The S/L/A/M Collaborative, a leading architectural firm based in Connecticut, expands its footprint to the West Coast and in the healthcare and Higher Ed sectors through its recent merger with Frank Webb Architects, a Los Angeles-based firm with 17 employees.
Frank Webb Architects’ leadership team, led by its president Gregory Coles, AIA, is joining S/L/A/M’s executive team. The company, which was founded in 1990, will operate under The S/L/A/M Collaborative brand.
Healthcare, civic, interiors, and recreation are FWA’s four main sector practices. Its healthcare and education clients have included Kaiser Permanente, the City of Hope, the University of Southern California, and the University of California at Los Angeles.
S/L/A/M, which was founded in 1976 and has nearly 200 employees, ranked 41st among Architecture/Engineering firms on BD+C’s 2018 GIANTS list, with $40.25 million in bookings in that category. The firm’s services include architecture, planning, structural engineering, landscape and interior design, sustainable design, and construction. Its practices include healthcare, education, and corporate and sports facilities.
Robert Pulito, S/L/A/M's president and CEO, sees his company's merger with FWA as having immediate benefits for its healthcare and education practices. Image: The S/L/A/M Collaborative
Prior to this merger, which became effective on September 1, S/L/A/M had offices in Connecticut, New York, Massachusetts, and Georgia. Among its more recent projects are the $21.6 million renovation of the 69,000-sf Pierre Toussaint residence hall at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Conn., and the upgrading of public spaces at the UMass Memorial Medical Center’s campus in Worcester, Mass.
S/L/A/M’s president and CEO, Robert Pulito, AIA, tells BD+C that his company had been looking to merge with a West Coast company “for quite a while.” But finding the right cultural fit was difficult. “Many companies have a misconception about their worth. What was good about FWA was that they were not selling to get out. They saw potential for growing their business.”
The untimely death of one of FWA’s top partners made S/L/A/M’s merger proposal more auspicious. And Pulito believed it would be easier to insert S/L/A/M’s higher-ed practice into the west coast by teaming with a partner that was established in that sector.
FWA’s management will continue to run the business from its office in L.A., and Pulito says that S/L/A/M intends to add resources to expand its west coast operations. He notes that FWA “is extremely well organized and managed, so there’s no need for significant changes.”
Gregory Coles, FWA's president, is joining S/L/A/M's executive team. Image: Courtesy of The S/L/A/M Collaborative
The merger with FWA is part of a larger strategy to increase S/L/A/M’s workforce to between 250 and 300 employees over the next few years. Pulito says his company is looking for merger partners in the Midwest and South.
“My biggest concern now is cultural integration,” he says about his company’s growth plans. “We want to lead through inspiration, and by making sure that everybody understands our strategy.”
Related Stories
| Jul 3, 2014
Gehry edits Canadian skyscraper plan to be 'more Toronto'
After being criticized for the original tower complex, architect Frank Gehry unveils a new design that is more subtle, and "more Toronto."
| Jul 2, 2014
First Look: Qatar World Cup stadium design references nomadic heritage
Organizers of the Qatar 2022 World Cup, the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy, recently unveiled designs for the second stadium.
| Jul 2, 2014
SHoP designs what would be Brooklyn's tallest building
JDS Development partners with SHoP to construct a 70-story building at 775-feet tall, unprecedented for downtown Brooklyn.
| Jul 2, 2014
The doctor is in the firehouse: New clinic to be built in California fire station
Designed by WRNS Studio, the Firehouse Clinic will encourage local residents with limited healthcare access to consider them as an alternative to the emergency room, especially for preventive care.
| Jul 2, 2014
Emerging trends in commercial flooring
Rectangular tiles, digital graphic applications, the resurgence of terrazzo, and product transparency headline today’s commercial flooring trends.
| Jul 2, 2014
Grimshaw's 'kit of parts' design scheme selected for Qatar sports facilities program
The series of projects, called the Al Farjan Recreational Sports Facilities, have been designed in such a way that the same basic design can be adapted to the specific requirements of each site.
| Jul 1, 2014
Peter Zumthor's LA art museum plan modified with bridge-like section across main thoroughfare
After his design drew concerns about potential damage to LA's La Brea Tar Pits, Peter Zumthor has dramatically revised his concept for the Los Angeles Museum of Art.
| Jul 1, 2014
China's wild circular skyscraper opens in Guangzhou [slideshow]
The 33-story Guanghzou Circle takes the shape of a giant ribbon spool, with the floor space housed in a series of boxes suspended between two massive "wheels."
| Jul 1, 2014
Hyper-speed rendering: How Gensler turns BIM models into beauty shots in seconds
In search of a fast rendering solution, Gensler looked to the gaming and moviemaking industries for the next breakthrough tool: Octane Render.
| Jul 1, 2014
Sochi's 'kinetic façade' may steal the show at the Winter Olympics
The temporary pavilion for Russian telecom operator MegaFon will be wrapped with a massive digital "pin screen" that will morph into the shape of any face.