Perkins Eastman and BLT Architects (BLTa) have recently announced their merger, effective February 1, 2022.
Perkins Eastman, which now has 1,100+ employees in 24 studios worldwide, has worked on projects on five continents in 60 countries. Its award-winning portfolio reflects expertise in healthcare, senior living, large-scale mixed use, higher education, K-12, hospitality, and workplace design as well as planning, urban design, and strategic consulting. BLTa, now known as “BLTa—A Perkins Eastman Studio,” has built an exceptionally strong integrated architecture and interior design firm of 41 professionals with deep roots in Philadelphia. With a studio in Pittsburgh for the last 27 years, Perkins Eastman has built a strong presence throughout Pennsylvania, especially in Western Pennsylvania. The addition of the BLTa studio strengthens the firm’s presence in the eastern part of the state as well. In merging with BLTa, Perkins Eastman enhances its expertise in mixed-use, multi-family residential, hospitality, workplace, higher education, historic renovations, adaptive reuse conversions, resorts and gaming, and transit-based projects.
“We are very pleased that BLTa has joined us and we now have a strong partner in Philadelphia. We have had the opportunity to get to know BLTa over the last several years and believe they bring significant skills and experience to our national practice. Moreover, we have always had important clients in Philadelphia, eastern Pennsylvania, and the adjacent states, and with BLTa we can now better serve those that want a combination of our national expertise combined with experienced local delivery and service,” says Brad Perkins, FAIA, chairman and co-founder of Perkins Eastman.
“We are thrilled to be merging with Perkins Eastman,” says Michael L. Prifti, FAIA, managing principal of BLTa, who joined the firm in 1982, back when it was known as Bower Lewis Thrower/Architects. “This union will give us the opportunity to serve our national clients in jurisdictions where we don’t currently practice. Perkins Eastman has new markets we’ve never touched. And with more feet on the ground, we can more easily and geographically serve our clients,” he says. Prifti also notes this merger will give BLTa’s architects and designers opportunities to diversify their projects and continue to grow as professionals.
Recent award-winning properties within the BLTa portfolio include: The Stephen Girard Building, where the firm revealed and preserved elegant design elements, integrating a 236-key Canopy by Hilton hotel within East Market, the one-million sf, ongoing transformation of a three square block area; The Bourse, a 380,000 sf adaptive reuse renovation of the first commodities exchange hall in the United States; and One City, an adaptive reuse project that converted an 1899 Renaissance Revival office building into a market-rate apartment building. Each of these properties won a Grand Jury 2021 Preservation Achievement Award given by the Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia. The Stephen Girard Building and One City also won AIA Philadelphia Awards in the Historic Preservation/Adaptive Reuse Built category, and The Bourse won AIA Pennsylvania’s top prize – a Silver Medal. Hospitality Design magazine named Live! Casino and Hotel Philadelphia among the Best Hotel Openings of 2020. Live! Casino Pittsburgh, another BLTa design, also opened in 2020.
Shawn Basler, co-CEO and executive director of Perkins Eastman, notes that combining Perkins Eastman’s 40 years of global experience with BLTa’s 60 years of local expertise and relationships creates a powerful combination. “They’ll be able to draw on our well-established market credibility and resources, as well as geographic reach, while we’ll be able to tap into their deep knowledge of the Philadelphia metropolitan region along with their considerable expertise.”
Related Stories
| May 16, 2014
BoA, USGBC to offer $25,000 grants for green affordable housing projects
The Affordable Green Neighborhoods Grant Program will offer 14 grants to developers of affordable housing in North America who are committed to building sustainable communities through the LEED for Neighborhood Development program.
| May 16, 2014
HED expands leadership in San Diego
Neville Willsmore, Thomas Christian join leadership team for Harley Ellis Devereaux.
| May 16, 2014
Toyo Ito leads petition to scrap Zaha Hadid's 2020 Olympic Stadium project
Ito and other Japanese architects cite excessive costs, massive size, and the project's potentially negative impact on surrounding public spaces as reasons for nixing Hadid's plan.
| May 15, 2014
Paints, coatings, and sealants: 10 new ways to seal the deal
Color-shifting finishes, dry-erase surfaces, and stain-blocking paints are highlighted in this round up of new offerings in paints, coatings, sealants, and finishes.
| May 15, 2014
Biking to work up by 60 percent, according to Census Bureau report
Many U.S. cities are seeing an increase in bicycle commuters, according to new a U.S. Census Bureau report. While bicyclists still account for just 0.6% of all commuters, some of the nation's largest cities have more than doubled their rates since 2000.
| May 15, 2014
'Virtually indestructible': Utah architect applies thin-shell dome concept for safer schools
At $94 a square foot and "virtually indestructible," some school districts in Utah are opting to build concrete dome schools in lieu of traditional structures.
| May 15, 2014
First look: 9/11 Memorial Museum opens to first-responders, survivors, 9/11 families [slideshow]
The 110,000-sf museum is filled with monumental artifacts from the tragedy and exhibits that honor the lives of every victim of the 2001 and 1993 attacks.
| May 14, 2014
New study shows employees aren't happier working in green buildings
People working in buildings certified under LEED’s green building standard appear no more satisfied with their workplace environments than those in conventional buildings, according to new research from the University of California, Berkeley, and the University of Nottingham.
| May 14, 2014
Construction growth looking up: Gilbane Spring 2014 Economic Report
Construction spending for 2014 should finish 6.6% higher than in 2013, with nonresidential work contributing substantially.
| May 14, 2014
Prefab payback: Mortenson quantifies cost and schedule savings from prefabrication techniques
Value-based cost-benefit analysis of prefab approaches on the firm's 360-bed Exempla Saint Joseph Heritage Project shows significant savings for the Building Team.
