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.
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.
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 |
Top K-12 School Sector Engineering Firms
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 |
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 |
Read BD+C's full 2014 Giants 300 Report
Related Stories
Building Team | Jul 13, 2022
The YIMBY movement emerges as valuable advocate for affordable housing
Over the past few decades, developers grew accustomed to nothing but staunch opposition to dense affordable housing project proposals.
Energy | Jul 13, 2022
Electrification of buildings, new and old, furthers environmental responsibility and equity
It’s almost a cliché in our industry, but nonetheless: The greenest building is the one that is already built.
Building Team | Jul 13, 2022
Austin’s newest entertainment and hospitality complex has been made from repurposed shipping containers
A new entertainment and hospitality complex in Austin, The Pitch, has been made out of repurposed shipping containers.
Codes and Standards | Jul 12, 2022
USGBC sets out principles for LEED’s future
The U.S. Green Building Council recently published a report containing principles outlining how LEED will evolve.
Building Team | Jul 12, 2022
10 resource reduction measures for more efficient and sustainable biopharma facilities
Resource reduction measures are solutions that can lead to lifecycle energy and cost savings for a favorable return on investment while simultaneously improving resiliency and promoting health and wellness in your facility.
Office Buildings | Jul 12, 2022
Miami office tower nears completion, topping off at 55 stories
In Miami, construction of OKO Group and Cain International’s 830 Brickell office tower is nearing completion.
University Buildings | Jul 11, 2022
Student life design impacts campus wellness
As interior designers, we have the opportunity and responsibility to help students achieve deeper levels of engagement in their learning, social involvement, and personal growth on college campuses.
Museums | Jul 11, 2022
Denmark opens a museum that tells the stories of refugees worldwide
Located on the site of Denmark’s largest World War II refugee camp, the new Refugee Museum of Denmark, FLUGT, tells the stories of refugees from the camp as well as refugees worldwide.
Codes and Standards | Jul 8, 2022
Inefficient supply chains, outdated project delivery systems hamper construction investment
Constructing and justifying the cost of physical assets such as a manufacturing plant is much more difficult than it was decades ago, according to a report by Steffen Fuchs, senior partner with McKinsey & Company.
Airports | Jul 8, 2022
Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport’s new terminal prioritizes passenger experience and sustainability
McCarthy Building Companies recently completed construction of the final concourse in Terminal 4 at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport.