joined USDOD SkillBridge, which links military short-timers with civilian career opportunities.

RYAN COMPANIES US Added algorithmic-based parking analysis to its Mass Yield Study Tool. Using AI for jobsite monitoring. Named Dan Williamson Director of AI.

SARGENTI ARCHITECTS Doing research on new design strategies.

SAS ARCHITECTS & PLANNERS Identifying viable sites to bring to developers and operators to create development opportunities.

SASAKI Developed Office Shift Pro, a tool that helps building owners make investment decisions early in design.

SCB New name (formerly Solomon Cordwell Buenz). Promotions: Renee Sprogis-Mahron, COO; Jonathan Orlove, Chicago Office Director; Paul Schlapobersky, Director of Planning & Urban Design.

SCHMIDT ASSOCIATES Certified as a Women Business Enterprise.

SCHRADERGROUP New Public Safety Market Leader: Pat McFeely. New offices: Pittsburgh; State College, Pa.

SGH Hired building enclosure expert Colleen Stuber-Zukanovic in Chicago office.

SHP Named Jeffrey Sackenheim President/CEO, Charlie Jahnigen, EVP. New offices: Greensboro, N.C.; Latrobe, Pa.

S/L/A/M COLLABORATIVE Designed “triage stations” to deliver student services more efficiently in a Rhode Island elementary school.

SMITHGROUP New Performance Analytics & Climate-Impact Team developed plan for carbon neutrality plan by 2040 for Indiana University’s seven campuses.

SNHA, A WOOLPERT COMPANY Worked with Autodesk to develop the Embodied Carbon in Construction Calculator.

SOM New service: Whole Life Carbon Accounting, which measures a building’s emissions from construction through operation. Received perfect score (100) on Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s Corporate Equity Index.

STANTEC Collaborating with Autodesk Forma Carbon Tracking Tool to enable clients to reduce carbon footprint. Acquired Environmental Systems Design and PJ Architects + Landscape Architects.

STEINBERG HART Won AIA California Firm Award and AIA National Facility Education Design Award of Excellence.

STO BUILDING GROUP Launched Day2+, a tool to help clients follow up service calls on recently completed projects. Appointments: Michael Trovini, President; Greg Dunkle, COO; Amy Wincko, Chief Strategy Officer; Robert Leon, Chief Innovation Officer.

STUDIO+ New markets: retail, hospitality. Named James Dontje COO/Director of Architecture.

STUDIO ALLIANCE New design initiative: “law office of the future”—with concealed wiring, virtual meeting rooms, and high-tech A/V systems.

SWBR Added civil engineering to its services. Earned ILFI Just label. Incorporating Passive House design into affordable rental projects.

SWEET SPARKMAN ARCHITECTS Implemented Redi-Check QC program and tracking dashboard. New office: St. Petersburg, Fla.

TAYLOR DESIGN Developed “The Ideal Cancer Center,” a theoretical case study based on staff members’ own cancer experience.

TED MOUTIS ASSOCIATES Moved NYC office to the Chrysler Building.

THENDESIGN ARCHITECTURE Launched “Path to Leadership” to nurture staff talent.

THRIVEN DESIGN Adopted Mosaic software as the firm’s project management platform.

TOWERPINKSTER Launched Building Science team (Director: Kelsey Groesbeck). Promotions: Adam Doubblestein, COO; Rob Courter, VP Architecture; Steve Loney, VP PM; Jason Novotny, VP Design.

TREANOR Shortened its name (previously TreanorHL).

TRIVERS Won a national AIA Housing Award for the design of adaptive reuse project, Woodward Lofts, St. Louis.

TSA ARCHITECTS Developing hybrid design that melds “small home” with skilled nursing facility for military veterans’ housing.

TSK ARCHITECTS Implemented in-house “Collective Wisdom” process to foster collaboration across disciplines.

URBAHN ARCHITECTS New office: Jakarta, Indonesia.

VESSEL ARCHITECTURE & DESIGN Using Midjourney AI to generate early conceptual images for a nonprofit client. 20th anniversary.

VLK ARCHITECTS 80% revenue growth in one year. Added five new Principals.

WALKER CONSULTANTS New services: property condition assessment, accessibility consulting, MEP. New offices: Princeton, N.J.; Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

WARE MALCOMB Created Digital Transformation team to integrate technology across the firm. Issued inaugural ESG report. Hired David Jaffe as Director, Architecture (NYC).

WOOLPERT Started program to introduce HBCU students to STEM careers.