After a long period of anemic performance, with growth mostly driven by renovations and additions, the K-12 sector is showing renewed interest in new construction. Consultant Paul Abramson, using data from Dun & Bradstreet, calculates that districts spent about $13.4 billion on construction projects in 2013, about $7.6 billion of which went for new schools (http://bit.ly/1kN4qkv).
Highest-spending regions included Texas-Louisiana-Oklahoma-Arkansas ($2.3 billion, or 17% of the nation’s K-12 total) and Arizona-California-Hawaii-Nevada ($1.68 billion). The lowest-spending regions included debt-plagued Illinois with neighboring states Minnesota and Wisconsin ($651 million) and Alaska-Idaho-Oregon-Washington ($558 million).
High schools are outpacing other K-12 facilities in construction spending, with the dollar value of projected 2014 starts at $4.15 billion, or 44% of the K-12 total. That’s followed by 33% for elementary schools, 23% for middle schools, and <1% for administrative and support projects.
Among the evident design trends: STEM morphing into STEAM with the addition of arts enrichment (sometimes with professional-quality performance spaces) to science, technology, engineering, and math schools; growing enthusiasm for vocational training facilities that provide an alternative to the traditional college prep path; and schools that do a better job of cementing community connections by leveraging local architectural themes.Â
The push for sustainable K-12 facilities also marches on; at high levels of green, the theme typically suffuses the pedagogy. Hood River (Ore.) Middle School’s Music and Science Building was recently certified net-zero energy by the International Living Future Institute, making it the first public school building to earn the tough-to-achieve designation.Â
Â
Top K-12 School Sector Architecture Firms
| Rank | Company | 2013 K-12 Revenue |
| 1 | DLR Group | $41,000,000 |
| 2 | SHW Group | 40,016,000 |
| 3 | PBK | 35,880,000 |
| 4 | HMC Architects | 26,097,082 |
| 5 | Fanning/Howey Associates | 17,877,000 |
| 6 | Perkins+will | 16,668,514 |
| 7 | Heery International | 14,994,535 |
| 8 | NAC|Architecture | 14,494,206 |
| 9 | LPA | 14,191,442 |
| 10 | Perkins Eastman | 13,950,000 |
| 11 | Quattrocchi Kwok Architects | 13,230,000 |
| 12 | Moseley Architects | 12,521,613 |
| 13 | Integrus Architecture | 12,229,858 |
| 14 | Corgan | 10,372,178 |
| 15 | FGM Architects | 9,846,977 |
| 16 | NTD Architecture | 9,200,000 |
| 17 | Parkhill, Smith & Cooper | 8,580,000 |
| 18 | Symmes Maini & McKee Associates | 8,375,000 |
| 19 | Stantec | 8,097,800 |
| 20 | SchenkelShultz Architecture | 7,880,000 |
| 21 | SEI Design Group | 7,566,000 |
| 22 | Slaterpaull Architects | 7,500,468 |
| 23 | DLA Architects | 7,255,830 |
| 24 | GWWO | 7,047,216 |
| 25 | BRPH | 6,681,000 |
| 26 | Legat Architects | 6,630,200 |
| 27 | Wight & Company | 6,579,000 |
| 28 | Ashley McGraw Architects | 6,093,874 |
| 29 | HMFH Architects | 6,032,607 |
| 30 | BBS Architects | 5,950,250 |
| 31 | BLDD Architects | 5,750,000 |
| 32 | LaBella Associates | 5,644,772 |
| 33 | LS3P | 5,155,547 |
| 34 | Eppstein Uhen Architects | 4,623,477 |
| 35 | H+L Architecture | 4,070,997 |
| 36 | EwingCole | 4,020,000 |
| 37 | FXFOWLE Architects | 3,940,000 |
| 38 | Harley Ellis Devereaux | 3,780,000 |
| 39 | Cooper Carry | 3,402,330 |
| 40 | Goodwyn Mills & Cawood | 3,399,167 |
| 41 | CTA Architects Engineers | 3,336,600 |
| 42 | HKS | 3,142,143 |
| 43 | Cuningham Group Architecture | 3,052,272 |
| 44 | Schrader Group Architecture | 3,047,414 |
| 45 | NORR | 2,976,836 |
| 46 | Hord Coplan Macht | 2,948,595 |
| 47 | Ratio Architects | 2,879,009 |
| 48 | Albert Kahn Associates | 2,775,253 |
| 49 | IBI Group ? Gruzen Samton | 2,500,000 |
| 50 | RS&H | 2,450,000 |
| 51 | Harvard Jolly Architecture | 2,097,387 |
| 52 | Shepley Bulfinch | 2,000,000 |
