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
| May 9, 2012
Construction Defect Symposium will examine strategies for reducing litigation costs
July event in Key West will target decision makers in the insurance and construction industries.
| May 8, 2012
WDMA and AAMA release window, door & skylight market studies
Historic data for 2006 through 2011 and forecast data for 2012 through 2015 are included in the report.
| May 8, 2012
Study presents snapshot of domestic violence shelter services
Unique partnership of architects and domestic violence advocates brings new strategies for emergency housing.
| May 8, 2012
Gensler & J.C. Anderson team for pro bono high school project in Chicago
City Year representatives came to Gensler for their assistance in the transformation of the organization’s offices within Orr Academy High School, which also serve as an academic and social gathering space for students and corps members.
| May 8, 2012
Skanska USA hires Zamrowski as senior project manager
In his new role at Skanska, Zamrowski will serve as the day-to-day on-site contact for select Pennsylvania-based projects during all phases of construction.
| May 8, 2012
Morgan/Harbour completes three projects at Columbia Centre
Projects completed on behalf of property owner, White Oak Realty Partners, LLC, Pearlmark Realty Partners, LLC and Angelo Gordon & Co.
| May 7, 2012
4 more trends in higher-education facilities
Our series on college buildings continues with a look at new classroom designs, flexible space, collaboration areas, and the evolving role of the university library.
| May 7, 2012
Best AEC Firms: MHTN Architects nine decades of dedication to Utah
This 65-person design firm has served Salt Lake City and the state of Utah for the better part of 90 years.
| May 7, 2012
2012 BUILDING TEAM AWARDS: TD Ameritrade Park
The new stadium for the College World Series in Omaha combines big-league amenities within a traditional minor league atmosphere.