Global architecture and design firm Perkins+Will announced today that they have signed an agreement which will result in The Freelon Group joining forces with Perkins+Will.
Founded by Phil Freelon, FAIA, LEED AP in Research Triangle Park, N.C., The Freelon Group is world renowned for design excellence and consulting work with museums, libraries, universities, and other civic and institutional clients.
Perkins+Will offers a full range of architectural expertise from its offices in Charlotte and RTP, notably to healthcare, science and technology, education, corporate, commercial, civic, and cultural clients. These capabilities will be enriched by The Freelon Group’s similar work, expanding the firm’s portfolio in these sectors. The combined practice will have nearly 80 professionals creating one of the largest and most award-winning architecture and design practices in North Carolina.
The Freelon Group will bring a portfolio of design achievements on behalf of some of America’s most respected cultural institutions including the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C., the National Center for Civil and Human Rights in Atlanta, the Emancipation Park in Houston, the Museum of the African Diaspora in San Francisco, and multiple projects for the Washington, D.C. Public Libraries.
The Tenley Library, a Washington, D.C. Public Library designed by Freelon. Photo credit: Mark Herboth Photography
“By joining Perkins+Will, we can offer our clients in North Carolina and around the world a full spectrum of services for just about any type of project,” said Freelon. “The firms are ideally matched as we share a dedication to design excellence and commitment to social responsibility.”
Upon completion of the transaction, Freelon will assume a key leadership role at Perkins+Will in both North Carolina and globally. As the Managing and Design Director of the North Carolina practice, he will lead both Perkins+Will North Carolina offices in RTP and Charlotte. Freelon will come to Perkins+Will as an important member of the firmwide leadership team and will join the Board of Directors. He will also be a key leader for the firm's cultural and civic practice.
Freelon founded The Freelon Group in 1990. He is the recipient of the Thomas Jefferson Award for Public Architecture from the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and a member of the AIA College of Fellows.
He was appointed by President Obama to serve on the National Commission of Fine Arts and earned the academic appointment of Professor of Practice at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) School of Architecture and Planning, where he will continue to be a member of the faculty.
Freelon has lectured at more than 30 major universities, museums, and other prominent venues, and his work has been published globally. A native of Philadelphia, Freelon earned his Bachelor of Environmental Design in Architecture degree from North Carolina State University and his Master of Architecture degree from MIT. He also received a Loeb Fellowship and spent a year of independent study at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design.
“With Phil Freelon, his experienced team of 40 designers, and other professionals who intend to join Perkins+Will, we look forward to offering clients a deeper level of cultural design expertise,” said Perkins+Will President and Chief Executive Officer Phil Harrison, FAIA, LEED AP. “Phil will further strengthen our leadership team and is a natural complement to the design excellence culture at Perkins+Will.”
Perkins+Will employees in the RTP office intend to relocate to The Freelon Group’s RTP office space. This office will work collaboratively with the Perkins+Will Charlotte office to service clients throughout North Carolina, nationally, and globally. Under Freelon’s direction, current Perkins+Will leadership will continue to serve the North Carolina practice, with David Brownlee in the role of Director of Operations in the RTP office and David Gieser as Director of Operations in the Charlotte office.
Related Stories
Mass Timber | Jun 10, 2024
5 hidden benefits of mass timber design
Mass timber is a materials and design approach that holds immense potential to transform the future of the commercial building industry, as well as our environment.
Lighting | Jun 10, 2024
LEDs were nearly half of the installed base of lighting products in the U.S. in 2020
Federal government research shows a huge leap in the penetration of LEDs in the lighting market from 2010 to 2020. In 2010 and 2015, LED installations represented 1% and 8% of overall lighting inventory, respectively.
Libraries | Jun 7, 2024
7 ways to change 'business as usual': The Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library
One hundred forty years ago, Theodore Roosevelt had a vision that is being realized today. The Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library is a cutting-edge example of what’s possible when all seven ambitions are pursued to the fullest from the beginning and integrated into the design at every phase and scale.
Education Facilities | Jun 6, 2024
Studio Gang designs agricultural education center for the New York City Housing Authority
Earlier this month, the City of New York broke ground on the new $18.2 million Marlboro Agricultural Education Center (MAEC) at the New York City Housing Authority’s Marlboro Houses in Brooklyn. In line with the mission of its nonprofit operator, The Campaign Against Hunger, MAEC aims to strengthen food autonomy and security in underserved neighborhoods. MAEC will provide Marlboro Houses with diverse, community-oriented programs.
Office Buildings | Jun 6, 2024
HOK presents neurodiversity research and design guidelines at SXSW 2024
Workplace experts share insights on designing inclusive spaces that cater to diverse sensory processing needs.
Architects | Jun 4, 2024
HED and Larson Incitti Architects merge, combine Denver staff
HED, a leading national architecture and engineering firm, today announced a merger with award-winning, Denver-based Larson Incitti Architects (LIA). The merger combines LIA's staff with HED's Denver office, significantly expanding the local team and leveraging community relationships to create new opportunities across multiple market sectors.
Airports | Jun 3, 2024
SOM unveils ‘branching’ structural design for new Satellite Concourse 1 at O’Hare Airport
The Chicago Department of Aviation has revealed the design for Satellite Concourse 1 at O’Hare International Airport, one of the nation’s business airports. Designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM), with Ross Barney Architects, Juan Gabriel Moreno Architects (JGMA), and Arup, the concourse will be the first new building in the Terminal Area Program, the largest concourse area expansion and revitalization in the airport’s almost seven-decade history.
Office Buildings | Jun 3, 2024
Insights for working well in a hybrid world
GBBN Principal and Interior Designer Beth Latto, NCIDQ, LEED AP, ID+C, WELL AP, share a few takeaways, insights, and lessons learned from a recent Post Occupancy Evaluation of the firm's Cincinnati, Ohio, office.
Multifamily Housing | Jun 3, 2024
Grassroots groups becoming a force in housing advocacy
A growing movement of grassroots organizing to support new housing construction is having an impact in city halls across the country. Fed up with high housing costs and the commonly hostile reception to new housing proposals, advocacy groups have sprung up in many communities to attend public meetings to speak in support of developments.
MFPRO+ News | Jun 3, 2024
New York’s office to residential conversion program draws interest from 64 owners
New York City’s Office Conversion Accelerator Program has been contacted by the owners of 64 commercial buildings interested in converting their properties to residential use.
