S/L/A/M Collaborative, the national architectural firm based in Glastonbury, Conn., on March 6 completed its acquisition of five Heery architectural design practices from CBRE. The terms of the purchase were not disclosed.
The practices—focused on healthcare, sports facilities, and justice—are now known as Heery Design, a SLAM Studio. CBRE had owned Heery International, a project management and design engineering firm based in Atlanta, since October 2017 when it acquired the business for $57 million from Balfour Beatty. After the deal with S/L/A/M, CBRE retains full ownership of Heery’s interior design and engineering businesses that are integral to its project management services.
About 70 of Heery’s employees are coming over in this deal, joining 210 S/L/A/M professionals. Heery’s healthcare practice is located in Denver, Iowa City, Iowa, and Philadelphia. Its justice practice is in Orlando, Fla. And its sports design practice is in Atlanta. Heery Design offices associated with these practices are also part of this acquisition, along with the firm’s architectural book of business.
“The professionals joining S/L/A/M in this transaction are returning to a traditional design firm that values creativity, and is passionate about design,” said Richard T. Connell, FAIA, S/L/A/M’s chairman, in a prepared statement. Those professionals include Heery Design’s managing directors Russ Sedmak, Mike Holleman, and Douglas Kleppin, AIA, LEED AP.
S/L/A/M’s design portfolio includes healthcare, education, corporate and sports facilities. The firm provides integrated landscape architecture, structural engineering, interior design and construction services, with offices in Connecticut, New York, Atlanta, Boston, and Los Angeles.
A source knowledgeable about this deal, who spoke on background, said that a third party representing CBRE had approached a handful of firms, including S/L/A/M, at the beginning of 2018 about their interest in acquiring parts of Heery. This source said that CBRE was primarily interested in finding a buyer willing to acquire all five of the practices it wanted to shed.
This source adds that what CBRE is holding onto from its Heery purchase is a “much larger” piece than what it is selling to S/L/A/M.
Related Stories
Office Buildings | Oct 5, 2015
Renderings revealed for Apple's second 'spaceship': a curvy, lush office complex in Sunnyvale
The project has been dubbed as another “spaceship,” referencing the nickname for the loop-shaped Apple Campus under construction in Cupertino.
Airports | Oct 5, 2015
Perkins+Will selected to design Istanbul’s 'Airport City'
The mixed-use development will be adjacent to the Istanbul New Airport, which is currently under construction.
High-rise Construction | Oct 5, 2015
Zaha Hadid designs cylindrical office building with world’s tallest atrium
The 200-meter-high open space will cut the building in two.
Architects | Oct 2, 2015
Herzog & de Meuron unveils design for Vancouver Art Gallery expansion
The blocky, seven-story wood and concrete structure is wider in the middle and uppermost floors.
Airports | Sep 30, 2015
Takeoff! 5 ways high-flyin' airports are designing for rapid growth
Nimble designs, and technology that humanizes the passenger experience, are letting airports concentrate on providing service and generating revenue.
Contractors | Sep 30, 2015
FMI: Construction in place on track for sustained growth through 2016
FMI’s latest report singles out manufacturing, lodging, and office sectors as the drivers of nonresidential building activity and investment.
Reconstruction & Renovation | Sep 29, 2015
What went wrong? Diagnosing building envelope distress [AIA course]
With so many diverse components contributing to building envelope assemblies, it can be challenging to determine which of these myriad elements was the likely cause of a failure.
Architects | Sep 24, 2015
Supertall buildings vie for dominance along Chicago’s skyline
The latest proposals pit designs by Rafael Viñoly, Jeanne Gang, and Helmut Jahn.
Architects | Sep 24, 2015
From Gehry to the High Line: What makes a project a game-changer?
Each year, there are a handful of projects that significantly advance the AEC industry or a particular building type. Send us your game-changing projects for BD+C’s January 2016 special report.
Cultural Facilities | Sep 24, 2015
Bakpak Architects' 'pottery courtyard' concept in Poland incorporates local heritage
The multifunctional building proposed for Rzeszow, Poland, looks like it was handcrafted on a potter’s wheel.