|
Business & Labor
Gensler Tops Annual Top Architecture Firm Rankings
Firms say they're bullish on 2006, thanks to lifestyle centers and residential projects
(california.construction.com,
October 2006 issue)
By Joe Florkowski
More than 100 firms responded to California
Construction's annual survey, published every October. Using
information provided by architecture firms this summer, we
ranked firms by their 2005 revenue figures and asked them
what they expected to earn in 2006.
Click
here for the 2006 Top Architecture Firms list >>
As in previous years, Gensler was the
No. 1 firm on the list, earning $435 million in 2005. Wimberly
Allison Tong & Goo ($66 million); KTGY Group Inc. ($65.7
million); HMC Architects ($65.2 million); and Anshen + Allen
($62.1 million) rounded out the top five.
A survey of some of the architecture
firms on our list found that most firms expect to do better
in 2006 than 2005 and expect the future to look bright - especially
in the field of designing planned lifestyle centers.
For example, Architects Orange is designing
Piemonte at Ontario Center, a $100 million mixed-use plan
in San Bernardino County. Piemonte is the firm's largest mixed-use
plan.
Many cities are creating similar plans,
mixing retail with residential, to create a downtown, said
Jack Selman, senior partner with Architects Orange, founded
in 1974.
 |
 |
| Jack Selman |
2005 was the best year yet for
Architects Orange and 2006 is expected to improve upon that,
Selman said.
Besides working on mixed use plans,
Architects Orange also works on apartments, industrial and
retail projects, such as Downey Landing, a retail power center,
Selman said.
Firms which focus on commercial and
apartment design are growing right now, he said.
"Firms doing similar work as ours
are very busy," Selman said.
Long Beach-based Perkowitz and Ruth
is also designing a handful of lifestyle center projects.
"Those are the kind of projects
we'd like to do more of in the coming year," said Simon
Perkowitz, president/CEO of the firm. "These types of
projects are becoming the darlings of urban planners. They
are positive projects for communities."
 |
|
| Simon Perkowitz |
Many architectural firms are being
hired to design lifestyle mall/centers, which combine retail
often with civic and residential components in a public atmosphere.
Gone are the days of the mall and its enclosed spaces, Perkowitz
said.
"The mall doesn't relate to the
community," Perkowitz said. "It's like a fortress."
Perkowitz's firm has had tremendous
growth in recent years, but is now taking two steps back and
looking at the financial impact of growth.
"This year, we've settled in,"
Perkowitz said. "We're trying to get back to quality
control."
Controlled growth is also the focus
of San Francisco-based MBH Architects, which has added a lot
of staff this year, said Andres Grechi, design director for
MBH.
Retail, multi-family and restaurant
design are areas where MBH is experiencing strong growth while
the hospitality sector is slowing down, he said.
Next year and in the future, MBH wants
to expand its presence across the nation especially in housing
design, Grechi said. Most of the firm's housing projects are
centered around the Bay Area, he added.
Like the other architecture firms, Grechi
also sees more firms designing the lifestyle mall/centers.
Many of these centers are designed after
communities in Europe where people have congregated in main
shopping/civic areas for hundreds of years. Because of that,
architecture firms could continue to design lifestyle centers
for several years, he said.
"It's hard to say how long it's
going to last," Grechi said.
|
 |
| Gordon Chong |
San Francisco-based Chong and
Partners does not focus on retail, but instead steers toward
academic and healthcare architecture.
But like lifestyle centers, Chong and
Partners does try to design for the larger community, said
Gordon Chong, president.
While hospitals need to be built, there
is just as much demand for buildings that play a supporting
role, such as medical offices, Chong said.
"They are demanding it and that's
what we're focusing on," Chong said.
Like other architecture firms, Chong
Partners is challenged by costs when designing, Chong said
of his firm's progress this year.
"We're all facing the same issues
as far as cost and lack of resources," he said.
Those challenges have made Chong Partners
adapt a different practice model when working with clients,
he said.
"We need to help our clients make
good design decisions," Chong said.
Click
here for the 2006 Top Architecture Firms list >>
|
