Multifamily housing construction is expected to remain relatively strong throughout 2014, according to Freddie Mac (http://bit.ly/TJvZ8R). Starts picked up in 2013, with completions due to catch up this year, finally approaching pre-recession levels.
AEC firms are delivering projects that cater to consumers seeking reasonably priced rentals in hot urban markets. Gen Y consumers are more likely than their Boomer antecedents to embrace the notion of renting as a lifelong strategy.
Noting these trends, a Building Team in the Southeast has developed SkyHouse: a branded program that provides high-rise apartments for Gen Y professionals near urban centers, public transportation, and nightlife. Since 2011, eleven SkyHouses have been developed, including finished properties in Orlando, Fla., Austin, Texas, Atlanta, Houston, and Dallas, and buildings under way in Raleigh, N.C., Atlanta, Tampa, Fla., Houston, and Charlotte, N.C.
Novare Group, which is developing the projects with Batson-Cook Development Company, previously specialized in high-rise condos, and wanted to bring a different approach to apartment towers that would cost only marginally more than low to mid-rise multifamily housing.
The SkyHouses consist of vertically stacked units with minimal variation; interiors are tweaked to reflect local market preferences. Separating parking facilities from the towers has reduced construction time and costs.
Jones Lang LaSalle’s U.S. Multifamily Outlook Year-End 2013 (http://bit.ly/1ifRCC4) notes the growing (and “thriving”) activity in this region: “While the housing recovery is causing expansion nationwide, the mending of the hardest hit housing markets in the Sunbelt is driving significant gains in those metros.”
Top Multifamily Architecture Firms
Rank | Company | 2013 Multifamily Revenue |
1 | RTKL Associates | $29,674,000 |
2 | Niles Bolton Associates | 26,257,959 |
3 | Solomon Cordwell Buenz | 26,000,000 |
4 | Architects Orange | 18,989,853 |
5 | WDG Architecture | 18,737,000 |
6 | Stantec | 17,622,016 |
7 | Perkins Eastman | 16,000,000 |
8 | NORR | 11,572,227 |
9 | Ziegler Cooper | 8,815,451 |
10 | Skidmore, Owings & Merrill | 8,702,356 |
11 | FXFOWLE Architects | 8,100,000 |
12 | Good Fulton & Farrell | 7,931,000 |
13 | Hord Coplan Macht | 7,794,838 |
14 | HOK | 7,404,036 |
15 | Smallwood, Reynolds, Stewart, Stewart & Associates | 7,338,774 |
16 | Gensler | 7,139,176 |
17 | Perkins+will | 7,100,000 |
18 | Mithun | 5,966,000 |
19 | Rule Joy Trammell + Rubio | 5,787,000 |
20 | FitzGerald Associates Architects | 5,464,276 |
21 | VOA Associates | 5,266,818 |
22 | Cooper Carry | 5,055,632 |
23 | OZ Architecture | 4,879,000 |
24 | Beyer Blinder Belle | 4,780,731 |
25 | ZGF Architects | 4,770,730 |
26 | Harley Ellis Devereaux | 4,670,000 |
27 | HKS | 4,641,794 |
28 | Lord Aeck Sargent | 4,585,731 |
29 | EDI International | 4,538,210 |
30 | GBBN Architects | 4,120,000 |
31 | Eppstein Uhen Architects | 3,912,939 |
32 | Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates | 3,795,000 |
33 | Hensley Lamkin Rachel | 3,120,000 |
34 | BLTa | 3,100,000 |
35 | IBI Group ? Gruzen Samton | 3,000,000 |
36 | Nadel | 3,000,000 |
37 | Shepley Bulfinch | 2,803,000 |
38 | Moseley Architects | 2,774,269 |
39 | Callison | 2,697,208 |
40 | Carrier Johnson + Culture | 2,638,036 |
41 | Morris Architects | 2,240,000 |
42 | Cuningham Group Architecture | 2,149,438 |
43 | Montroy Andersen DeMarco | 2,130,000 |
44 | MBH Architects | 1,940,000 |
45 | NAC|Architecture | 1,871,525 |
46 | Commonwealth Architects | 1,627,175 |
47 | Corgan | 1,596,285 |
48 | Symmes Maini & McKee Associates | 1,560,000 |
49 | Clark Nexsen | 1,400,000 |
50 | Page | 1,400,000 |
51 | Goettsch Partners | 1,400,000 |
52 | WATG | Wimberly Interiors | 1,388,000 |
53 | Goodwyn Mills & Cawood | 1,328,694 |
