Two global design firms focused on interiors are joining forces via a strategic partnership. IA | Interior Architects, which BD+C’s 2019 GIANTS list ranked 11th for architectural revenue, will share resources with Space Matrix, with project experience in over 80 cities, in a Global Studio that connects over 1,400 professionals across 37 locations worldwide.
This partnership will allow the firms—which continue to operate as separate entities—to jointly serve clients in more than 60 countries and over 500 cities. The firms will be completing projects, sharing research, and hosting joint think tanks to expand their expertise and drive innovation.
The two companies had been working on this partnership since last July. “It was important to spend significant time with each other to ensure that our values, culture and business were aligned before formalizing our agreement,” David Bourke, Co-CEO and president at IA, states in an email response to BD+C’s questions. The partnership was scheduled to launch earlier this year, but got postponed by the coronavirus outbreak.
Bourke explains that the partnership, and the global reach it provides both firms, make even more sense because of the pandemic. “This is extremely powerful during a time when international travel, and travel in general, is restricted but projects continue to be designed and delivered for clients. Even in more normal times this will still be true, as there is no substitute for local knowledge and data. Project delivery is complicated, and we believe that by engaging IA Space Matrix, clients will gain a more sustainable and satisfying product.”
From left: David Bourke, Co-CEO and President, IA | Interior Architects; Arsh Chaudhry, CEO, Space Matrix; Tom Powers, Co-CEO and President, IA | Interior Architects.
THE ALLIANCE SPANS THE GLOBE
IA | Interior Architects was founded in 1984, and is employee owned. It claims to be the world’s largest architectural firm focused on interiors. Space Matrix, founded in 2001, has a three-pronged business model that encompasses workplace strategy, interior design, and design-build.
Through the strategic partnership, the firms wanted to create a different delivery model “where we were highly invested in each other” and not just a “loose alliance,” says Bourke. IA has a strong presence in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. Space Matrix has similar strength in Asia Pacific, “so there is no overlap in geography or ambitions” that might impede the goal of offering clients an organized delivery process, says Bourke.
He adds that the firms are aligned in other ways: shared clients, a commitment to design excellence and R&D, and complimentary market portfolios. Both firms have also invested in reimagining design technologies, “which we believe provides enhanced value for our clients creating a competitive advantage,” says Bourke.
Related Stories
Giants 400 | Aug 22, 2022
Top 85 University Engineering + EA Firms for 2022
AECOM, Jacobs, Salas O'Brien, and IMEG head the ranking of the nation's largest university sector engineering and engineering/architecture (EA) firms, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2022 Giants 400 Report.
Giants 400 | Aug 22, 2022
Top 150 University Architecture + AE Firms for 2022
Gensler, CannonDesign, SmithGroup, and Perkins and Will top the ranking of the nation's largest university sector architecture and architecture/engineering (AE) firms, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2022 Giants 400 Report.
| Aug 22, 2022
Gainesville, Fla., lawmakers moved to end single-family zoning
The Gainesville City Commission recently voted to advance zoning changes that would allow duplexes, triplexes, and quadplexes to be built on land currently zoned for single-family homes.
| Aug 22, 2022
For Gen Z, “enhanced communication” won’t cut it
As the fastest-growing generation, Generation Z, loosely defined as those born between the mid-1990s and early 2000s, has become a hot topic in conversations surrounding workplace design.
| Aug 22, 2022
Less bad is no longer good enough
As we enter the next phase of our fight against climate change, I am cautiously optimistic about our sustainable future and the design industry’s ability to affect what the American Institute of Architects (AIA) calls the biggest challenge of our generation.
Giants 400 | Aug 21, 2022
Top 110 Architecture/Engineering Firms for 2022
Stantec, HDR, HOK, and Skidmore, Owings & Merrill top the rankings of the nation's largest architecture engineering (AE) firms for nonresidential and multifamily buildings work, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2022 Giants 400 Report.
Giants 400 | Aug 20, 2022
Top 180 Architecture Firms for 2022
Gensler, Perkins and Will, HKS, and Perkins Eastman top the rankings of the nation's largest architecture firms for nonresidential and multifamily buildings work, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2022 Giants 400 Report.
Giants 400 | Aug 19, 2022
2022 Giants 400 Report: Tracking the nation's largest architecture, engineering, and construction firms
Now 46 years running, Building Design+Construction's 2022 Giants 400 Report rankings the largest architecture, engineering, and construction firms in the U.S. This year a record 519 AEC firms participated in BD+C's Giants 400 report. The final report includes more than 130 rankings across 25 building sectors and specialty categories.
| Aug 19, 2022
Cuningham appoints Jacqueline Dompe as new Chief Executive Officer
Cuningham, a national design firm, is thrilled to announce the appointment of Jacqueline Dompe as the firm’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO).
| Aug 19, 2022
Future sea rise could expose 720,000 more people on East Coast to flooding
An analysis by NPR based on modeling from the National Hurricane Center for New York City, Washington, D.C., and Miami-Dade County found future sea rise could expose about 720,000 more people to damaging floods later this century.
