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 |
