HOK, a global design, architecture, engineering and planning firm, announced today that architecture and interior design firm BBG-BBGM's New York and Shanghai employees have joined the company.
BBG-BBGM’s primary business has been hospitality design, with a focus on luxury hotels and resorts. The addition of BBG-BBGM's people to HOK's practice in New York and Shanghai positions HOK among the world's leading hospitality design firms.
"The addition of a premier hospitality design firm to our already strong hospitality group provides immediate benefits for HOK's clients worldwide," said Bill Hellmuth, AIA, HOK president. "We have tremendous mutual respect for each other and share a passion for exceptional design and project delivery. We each are committed to creating great spaces that respect their communities, delight guests and bring value to owners. This is an exciting time for HOK's people and clients."
"HOK is a wonderful fit for us," said Louis R. Hedgecock, AIA, LEED AP, a former managing partner at BBG-BBGM who has joined HOK as a principal in New York. "Coming to HOK, which has such a robust global infrastructure and highly collaborative culture, gives our people increased opportunities for professional growth and the ability to design significant projects all over the world. We expect a seamless transition."
"We're excited about the prospect of continuing to create excellent hospitality experiences for clients all over the world," said Julia Monk, AIA, IIDA, LEED AP, a founding partner of BBGM and a managing partner of BBG-BBGM who joins HOK in Shanghai. "The global hospitality market is growing quickly. Joining HOK expands our global reach to meet the market's demand. The timing is perfect."
"We are practicing in a truly global marketplace," added Carl Galioto, FAIA, HOK's New York managing principal. "Our goal is to be the leading expertise-based design practice in every market in which we operate. The combination of BBG-BBGM's people with our hospitality design experts immediately positions HOK as a worldwide leader in hotel and resort design. Each client will benefit from our collective expertise, whether they are designing new properties or renovating and repositioning existing facilities."
HOK's expanded hospitality interior design group is led by Monk in Shanghai, Christina Hart, ASID, IIDA, LEED AP, in New York and Randa Tukan, IDC, LEED AP, in Toronto.
In addition to Hedgecock, Hart and Monk, BBG-BBGM partners who have joined HOK include Gregory Cranford, AIA, Marc Gross, AIA, LEED AP, and Marie-Paule Petitjean, AIA, LEED AP, all based in New York.
BBG-BBGM's hospitality experience includes Suite 5000 at the Mandarin Oriental in New York; the Atlantis Sanya, the MGM Grand Sanya and the St. Regis Sanya Yalong Bay Resort & Spa in Hainan, China; The Peninsula Shanghai; the Rosewood Abu Dhabi Hotel and Residences in Abu Dhabi, UAE; the St. Regis Hotel and Residences Bangkok; the Smyth Hotel in New York; and the renovation of The New York Palace Hotel and the Waldorf-Astoria in New York.
HOK's global portfolio of hospitality projects includes the Doha City Centre Hotels in Doha, Qatar; renovation and re-branding of Delta Hotels and Resorts across Canada; the Intercontinental Hua Hin Resort in Hua Hin, Thailand; the Four Seasons Shanghai in Shanghai, China; the Hyatt on the Bund in Shanghai; the Marriott Chicago River North Hotel in Chicago; the Marriott West India Quay in London; the Hilton Columbus Convention Center Hotel in Columbus, Ohio; and the New Songdo City Sheraton Incheon Hotel in Incheon, South Korea.
The New York and Shanghai offices of BBG-BBGM have joined HOK. The Washington, DC, office of BBG-BBGM will continue as BBGM.
HOK is a global design, architecture, engineering and planning firm. Through a network of 24 offices worldwide, HOK provides design excellence and innovation to create places that enrich people's lives and help clients succeed. For four consecutive years, DesignIntelligence has ranked HOK as a leader in sustainable and high-performance design.
Related Stories
Student Housing | May 1, 2024
Pfluger Architects unveils renovated student lounges at all-girls dormitory
In a step toward updating and modernizing on-campus housing to attract a range of students, Texas-based Pfluger Architects renovated the student lounges in Kinsolving Hall, a five-story, all-girls dormitory at The University of Texas at Austin initially built in 1958.
K-12 Schools | Apr 30, 2024
Fully electric Oregon elementary school aims for resilience with microgrid design
The River Grove Elementary School in Oregon was designed for net-zero carbon and resiliency to seismic events, storms, and wildfire. The roughly 82,000-sf school in a Portland suburb will feature a microgrid—a small-scale power grid that operates independently from the area’s electric grid.
AEC Tech | Apr 30, 2024
Lack of organizational readiness is biggest hurdle to artificial intelligence adoption
Managers of companies in the industrial sector, including construction, have bought the hype of artificial intelligence (AI) as a transformative technology, but their organizations are not ready to realize its promise, according to research from IFS, a global cloud enterprise software company. An IFS survey of 1,700 senior decision-makers found that 84% of executives anticipate massive organizational benefits from AI.
Codes and Standards | Apr 30, 2024
Updated document details methods of testing fenestration for exterior walls
The Fenestration and Glazing Industry Alliance (FGIA) updated a document serving a recommended practice for determining test methodology for laboratory and field testing of exterior wall systems. The document pertains to products covered by an AAMA standard such as curtain walls, storefronts, window walls, and sloped glazing. AAMA 501-24, Methods of Test for Exterior Walls was last updated in 2015.
MFPRO+ News | Apr 29, 2024
World’s largest 3D printer could create entire neighborhoods
The University of Maine recently unveiled the world’s largest 3D printer said to be able to create entire neighborhoods. The machine is four times larger than a preceding model that was first tested in 2019. The older model was used to create a 600 sf single-family home made of recyclable wood fiber and bio-resin materials.
K-12 Schools | Apr 29, 2024
Tomorrow's classrooms: Designing schools for the digital age
In a world where technology’s rapid pace has reshaped how we live, work, and communicate, it should be no surprise that it’s also changing the PreK-12 education landscape.
Adaptive Reuse | Apr 29, 2024
6 characteristics of a successful adaptive reuse conversion
In the continuous battle against housing shortages and the surplus of vacant buildings, developers are turning their attention to the viability of adaptive reuse for their properties.
AEC Innovators | Apr 26, 2024
National Institute of Building Sciences announces Building Innovation 2024 schedule
The National Institute of Building Sciences is hosting its annual Building Innovation conference, May 22-24 at the Capital Hilton in Washington, D.C. BI2024 brings together everyone who impacts the built environment: government agencies, contractors, the private sector, architects, scientists, and more.
Mass Timber | Apr 25, 2024
Bjarke Ingels Group designs a mass timber cube structure for the University of Kansas
Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) and executive architect BNIM have unveiled their design for a new mass timber cube structure called the Makers’ KUbe for the University of Kansas School of Architecture & Design. A six-story, 50,000-sf building for learning and collaboration, the light-filled KUbe will house studio and teaching space, 3D-printing and robotic labs, and a ground-level cafe, all organized around a central core.
Senior Living Design | Apr 24, 2024
Nation's largest Passive House senior living facility completed in Portland, Ore.
Construction of Parkview, a high-rise expansion of a Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC) in Portland, Ore., completed recently. The senior living facility is touted as the largest Passive House structure on the West Coast, and the largest Passive House senior living building in the country.
