The office market continues to improve, with many projects in development. Rents are rising as vacancy decreases, according to Jones Lang LaSalle’s 2014 U.S. Office Outlook (http://bit.ly/1ildrS7). Dozens of markets are classified as experiencing a “rising phase” (among them, Phoenix, Chicago, Salt Lake City, and Atlanta), while Dallas, Houston, San Francisco, and the Silicon Valley are believed to be peaking.
New-construction leaders include Houston and New York City, and even in calmer markets, AEC firms are busy with workplace fitouts and renovations.
The adage “doing more with less” has become a byword for many businesses since the Great Recession, and clients are trying to maximize every precious inch. “Everyone is looking to use less space,” says Daniel P. Perruzzi, Jr., AIA, LEED AP, Principal at Boston-based Margulies Perruzzi Architects. “They’re looking at ways to modify their office and workplace standards so that they can fit into less.”
Hierarchical office assignments are becoming passé, as is the notion that people will stay in their cubicles for much of the day. “A lot of companies are going down to a single size for offices, so they’re not awarding that space on the basis of rank,” notes Perruzzi. “And as a rule, companies are looking to change the ratio between offices and open workstations. It’s all driven by collaboration.”
Non-assigned space concepts continue to gain popularity. Whether or not they’re actual telecommuters, workers on the move require well-considered accommodations, including easily accessible plug-ins for laptops, tablets, and smartphones. Says Perruzzi, “You have to think about the accommodations both technically and physically. Workers want to be able to plug in their devices and see their desktop no matter which workstation they’re using.”
Analyses by experts like CoreNet Global indicate that space per worker may drop below 100 sf within five years. Perruzzi says workstations won’t necessarily keep shrinking but will likely keep reducing in number. Margulies Perruzzi’s design for Philips North America’s first Workplace Innovation Center involved no private offices and 200 physical workstations for about 260 employees. Called “free addressing,” the plan allows employees to migrate from desk to desk while reducing the number of empty spots left by workers who are off-site.
Says Perruzzi: “There’s no such thing as an individual contributor anymore. It’s about people working in teams that change on a regular basis, are very dynamic, and need constant access to each other.”
Top Office Sector Architecture Firms
Rank | Company | 2013 Office Revenue |
1 | Gensler | $472,552,752 |
2 | HOK | 141,723,793 |
3 | Perkins+will | 112,815,842 |
4 | Skidmore, Owings & Merrill | 83,599,900 |
5 | NBBJ | 64,107,000 |
6 | Stantec | 62,594,213 |
7 | ZGF Architects | 43,902,072 |
8 | Page | 37,460,000 |
9 | Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates | 36,176,000 |
10 | Nelson | 36,089,550 |
11 | SmithGroupJJR | 35,614,366 |
12 | Hammel, Green and Abrahamson | 33,267,365 |
13 | RTKL Associates | 30,705,000 |
14 | EYP Architecture & Engineering | 30,000,000 |
15 | CannonDesign | 29,000,000 |
16 | HKS | 26,255,885 |
17 | Corgan | 24,977,990 |
18 | HDR | 24,700,000 |
19 | RSP Architects | 23,106,000 |
20 | Leo A Daly | 20,101,466 |
21 | Heery International | 20,011,958 |
22 | LS3P | 17,522,964 |
23 | Ware Malcomb | 17,500,000 |
24 | Kirksey | 15,989,864 |
25 | LPA | 15,875,503 |