54 | Cambridge Seven Associates | 1,277,000 |
55 | Nelson | 1,254,686 |
56 | Hnedak Bobo Group | 1,205,000 |
57 | Swanke Hayden Connell Architects | 1,200,000 |
58 | Ratio Architects | 1,127,764 |
59 | LS3P | 1,052,598 |
60 | Kirksey | 967,711 |
61 | Sherlock, Smith & Adams | 934,000 |
62 | CTA Architects Engineers | 831,135 |
63 | Leo A Daly | 824,915 |
64 | Hoffmann Architects | 747,000 |
65 | Epstein | 740,000 |
66 | PGAL | 736,900 |
67 | Environetics | 655,268 |
68 | NBBJ | 544,000 |
69 | Davis Brody Bond | 522,616 |
70 | ATA Beilharz Architects | 495,285 |
71 | Hoefer Wysocki Architecture | 410,000 |
72 | Adache Group Architects | 400,000 |
73 | BLDD Architects | 390,000 |
74 | P+R Architects | 381,150 |
75 | Moody Nolan | 361,308 |
76 | Poskanzer Skott | 350,000 |
77 | RNL | 310,000 |
78 | RSP Architects | 264,000 |
79 | Vocon | 262,947 |
80 | CASCO Diversified Corp. | 225,000 |
81 | Baskervill | 218,225 |
82 | Heery International | 196,283 |
83 | Becker Morgan Group | 192,043 |
84 | JRS Architect | 185,000 |
85 | H3 Hardy Collaboration Architecture | 183,452 |
86 | Ennead Architects | 168,902 |
87 | Wight & Company | 161,000 |
88 | Colkitt & Company | 100,000 |
89 | Ashley McGraw Architects | 83,478 |
90 | Integrus Architecture | 59,840 |
91 | Margulies Perruzzi Architects | 48,409 |
92 | KZF Design | 26,017 |
93 | TEG Architects | 20,879 |
94 | Harvard Jolly Architecture | 17,585 |
Top Multifamily Engineering Firms
Rank | Company | 2013 Multifamily Revenue |
1 | AECOM Technology Corp. | $121,890,000 |
2 | URS Corp. | 56,953,263 |
3 | Parsons Brinckerhoff | 36,412,208 |
4 | WSP Group | 24,860,000 |
5 | Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates | 21,180,000 |
6 | DeSimone Consulting Engineers | 20,620,346 |
7 | Jacobs | 15,370,000 |
8 | Thornton Tomasetti | 14,452,161 |
9 | Simpson Gumpertz & Heger | 11,690,000 |
10 | Magnusson Klemencic Associates | 10,137,916 |
11 | STV | 8,519,000 |
12 | Arup | 6,211,364 |
13 | KPFF Consulting Engineers | 6,000,000 |
14 | Bala Consulting Engineers | 5,083,000 |
15 | Dewberry | 4,849,178 |
16 | Interface Engineering | 3,522,946 |
17 | M-E Engineers | 3,429,000 |
18 | Martin/Martin | 2,558,401 |
19 | CTLGroup | 2,330,000 |
20 | Paulus, Sokolowski and Sartor | 2,100,000 |
21 | Glumac | 1,779,976 |
22 | Aon Fire Protection Engineering Corp. | 1,700,000 |
23 | AKF Group | 1,642,000 |
24 | Allen & Shariff | 1,500,000 |
25 | Vanderweil Engineers | 1,494,000 |
26 | KCI Technologies | 1,300,000 |
27 | RDK Engineers | 1,240,000 |
28 | Davis, Bowen & Friedel | 1,176,676 |
29 | Coffman Engineers | 1,161,281 |
30 | M/E Engineering | 1,034,842 |
31 | French & Parrello Associates | 972,500 |
32 | Graef | 821,802 |
33 | I. C. Thomasson Associates | 810,000 |
34 | SSOE Group | 793,545 |
35 | Smith Seckman Reid | 784,137 |
36 | TLC Engineering for Architecture | 780,974 |
37 | OLA Consulting Engineers | 695,000 |
38 | CJL Engineering | 662,940 |
39 | Spectrum Engineers | 557,881 |
40 | GHT Limited | 510,000 |
41 | Guernsey | 417,874 |
42 | RMF Engineering | 400,000 |
43 | H&A Architects & Engineers | 400,000 |
44 | Sparling | 393,807 |
45 | Karpinski Engineering | 370,666 |
46 | Walter P Moore and Associates | 364,810 |
47 | Joseph R. Loring & Associates | 320,000 |
48 | Barge Waggoner Sumner & Cannon | 320,000 |
49 | Stanley Consultants | 301,510 |
50 | Environmental Systems Design | 290,666 |
51 | Highland Associates | 250,000 |
52 | Wallace Engineering | 233,000 |
53 | Henderson Engineers | 231,482 |
54 | TTG | 216,150 |
55 | Zak Companies | 188,814 |
56 | G&W Engineering Corp. | 178,400 |
57 | Wick Fisher White | 156,293 |
58 | Newcomb & Boyd | 133,995 |
59 | Leidos | 120,000 |
60 | Apogee Consulting Group | 96,875 |
61 | Dunham Associates | 50,000 |
62 | P2S Engineering | 31,535 |
