RMJM, one of the world’s largest architectural practices, and Hillier, one of the largest architectural design firms in the U.S., have announced plans to merge their firms, creating a combined entity with unprecedented depth of talent and global reach.
The merged firm creates a "super studio" positioned to deliver holistic architectural solutions anywhere in the world, with offices in 16 cities across North America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East, approximately 1,000 design professionals, and more than $15 billion in construction value of buildings currently under design.
“Never before in the history of architecture have clients had such a global depth of architectural talent to meet their design aspirations,” said Peter Morrison, CEO of RMJM. “The new firm will draw on a skill set from our diverse and experienced professionals that is unmatched and can be perfectly tailored to meet the design needs of our client base.”
In North America, the firm will be branded as RMJM Hillier and form the North American business of the RMJM Group, with offices in New York City, Philadelphia, Princeton, N.J., and Washington, D.C.
“The beauty of this partnership is that both firms see design as a way of enhancing people’s lives – creating livable, sustainable cities, fostering new ways of learning and working – and both have sophisticated clients in every corner of the globe,” says J. Robert Hillier, founder and chairman of Princeton, N.J.-based Hillier Architecture. “It’s about more than having 1,000 architects worldwide; what is significant is that we now have 250 architects on each of four continents. That’s huge in terms of our ability to understand the issues that face our clients, work with them closely, and still bring a broader, global perspective to everything we do."
The combined entity will offer services in architecture, interior design, master planning, urban design, historic preservation, arts consultancy, land planning, landscape design, graphics and computer visualization. Regardless of industry sector, location or client need, the firm can match the right minds to find the right design solution and provide clients with the most sophisticated resources in communication and technology.
RMJM and Hillier are multi-award-winning firms with a broad range of disciplines in the public and private sectors. Together their past or current clients include: Gazprom, China Merchant Bank, W Hotels, Beijing Olympic Convention Center, Cornell University, Princeton University, Oxford University, Cambridge University, University of Colorado, Pfizer, GlaxoSmithKline, and Sprint.
EFCG, based in New York City, and Deloitte & Touche acted as financial advisers to RMJM. Dickson Minto of Edinburgh and Burns Levinson of Boston acted as legal counsel. West Investment Banking of Pompano Beach, FL and Mercadien Group of Princeton, NJ acted as financial advisers to Hillier Architecture. Reed Smith of Philadelphia, PA acted as legal counsel.
About the RMJM Group
RMJM is an international firm of architects with offices throughout the UK, Asia and the Middle East. Founded in 1956 by renowned British architects Robert Matthew and Stirrat Johnson-Marshall, today RMJM is one of the world’s largest architectural practices and employs almost 700 people in 11 international offices: Bangkok, Beijing, Cambridge, Dubai, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Hong Kong, London, Moscow, Shanghai and Singapore. Recently, the firm has secured commissions in four of the world’s rapidly developing markets - China, India, Russia and Qatar - providing the impetus for forthcoming offices in Abu Dhabi, Delhi and Doha. Visit www.rmjm.com
About Hillier
Founded in 1966, by J. Robert Hillier, FAIA, Hillier Architecture is a 300-person international design firm providing services in architecture, interior design, land planning, strategic facilities planning, historic preservation, urban design, landscape architecture and graphic design through a network of offices in Princeton, Philadelphia, New York, Washington, D.C. and Shanghai. Design excellence and client-focused service are cornerstones of the practice. Named “2006 Firm of the Year” by the American Institute of Architects- New Jersey Chapter, Hillier has received more than 300 awards for design, leadership and environmental responsibility over the past four decades. Visit www.hillier.com.