26 | Perkins Eastman | 15,000,000 |
27 | NORR | 14,244,421 |
28 | Goettsch Partners | 12,070,000 |
29 | VOA Associates | 11,040,757 |
30 | Epstein | 10,752,000 |
31 | CTA Architects Engineers | 10,438,159 |
32 | Margulies Perruzzi Architects | 10,191,746 |
33 | Cuningham Group Architecture | 10,068,814 |
34 | BRPH | 9,906,000 |
35 | DLR Group | 9,800,000 |
36 | Environetics | 9,612,351 |
37 | Vocon | 9,203,152 |
38 | RNL | 8,941,000 |
39 | Gresham, Smith and Partners | 8,768,000 |
40 | Ziegler Cooper | 8,676,816 |
41 | Davis Brody Bond | 8,369,474 |
42 | FXFOWLE Architects | 7,880,000 |
43 | Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture | 7,750,000 |
44 | Clark Nexsen | 7,707,493 |
45 | LMN Architects | 7,368,900 |
46 | Little | 7,253,565 |
47 | Cooper Carry | 7,227,738 |
48 | Symmes Maini & McKee Associates | 6,490,000 |
49 | WDG Architecture | 5,844,000 |
50 | Solomon Cordwell Buenz | 5,300,000 |
51 | Carrier Johnson + Culture | 5,118,818 |
52 | Swanke Hayden Connell Architects | 4,990,000 |
53 | Eppstein Uhen Architects | 4,972,955 |
54 | Fentress Architects | 4,551,790 |
55 | Francis Cauffman | 4,187,463 |
56 | Wight & Company | 3,683,000 |
57 | Smallwood, Reynolds, Stewart, Stewart & Associates | 3,653,284 |
58 | OZ Architecture | 3,625,600 |
59 | GBBN Architects | 3,540,500 |
60 | Callison | 3,481,227 |
61 | HMC Architects | 3,388,658 |
62 | Albert Kahn Associates | 3,297,848 |
63 | Baskervill | 3,226,678 |
64 | Rule Joy Trammell + Rubio | 3,120,000 |
65 | Montroy Andersen DeMarco | 3,107,000 |
66 | Goodwyn Mills & Cawood | 2,932,849 |
67 | Good Fulton & Farrell | 2,928,000 |
68 | JRS Architect | 2,850,000 |
69 | HNTB Corp. | 2,793,299 |
70 | Ratio Architects | 2,720,819 |
71 | Inventure Design Group | 2,711,701 |
72 | ai Design Group | 2,663,516 |
73 | KZF Design | 2,544,819 |
74 | EwingCole | 2,510,000 |
75 | RS&H | 2,450,000 |
76 | Integrus Architecture | 2,410,899 |
77 | MulvannyG2 Architecture | 2,200,000 |
78 | Wilson Architects | 2,200,000 |
79 | Rosser International | 1,921,665 |
80 | Hoffmann Architects | 1,602,000 |
81 | Beyer Blinder Belle | 1,496,952 |
82 | LaBella Associates | 1,493,586 |
83 | Hnedak Bobo Group | 1,339,000 |
84 | Commonwealth Architects | 1,212,741 |
85 | Hord Coplan Macht | 1,113,153 |
86 | MBH Architects | 1,090,000 |
87 | PGAL | 1,074,700 |
88 | Nadel | 1,000,000 |
88 | Polytech Associates | 1,000,000 |
90 | P+R Architects | 982,666 |
91 | Parkhill, Smith & Cooper | 945,000 |
92 | Bergmann Associates | 939,420 |
93 | Niles Bolton Associates | 840,919 |
94 | Moseley Architects | 744,501 |
95 | Moody Nolan | 722,616 |
96 | H+L Architecture | 711,172 |
97 | EDI International | 630,916 |
98 | BLTa | 630,000 |
99 | H3 Hardy Collaboration Architecture | 611,898 |
100 | Hoefer Wysocki Architecture | 605,000 |
101 | WATG | Wimberly Interiors | 568,000 |
102 | Cambridge Seven Associates | 460,000 |
103 | Morris Architects | 335,000 |
104 | Emersion Design | 332,073 |
105 | DLA Architects | 317,730 |
106 | BLDD Architects | 280,000 |
107 | Hastings+Chivetta Architects | 243,171 |
108 | DesignGroup | 242,580 |
109 | Sherlock, Smith & Adams | 235,000 |
110 | Slaterpaull Architects | 230,000 |
111 | FitzGerald Associates Architects | 210,500 |
112 | Poskanzer Skott | 200,000 |
113 | SchenkelShultz Architecture | 197,000 |
114 | PHX Architecture | 180,000 |
115 | FGM Architects | 179,784 |
116 | BSA LifeStructures | 174,437 |
Top Office Sector Engineering Firms