63 | Heapy Engineering | 19,441 |
64 | Total Building Commissioning | 18,405 |
65 | Brinjac Engineering | 12,960 |
Top Multifamily Construction Firms
Rank | Company | 2013 Multifamily Revenue |
1 | Lend Lease | $1,680,438,000 |
2 | Clark Group | 832,640,000 |
3 | Balfour Beatty US | 686,819,862 |
4 | Plaza Construction | 670,000,000 |
5 | Swinerton Builders | 503,250,000 |
6 | Suffolk Construction | 452,592,931 |
7 | Adolfson & Peterson Construction | 325,225,509 |
8 | PCL Construction | 287,254,951 |
9 | Weis Builders | 270,383,000 |
10 | James McHugh Construction | 264,613,678 |
11 | Walsh Group, The | 254,726,672 |
12 | Turner Construction | 244,990,000 |
13 | Summit Contracting Group | 240,984,366 |
14 | Whiting-Turner Contracting Co., The | 238,617,178 |
15 | Batson-Cook | 225,076,882 |
16 | Tutor Perini Corp. | 216,439,042 |
17 | JE Dunn Construction | 204,409,132 |
18 | Harkins Builders | 168,000,000 |
19 | McShane Companies, The | 164,546,476 |
20 | Brasfield & Gorrie | 163,127,667 |
21 | Hunt Companies | 148,155,000 |
22 | Bernards | 144,000,000 |
23 | James G. Davis Construction | 123,693,698 |
24 | Kitchell Corp. | 123,591,618 |
25 | Skanska USA | 118,105,783 |
26 | Weitz Company, The | 104,812,724 |
27 | Gilbane | 104,239,380 |
28 | DPR Construction | 102,599,861 |
29 | Hensel Phelps | 99,310,000 |
30 | C.W. Driver | 91,430,000 |
31 | LeChase Construction Services | 78,720,000 |
32 | Power Construction | 74,000,000 |
33 | W. M. Jordan Company | 72,475,701 |
34 | Bette Companies, The | 72,287,000 |
35 | Ryan Companies US | 57,491,712 |
36 | URS Corp. | 56,953,263 |
37 | Structure Tone | 50,290,000 |
38 | Flintco | 46,600,000 |
39 | Douglas Company, The | 45,166,765 |
40 | Hoar Construction | 44,342,000 |
41 | Layton Construction | 43,600,000 |
42 | CORE Construction Group | 42,926,217 |
43 | Absher Construction | 41,419,197 |
44 | Hill International | 40,000,000 |
45 | HITT Contracting | 36,700,000 |
46 | Parsons Brinckerhoff | 36,412,208 |
47 | Walbridge | 34,000,000 |
48 | Paric Corp. | 34,000,000 |
49 | Robins & Morton | 33,809,050 |
50 | Hunt Construction Group | 32,000,000 |
51 | O'Neil Industries/W.E. O'Neil | 31,098,921 |
52 | Kraus-Anderson Construction | 31,000,000 |
53 | Yates Companies, The | 29,600,000 |
54 | Choate Construction | 29,008,583 |
55 | Manhattan Construction | 25,932,000 |
56 | Austin Commercial | 25,565,808 |
57 | Linbeck Group | 21,000,000 |
58 | Haselden Construction | 19,911,322 |
59 | Juneau Construction | 19,007,317 |
60 | Beck Group, The | 18,964,678 |
61 | Messer Construction | 18,394,464 |
62 | KBE Building Corp. | 13,628,837 |
63 | STV | 8,519,000 |
64 | Bomel Construction | 7,894,058 |
65 | LPCiminelli | 7,437,315 |
66 | Consigli Construction | 5,542,121 |
67 | IMC Construction | 4,556,000 |
68 | Pepper Construction | 2,870,000 |
69 | Coakley & Williams Construction | 1,994,991 |
70 | Allen & Shariff | 1,500,000 |
71 | Stalco Construction | 1,010,000 |
72 | EBCO General Contractor | 895,700 |
73 | JLL | 840,400 |
74 | S. M. Wilson & Co. | 722,352 |
75 | New South Construction | 205,000 |
76 | Heery International | 196,283 |
77 | Hill & Wilkinson | 191,000 |
Read BD+C's full 2014 Giants 300 Report
Related Stories
| Dec 7, 2010
Green building thrives in shaky economy
Green building’s momentum hasn’t been stopped by the economic recession and will keep speeding through the recovery, while at the same time building owners are looking to go green more for economic reasons than environmental ones. Green building has grown 50% in the past two years; total construction starts have shrunk 26% over the same time period, according to “Green Outlook 2011” report. The green-building sector is expected to nearly triple by 2015, representing as much as $145 billion in new construction activity.
