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
| Feb 8, 2012
Mega-malls expanding internationally
Historically, malls have always been the icons of America – the first mall ever was built in Minneapolis in 1956.
| Feb 8, 2012
World’s tallest solar PV-installation
The solar array is at the elevation of 737 feet, making the building the tallest in the world with a solar PV-installation on its roof.
| Feb 7, 2012
AIA introduces seven new contract documents to Documents-On-Demand service??
AIA Contract Documents are widely-used standard form contracts among the building industry to support construction and design projects.
| Feb 7, 2012
Data center construction boom driven by healthcare and technology
The study includes insight and perspective regarding current investment plans of stakeholders, potential challenges to the data center boom, data center efficiency levels, the impact of new designs and technologies, and delivery methods.
| Feb 7, 2012
Kawneer and Traco combine portfolios
Portfolio includes curtain wall systems, windows, entrances and framing systems.
| Feb 7, 2012
Lubbers promoted to creative director at Wight & Co.
Lubbers has been instrumental in many recent high profile Wight projects, including the College of DuPage Student Resource Center, Seaton Computing Center, The Adler Planetarium Sky Theater transformation and UNO Charter Schools.
| Feb 7, 2012
Shepley Bulfinch opens San Francisco office
This expansion establishes a physical presence that builds on a portfolio of work for institutional clients on the West Coast, dating to the development of the original Stanford University campus in 1891
| Feb 7, 2012
Thornton Tomasetti opens new office in Denver
The firm, which now has 25 offices internationally, opened the new office to better serve current and potential clients in the western Central region and Mountain States.
| Feb 6, 2012
Slight increase in nonres construction spending expected in 2012, growth projected for 2013
Commercial sector expected to lead real estate recovery.