Rank | Company | 2013 Office Revenue |
1 | AECOM Technology Corp. | $964,240,000 |
2 | Jacobs | 504,890,000 |
3 | Parsons Brinckerhoff | 158,130,489 |
4 | Burns & McDonnell | 102,620,000 |
5 | Thornton Tomasetti | 63,427,107 |
6 | URS Corp. | 49,783,891 |
7 | WSP Group | 49,230,000 |
8 | Arup | 43,201,720 |
9 | H&A Architects & Engineers | 36,000,000 |
10 | Leidos | 28,150,000 |
11 | AKF Group | 27,835,000 |
12 | KPFF Consulting Engineers | 27,000,000 |
13 | Syska Hennessy Group | 26,817,533 |
14 | Magnusson Klemencic Associates | 16,437,499 |
15 | Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates | 14,220,000 |
16 | Glumac | 14,102,479 |
17 | Dewberry | 13,478,149 |
18 | Bala Consulting Engineers | 12,507,000 |
19 | Environmental Systems Design | 12,505,965 |
20 | RDK Engineers | 10,690,000 |
21 | Vanderweil Engineers | 10,533,700 |
22 | GHT Limited | 9,665,000 |
23 | Simpson Gumpertz & Heger | 7,430,000 |
24 | Allen & Shariff | 7,200,000 |
25 | KCI Technologies | 6,400,000 |
26 | Walter P Moore and Associates | 6,002,650 |
27 | Highland Associates | 6,000,000 |
28 | STV | 5,339,000 |
29 | DeSimone Consulting Engineers | 5,084,661 |
30 | Aon Fire Protection Engineering Corp. | 5,000,000 |
31 | Hixson Architecture, Engineering, Interiors | 5,000,000 |
32 | SSOE Group | 4,656,959 |
33 | H.F. Lenz | 4,362,698 |
34 | Joseph R. Loring & Associates | 4,000,000 |
35 | KLH Engineers | 3,875,841 |
36 | M-E Engineers | 3,863,000 |
37 | Newcomb & Boyd | 3,802,993 |
38 | Sparling | 3,799,152 |
39 | Bridgers & Paxton Consulting Engineers | 3,612,041 |
40 | Smith Seckman Reid | 3,508,905 |
41 | Affiliated Engineers | 3,104,000 |
42 | Interface Engineering | 2,946,713 |
43 | Martin/Martin | 2,793,639 |
44 | KJWW Engineering Consultants | 2,711,604 |
45 | I. C. Thomasson Associates | 2,600,000 |
46 | TLC Engineering for Architecture | 2,329,558 |
47 | Henderson Engineers | 2,269,347 |
48 | ThermalTech Engineering | 2,250,000 |
49 | Heapy Engineering | 2,145,190 |
50 | CJL Engineering | 1,878,330 |
51 | Dunham Associates | 1,750,000 |
52 | Wick Fisher White | 1,734,113 |
53 | Karpinski Engineering | 1,695,420 |
54 | Shive-Hattery | 1,581,161 |
55 | CTLGroup | 1,560,000 |
56 | Graef | 1,469,354 |
57 | Paulus, Sokolowski and Sartor | 1,400,000 |
58 | OLA Consulting Engineers | 1,398,000 |
59 | TTG | 1,383,325 |
60 | Kamm Consulting | 1,344,151 |
61 | CCRD Partners | 1,270,000 |
62 | G&W Engineering Corp. | 1,091,000 |
63 | M/E Engineering | 1,034,842 |
64 | Brinjac Engineering | 1,032,104 |
65 | Coffman Engineers | 1,028,004 |
66 | Mazzetti | 1,013,140 |
67 | Rist-Frost-Shumway Engineering | 1,000,000 |
68 | Guernsey | 958,526 |
69 | Ross & Baruzzini | 828,783 |
70 | Apogee Consulting Group | 815,250 |
71 | GRW | 562,957 |
72 | CRB | 495,240 |
73 | Zak Companies | 458,187 |
74 | Davis, Bowen & Friedel | 331,004 |
75 | Wallace Engineering | 310,000 |
76 | French & Parrello Associates | 264,900 |
77 | Primera Engineers | 253,000 |
78 | RMF Engineering | 150,000 |
79 | Integrated Design Group | 137,118 |
80 | P2S Engineering | 135,228 |
81 | Spectrum Engineers | 85,926 |
82 | Stanley Consultants | 12,178 |
83 | Total Building Commissioning | 4,798 |
Top Office Sector Construction Firms
Rank | Company | 2013 Office Revenue |
1 | Turner Construction | $1,965,630,000 |
2 | Structure Tone | 1,770,996,000 |
3 | Balfour Beatty US | 1,083,107,816 |
4 | PCL Construction | 965,124,704 |
5 | Gilbane | 850,668,144 |