| Dec 7, 2010
USGBC: Wood-certification benchmarks fail to pass
The proposed Forest Certification Benchmark to determine when wood-certification groups would have their certification qualify for points in the LEED rating systemdid not pass the USGBC member ballot. As a result, the Certified Wood credit in LEED will remain as it is currently written. To date, only wood certified by the Forest Stewardship Council qualifies for a point in the LEED, while other organizations, such as the Sustainable Forestry Initiative, the Canadian Standards Association, and the American Tree Farm System, are excluded.
| Dec 7, 2010
Prospects for multifamily sector improve greatly
The multifamily sector is showing signs of a real recovery, with nearly 22,000 new apartment units delivered to the market. Net absorption in the third quarter surged by 94,000 units, dropping the national vacancy rate from 7.8% to 7.1%, one of the largest quarterly drops on record, and rents increased for the second quarter in a row.
| Dec 7, 2010
Hot rumor: Norman Foster designing Apple’s new campus
Lord Norman Foster, reportedly has been selected to design Apple’s new campus in Cupertino, Calif. If the news is true, Foster is a good match for Apple say experts. Foster built his celebrity by marrying big gestures to technological wizardry. And, unlike some starchitects, he has glommed onto the environmental revolution—something Apple has made a point of embracing, too.
| Dec 7, 2010
10 megacities of the near future
With Beijing, Shanghai, and Mumbai already on the global radar, where can the next wave of construction be found? Far beyond China, India, and even Brazil it’s predicted. The world’s next future megacities could include Istanbul, Turkey; Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam; and Khartoum, Sudan, among others. Read about these emerging and little-known behemoths.
| Dec 7, 2010
Product of the Week: Petersen Aluminum’s column covers used in IBM’S new offices
IBM’s new offices at Dulles Station West in Herndon, Va., utilized Petersen’s PAC-1000 F Flush Series column covers. The columns are within the office’s Mobility Area, which is designed for a mobile workforce looking for quick in-and-out work space. The majority of workspaces in the office are unassigned and intended to be used on a temporary basis.
| Dec 6, 2010
Honeywell survey
Rising energy costs and a tough economic climate have forced the nation’s school districts to defer facility maintenance and delay construction projects, but they have also encouraged districts to pursue green initiatives, according to Honeywell’s second annual “School Energy and Environment Survey.”
| Dec 2, 2010
GKV Architects wins best guest room design award for Park Hyatt Istanbul
Gerner Kronick + Valcarcel, Architects, PC won the prestigious Gold Key Award for Excellence in Hospitality Design for best guest room, Park Hyatt Macka Palas, Istanbul, Turkey. Park Hyatt Maçka Palace marries historic and exotic elements with modern and luxurious, creating a unique space perpetuating Istanbul’s current culture. In addition to the façade restoration, GKV Architects designed 85 guestrooms, five penthouse suites, an ultra-hip rooftop bar, and a first-of-its-kind for Istanbul – a steakhouse, for the luxury hotel.
| Dec 2, 2010
U.S Energy Secretary Chu announces $21 Million to improve energy use in commercial buildings
U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced that 24 projects are receiving a total of $21 million in technical assistance to dramatically reduce the energy used in their commercial buildings. This initiative will connect commercial building owners and operators with multidisciplinary teams including researchers at DOE's National Laboratories and private sector building experts. The teams will design, construct, measure, and test low-energy building plans, and will help accelerate the deployment of cost-effective energy-saving measures in commercial buildings across the United States.