| 53 | Becker Morgan Group | 1,945,649 |
| 54 | Leo A Daly | 1,787,681 |
| 55 | Good Fulton & Farrell | 1,704,900 |
| 56 | KZF Design | 1,490,333 |
| 57 | Clark Nexsen | 1,441,748 |
| 58 | Little | 1,410,229 |
| 59 | LMN Architects | 1,223,400 |
| 60 | Smallwood, Reynolds, Stewart, Stewart & Associates | 1,213,567 |
| 61 | Environetics | 1,137,965 |
| 62 | Massa Montalto Architects | 1,056,000 |
| 63 | VOA Associates | 989,711 |
| 64 | Mithun | 930,000 |
| 65 | Gensler | 700,000 |
| 66 | WHR Architects | 699,316 |
| 67 | PGAL | 672,000 |
| 68 | Ennead Architects | 585,055 |
| 69 | Davis Brody Bond | 570,932 |
| 70 | DesignGroup | 538,710 |
| 71 | OZ Architecture | 487,900 |
| 72 | Kirksey | 466,989 |
| 73 | HNTB Corp. | 444,786 |
| 74 | Beyer Blinder Belle | 405,394 |
| 75 | CO Architects | 386,900 |
| 76 | RSP Architects | 377,000 |
| 77 | LawKingdon Architecture | 350,000 |
| 78 | Ziegler Cooper | 348,762 |
| 79 | Morris Architects | 335,000 |
| 80 | Rule Joy Trammell + Rubio | 320,000 |
| 81 | Cambridge Seven Associates | 305,000 |
| 82 | Ware Malcomb | 284,000 |
| 83 | Hoffmann Architects | 260,000 |
| 84 | CASCO Diversified Corp. | 250,000 |
| 85 | JRS Architect | 235,000 |
| 86 | Rosser International | 230,000 |
| 87 | Page | 229,000 |
| 88 | Nelson | 210,577 |
| 89 | Gresham, Smith and Partners | 200,000 |
| 90 | Hastings+Chivetta Architects | 169,568 |
| 91 | Nadel | 130,000 |
| 92 | Epstein | 108,000 |
| 93 | BSA LifeStructures | 106,426 |
| 94 | ATA Beilharz Architects | 104,525 |
| 95 | Niles Bolton Associates | 104,386 |
| 96 | Hensley Lamkin Rachel | 100,000 |
| 97 | GBBN Architects | 97,000 |
| 98 | Sherlock, Smith & Adams | 92,000 |
| 99 | Lord Aeck Sargent | 75,379 |
| 100 | Poskanzer Skott | 50,000 |
| 101 | TEG Architects | 11,928 |
Â
Â
Top K-12 School Sector Engineering FirmsÂ
| Rank | Company | 2013 K-12 Revenue |
| 1 | AECOM Technology Corp. | $50,930,000 |
| 2 | URS Corp. | 47,642,239 |
| 3 | Jacobs | 35,150,000 |
| 4 | Parsons Brinckerhoff | 20,057,993 |
| 5 | TTG | 12,352,642 |
| 6 | STV | 8,018,000 |
| 7 | Shive-Hattery | 5,975,671 |
| 8 | KCI Technologies | 4,800,000 |
| 9 | Dewberry | 4,340,398 |
| 10 | Joseph R. Loring & Associates | 4,300,000 |
| 11 | Heapy Engineering | 4,079,921 |
| 12 | Thornton Tomasetti | 3,617,144 |
| 13 | Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates | 3,380,000 |
| 14 | Allen & Shariff | 3,000,000 |
| 15 | Interface Engineering | 2,934,922 |
| 16 | KJWW Engineering Consultants | 2,878,919 |
| 17 | Paulus, Sokolowski and Sartor | 2,800,000 |
| 18 | Brinjac Engineering | 2,677,720 |
| 19 | Simpson Gumpertz & Heger | 2,610,000 |
| 20 | M/E Engineering | 2,531,610 |
| 21 | Primera Engineers | 2,357,000 |
| 22 | French & Parrello Associates | 2,297,300 |
| 23 | Coffman Engineers | 2,147,260 |
| 24 | Henderson Engineers | 2,103,903 |
| 25 | Bridgers & Paxton Consulting Engineers | 2,024,344 |
| 26 | RDK Engineers | 1,880,000 |
| 27 | Wallace Engineering | 1,691,000 |
| 28 | KPFF Consulting Engineers | 1,625,000 |
| 29 | H.F. Lenz | 1,619,250 |
| 30 | Highland Associates | 1,600,000 |
| 31 | KLH Engineers | 1,384,045 |
| 32 | Glumac | 1,306,149 |
| 33 | AKF Group | 1,299,000 |
| 34 | Rist-Frost-Shumway Engineering | 1,000,000 |
| 35 | Fishbeck, Thompson, Carr & Huber | 1,000,000 |
| 36 | CJL Engineering | 994,410 |
| 37 | TLC Engineering for Architecture | 967,161 |
| 38 | M-E Engineers | 966,000 |
| 39 | Walter P Moore and Associates | 937,062 |
| 40 | Vanderweil Engineers | 808,300 |
| 41 | Karpinski Engineering | 720,037 |
| 42 | Sparling | 682,833 |
| 43 | Martin/Martin | 674,166 |
| 44 | SSOE Group | 664,516 |
| 45 | RMF Engineering | 650,000 |
| 46 | Aon Fire Protection Engineering Corp. | 540,000 |
| 47 | Newcomb & Boyd | 534,136 |
| 48 | Environmental Systems Design | 521,731 |
| 49 | Guernsey | 502,819 |
| 50 | I. C. Thomasson Associates | 500,000 |