6 | Clark Group | 768,213,069 |
7 | Skanska USA | 756,888,741 |
8 | Hensel Phelps | 595,480,000 |
9 | Suffolk Construction | 575,149,178 |
10 | HITT Contracting | 510,600,000 |
11 | Whiting-Turner Contracting Co., The | 483,040,306 |
12 | Hathaway Dinwiddie Construction | 478,000,000 |
13 | Clayco | 474,300,000 |
14 | DPR Construction | 419,864,261 |
15 | James G. Davis Construction | 409,209,373 |
16 | Holder Construction | 375,561,000 |
17 | Clune Construction | 350,356,681 |
18 | Walsh Group, The | 330,591,769 |
19 | JE Dunn Construction | 319,712,834 |
20 | Tutor Perini Corp. | 299,785,799 |
21 | Plaza Construction | 281,000,000 |
22 | Brasfield & Gorrie | 255,289,660 |
23 | Lend Lease | 203,243,000 |
24 | Ryan Companies US | 198,980,348 |
25 | Manhattan Construction | 195,656,000 |
26 | Choate Construction | 176,908,443 |
27 | Parsons Brinckerhoff | 158,130,489 |
28 | McGough | 144,000,000 |
29 | Austin Commercial | 126,751,064 |
30 | Swinerton Builders | 125,070,000 |
31 | McShane Companies, The | 120,701,443 |
32 | Pepper Construction | 116,840,000 |
33 | Mortenson Construction | 114,140,000 |
34 | JLL | 107,497,010 |
35 | Linbeck Group | 105,400,000 |
36 | C.W. Driver | 102,470,000 |
37 | Shawmut Design and Construction | 93,000,000 |
38 | B. L. Harbert International | 92,475,153 |
39 | CORE Construction Group | 91,118,620 |
40 | Leopardo Companies | 90,583,950 |
41 | McCarthy Holdings | 84,700,000 |
42 | Consigli Construction | 82,688,033 |
43 | Messer Construction | 75,756,377 |
44 | Power Construction | 67,000,000 |
45 | Hoar Construction | 66,258,000 |
46 | Weitz Company, The | 65,679,309 |
47 | Robins & Morton | 64,633,817 |
48 | Sundt Construction | 63,414,544 |
49 | Beck Group, The | 61,444,072 |
50 | Hill International | 61,000,000 |
51 | Yates Companies, The | 50,000,000 |
52 | URS Corp. | 49,783,891 |
53 | Hunt Construction Group | 46,000,000 |
54 | Fortis Construction | 41,800,000 |
55 | Adolfson & Peterson Construction | 40,492,626 |
56 | LeChase Construction Services | 39,360,000 |
57 | Bomel Construction | 38,747,785 |
58 | Rodgers Builders | 37,126,784 |
59 | Paric Corp. | 35,000,000 |
60 | Haselden Construction | 30,679,991 |
61 | IMC Construction | 30,597,000 |
62 | Barton Malow | 28,706,771 |
63 | Haskell | 28,625,841 |
64 | Coakley & Williams Construction | 26,086,629 |
65 | New South Construction | 22,590,000 |
66 | Flintco | 22,000,000 |
67 | EMJ Corp. | 21,000,000 |
68 | Layton Construction | 20,800,000 |
69 | E.W. Howell | 20,491,000 |
70 | O'Neil Industries/W.E. O'Neil | 20,354,165 |
71 | Heery International | 20,011,958 |
72 | Kitchell Corp. | 19,231,158 |
73 | Hill & Wilkinson | 19,149,000 |
74 | Walbridge | 18,100,000 |
75 | Wight & Company | 16,827,000 |
76 | Harkins Builders | 16,300,000 |
77 | James McHugh Construction | 14,829,260 |
78 | Hoffman Construction | 14,000,000 |
79 | Kraus-Anderson Construction | 10,000,000 |
80 | Batson-Cook | 8,329,557 |
81 | Gray Construction | 7,600,000 |
82 | Stalco Construction | 7,380,000 |
83 | Allen & Shariff | 7,200,000 |
84 | Boldt Company, The | 7,044,051 |
85 | Bernards | 6,700,000 |
86 | W. M. Jordan Company | 6,575,178 |
87 | Graycor | 6,456,452 |
88 | KBE Building Corp. | 5,964,801 |
89 | STV | 5,339,000 |
90 | Weis Builders | 5,031,000 |
91 | Bette Companies, The | 4,834,000 |
92 | Alberici Constructors | 2,961,966 |
93 | Absher Construction | 2,256,599 |
94 | S. M. Wilson & Co. | 1,607,814 |
95 | Douglas Company, The | 1,479,136 |
96 | LPCiminelli | 1,349,300 |
97 | Astorino | 1,334,650 |
Read BD+C's full 2014 Giants 300 Report
Related Stories
Green | Nov 8, 2022
USGBC and IWBI will develop dual certification pathways for LEED and WELL
The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and the International WELL Building Institute (IWBI) will expand their strategic partnership to develop dual certification pathways for LEED and WELL.
Reconstruction & Renovation | Nov 8, 2022
Renovation work outpaces new construction for first time in two decades
Renovations of older buildings in U.S. cities recently hit a record high as reflected in architecture firm billings, according to the American Institute of Architects (AIA).
Sponsored | Steel Buildings | Nov 7, 2022
Steel structures offer faster path to climate benefits
Faster delivery of buildings isn’t always associated with sustainability benefits or long-term value, but things are changing. An instructive case is in the development of steel structures that not only allow speedier erection times, but also can reduce embodied carbon and create durable, highly resilient building approaches.
Building Team | Nov 7, 2022
U.S. commercial buildings decreased energy use intensity from 2012 to 2018
The recently released 2018 Commercial Buildings Energy Consumption Survey (CBECS) by the U.S. Energy Information Administration found that the total floorspace in commercial buildings has increased but energy consumption has not, compared with the last survey analyzing the landscape in 2012.
Sports and Recreational Facilities | Nov 7, 2022
Gilbane, Turner, Populous tapped to design and build new Buffalo Bills stadium
The joint venture of Gilbane Building Company and Turner Construction Company, in association with 34 Group, has been selected to provide construction management of the planned new NFL stadium for the Buffalo Bills in Orchard Park, N.Y. The project team also includes the project management firm, Legends Project Development, and Populous as the designer.
| Nov 7, 2022
Mixed-use tower in China features world’s highest outdoor pool
Guangxi China Resources Tower, a new 403-meter-tall (1,322 feet) skyscraper in Nanning, China features the world’s highest outdoor pool—at 323 meters (1,060 feet) above grade.
Building Team | Nov 3, 2022
More than half of U.S. contractors say finding skilled workers is big barrier to their growth
More than half of U.S. contractors (55%) say finding enough skilled workers is one of the biggest barriers to growing their business, according to a DEWALT Powering the Future Survey.
Building Materials | Nov 2, 2022
Design for Freedom: Ending slavery and child labor in the global building materials sector
Sharon Prince, Founder and CEO of Grace Farms and Design for Freedom, discusses DFF's report on slavery and enforced child labor in building products and materials.
Codes and Standards | Nov 2, 2022
New York City construction official wants to boost design-build
The new associate commissioner of alternative delivery in New York City’s Department of Design and Construction aims to encourage more design-build project delivery in the city.
University Buildings | Nov 2, 2022
New Univ. of Calif. Riverside business school building will support hybrid learning
A design-build partnership of Moore Ruble Yudell and McCarthy Building Companies will collaborate on a new business school building at the University of California at Riverside.