| 51 | G&W Engineering Corp. | 484,000 |
| 52 | Wick Fisher White | 446,553 |
| 53 | Arup | 431,084 |
| 54 | CTLGroup | 400,000 |
| 55 | OLA Consulting Engineers | 308,400 |
| 56 | Kamm Consulting | 286,426 |
| 57 | DeSimone Consulting Engineers | 262,015 |
| 58 | GRW | 189,200 |
| 59 | Zak Companies | 178,364 |
| 60 | Dunham Associates | 150,000 |
| 61 | Mazzetti | 149,031 |
| 62 | Davis, Bowen & Friedel | 132,028 |
| 63 | Affiliated Engineers | 112,000 |
| 64 | Spectrum Engineers | 93,110 |
| 65 | Magnusson Klemencic Associates | 76,069 |
Â
Â
Top K-12 School Sector Construction Firms
| Rank | Company | 2013 K-12 Revenue |
| 1 | Gilbane | $480,230,252 |
| 2 | Turner Construction | 419,619,000 |
| 3 | Balfour Beatty US | 372,288,885 |
| 4 | CORE Construction Group | 278,177,865 |
| 5 | Skanska USA | 212,802,648 |
| 6 | Swinerton Builders | 182,000,000 |
| 7 | Kraus-Anderson Construction | 181,000,000 |
| 8 | JE Dunn Construction | 167,798,654 |
| 9 | Consigli Construction | 151,997,147 |
| 10 | Whiting-Turner Contracting Co., The | 146,933,150 |
| 11 | Adolfson & Peterson Construction | 142,957,713 |
| 12 | Barton Malow | 142,524,833 |
| 13 | McCarthy Holdings | 140,400,000 |
| 14 | PCL Construction | 122,996,983 |
| 15 | Tutor Perini Corp. | 120,049,254 |
| 16 | McShane Companies, The | 118,124,887 |
| 17 | Flintco | 110,350,000 |
| 18 | KBE Building Corp. | 89,239,714 |
| 19 | Bernards | 85,000,000 |
| 20 | Sundt Construction | 69,522,647 |
| 21 | Absher Construction | 67,476,142 |
| 22 | LeChase Construction Services | 65,600,000 |
| 23 | Walsh Group, The | 62,965,887 |
| 24 | Wight & Company | 61,092,000 |
| 25 | Lend Lease | 59,255,000 |
| 26 | Haselden Construction | 55,166,396 |
| 27 | LPCiminelli | 54,810,831 |
| 28 | Shawmut Design and Construction | 51,000,000 |
| 29 | Ryan Companies US | 48,316,285 |
| 30 | URS Corp. | 47,642,239 |
| 31 | Yates Companies, The | 42,800,000 |
| 32 | Pepper Construction | 35,760,000 |
| 33 | C.W. Driver | 35,595,000 |
| 34 | E.W. Howell | 33,818,000 |
| 35 | Coakley & Williams Construction | 32,267,167 |
| 36 | Brasfield & Gorrie | 30,364,402 |
| 37 | Choate Construction | 30,237,395 |
| 38 | Bette Companies, The | 29,375,000 |
| 39 | S. M. Wilson & Co. | 25,725,568 |
| 40 | Suffolk Construction | 25,620,266 |
| 41 | EMJ Corp. | 24,000,000 |
| 42 | Parsons Brinckerhoff | 20,057,993 |
| 43 | Manhattan Construction | 19,124,000 |
| 44 | New South Construction | 17,650,000 |
| 45 | Hill & Wilkinson | 17,026,000 |
| 46 | Kitchell Corp. | 16,545,918 |
| 47 | Heery International | 14,994,535 |
| 48 | HITT Contracting | 14,900,000 |
| 49 | Robins & Morton | 13,176,447 |
| 50 | W. M. Jordan Company | 12,735,471 |
| 51 | Messer Construction | 12,453,591 |
| 52 | Structure Tone | 12,081,000 |
| 53 | Hill International | 12,000,000 |
| 54 | Boldt Company, The | 11,978,048 |
| 55 | Hathaway Dinwiddie Construction | 11,690,000 |
| 56 | James G. Davis Construction | 10,187,161 |
| 57 | Stalco Construction | 10,040,000 |
| 58 | STV | 8,018,000 |
| 59 | Hunt Construction Group | 7,000,000 |
| 60 | O'Neil Industries/W.E. O'Neil | 5,825,412 |
| 61 | Weis Builders | 3,389,000 |
| 62 | Beck Group, The | 3,117,539 |
| 63 | Allen & Shariff | 3,000,000 |
| 64 | Linbeck Group | 2,590,000 |
| 65 | Batson-Cook | 1,810,861 |
| 66 | Hoar Construction | 1,769,000 |
| 67 | Clark Group | 1,731,296 |
| 68 | James McHugh Construction | 1,460,905 |
| 69 | Weitz Company, The | 1,434,533 |
| 70 | IMC Construction | 1,433,690 |
| 71 | Astorino | 743,040 |
| 72 | JLL | 242,655 |
Â
Read BD+C's full 2014 Giants 300 Report
Related Stories
Architects | Mar 7, 2023
David Chipperfield named 2023 Pritzker Architecture Prize laureate
Widely regarded as architecture's highest honor, the 2023 Pritzker Architecture Prize has been awarded to UK-based architect David Chipperfield. In honoring Chipperfield with the award, the Pritzker Prize jury cited the architect's "commitment to an architecture of understated but transformative civic presence and the definition—even through private commissions—of the public realm."
Multifamily Housing | Mar 7, 2023
Multifamily housing development in Chicago takes design inspiration from patchwork and quilting
HUB 32, a 65-unit multifamily housing development, will provide affordable housing and community amenities in Chicago’s Garfield Park neighborhood.  Brooks + Scarpa’s recently unveiled design takes inspiration from the American tradition of patchwork and quilting.Â
Industrial Facilities | Mar 6, 2023
The largest planned logistics and business park in North America gets under way in Southern California
The $25 billion World Logistics Center will boost the supply chain capabilities of Southern California and will serve as a distribution center for destinations across the continent.
Healthcare Facilities | Mar 6, 2023
NBBJ kicks off new design podcast with discussion on behavioral health facilities
During the second week of November, the architecture firm NBBJ launched a podcast series called Uplift, that focuses on the transformative power of design. Its first 30-minute episode homed in on designing for behavioral healthcare facilities, a hot topic given the increasing number of new construction and renovation projects in this subsector.Â
K-12 Schools | Mar 6, 2023
Benefitting kids through human-centric high school design
Ingrid Krueger, AIA, LEED AP, shares why empathetic, well-designed spaces are critical in high schools.
Adaptive Reuse | Mar 5, 2023
Pittsburgh offers funds for office-to-residential conversions
The City of Pittsburgh’s redevelopment agency is accepting applications for funding from developers on projects to convert office buildings into affordable housing. The city’s goals are to improve downtown vitality, make better use of underutilized and vacant commercial office space, and alleviate a housing shortage.Â
Student Housing | Mar 5, 2023
Calif. governor Gavin Newsom seeks to reform environmental law used to block student housing
California Gov. Gavin Newsom wants to reform a landmark state environmental law that he says was weaponized by wealthy homeowners to block badly needed housing for students at the University of California, Berkeley.
Green Renovation | Mar 5, 2023
Dept. of Energy offers $22 million for energy efficiency and building electrification upgrades
The Buildings Upgrade Prize (Buildings UP) sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy is offering more than $22 million in cash prizes and technical assistance to teams across America. Prize recipients will be selected based on their ideas to accelerate widespread, equitable energy efficiency and building electrification upgrades.
Windows and Doors | Mar 5, 2023
2022 North American Fenestration Standard released
The 2022 edition of AAMA/WDMA/CSA 101/I.S.2/A440, “North American Fenestration Standard/Specification for windows, doors, and skylights” (NAFS) has been published. The updated 2022 standard replaces the 2017 edition, part of a continued evolution of the standard to improve harmonization across North America, according to a news release.
AEC Innovators | Mar 3, 2023
Meet BD+C's 2023 AEC Innovators
More than ever, AEC firms and their suppliers are wedding innovation with corporate responsibility. How they are addressing climate change usually gets the headlines. But as the following articles in our AEC Innovators package chronicle, companies are attempting to make an impact as well on the integrity of their supply chains, the reduction of construction waste, and answering calls for more affordable housing and homeless shelters. As often as not, these companies are partnering with municipalities and nonprofit interest groups to help guide their production.
