High-end hotels in the U.S. have been having a good 2012 and can expect to do even better next year, with average daily room rates expected to be up 5.3% in 2013 compared to 4.7% this year and the 2.8% long-term average, according to PKF Hospitality Research. That bodes well for firms doing hotel design and construction.
On the retail side, the ULI Center for Capital Markets and Real Estate forecasts vacancy rates to begin to turn around this year, down to 12.5% in 2013. Retail rentals should be up 2.0% next year, says the ULI. +
TOP 10 HOSPITALITY SECTOR ARCHITECTURE FIRMS
| Rank | Company | 2011 Hospitality Revenue ($) |
| 1 | WATG | 54,939,171 |
| 2 | Gensler | 51,750,000 |
| 3 | HKS | 32,336,523 |
| 4 | HOK | 18,287,163 |
| 5 | Hnedak Bobo Group | 14,580,025 |
| 6 | tvsdesign | 14,188,382 |
| 7 | RTKL Associates | 13,970,968 |
| 8 | BLT Architects | 12,200,000 |
| 9 | BBG-BBGM | 12,058,000 |
| 10 | Perkins Eastman | 11,050,000 |
TOP 10 HOSPITALITY SECTOR ENGINEERING FIRMS
| Rank | Company | 2011 Hospitality Revenue ($) |
| 1 | AECOM Technology Corp. | 296,000,000 |
| 2 | Parsons Brinckerhoff | 17,600,000 |
| 3 | Rolf Jensen & Associates | 9,000,000 |
| 4 | Arup | 8,838,492 |
| 5 | Jacobs | 6,310,000 |
| 6 | KPFF Consulting Engineers | 6,000,000 |
| 7 | Thornton Tomasetti | 5,850,000 |
| 8 | WSP USA | 5,300,000 |
| 9 | Michael Baker Jr., Inc. | 4,340,000 |
| 10 | Stantec | 4,230,000 |
TOP 10 HOSPITALITY SECTOR CONSTRUCTION FIRMS
| Rank | Company | 2011 Hospitality Revenue ($) |
| 1 | Tutor Perini Corp. | 839,703,000 |
| 2 | Swinerton | 243,415,560 |
| 3 | Hardin Construction | 239,457,598 |
| 4 | Structure Tone | 223,330,000 |
| 5 | Balfour Beatty US | 170,785,709 |
| 6 | Hunt Construction Group | 164,500,000 |
| 7 | Yates Co., The | 137,600,000 |
| 8 | Weitz Co., The | 118,200,000 |
| 9 | Pepper Construction Group | 89,843,000 |
| 10 | Manhattan Construction Group | 84,325,000 |
TOP 10 RETAIL SECTOR ARCHITECTURE FIRMS
| Rank | Company | 2011 Retail Revenue ($) |
| 1 | Gensler | 84,700,000 |
| 2 | RTKL Associates | 58,957,056 |
| 3 | MulvannyG2 Architecture | 42,033,036 |
| 4 | WD Partners | 35,294,000 |
| 5 | Perkowitz+Ruth Architects | 32,686,910 |
| 6 | MBH Architects | 30,541,000 |
| 7 | RSP Architects | 17,641,000 |
| 8 | FRCH Design Worldwide | 16,630,000 |
| 9 | LawKingdon Architecture | 15,600,000 |
| 10 | CASCO Diversified Corp. | 14,650,000 |
TOP 10 RETAIL SECTOR ENGINEERING FIRMS
| Rank | Company | 2011 Retail Revenue ($) |
| 1 | AECOM Technology Corp. | 136,000,000 |
| 2 | Jacobs | 60,550,000 |
| 3 | Stantec | 59,220,000 |
| 4 | Henderson Engineers | 47,600,000 |
| 5 | URS Corp. | 23,650,000 |
| 6 | Parsons Brinckerhoff | 21,700,000 |
| 7 | Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates | 18,562,000 |
| 8 | Bergmann Associates | 14,200,000 |
| 9 | Science Applications Int’l Corp. | 11,860,000 |
| 10 | Wallace Engineering | 7,210,000 |
TOP 10 RETAIL SECTOR CONSTRUCTION FIRMS
| Rank | Company | 2011 Retail Revenue ($) |
| 1 | Whiting-Turner Contracting Co., The | 396,821,222 |
| 2 | Shawmut Design and Construction | 276,700,000 |
| 3 | PCL Construction Enterprises | 188,344,721 |
| 4 | EMJ Corp. | 164,437,662 |
| 5 | Weitz Co., The | 136,700,000 |
| 6 | Structure Tone | 97,500,000 |
| 7 | O’Neil Industries / W.E. O’Neil | 96,620,000 |
| 8 | Ryan Companies US | 92,895,680 |
| 9 | E.W. Howell | 79,395,000 |
| 10 | KBE Building Corp. | 70,365,040 |
Related Stories
| Nov 12, 2014
Designs by three finalists for new Beethoven concert hall unveiled
David Chipperfield and Valentiny are among the finalists for a new concert hall being built to commemorate Beethoven’s 250th birthday in his hometown of Bonn, Germany.
| Nov 12, 2014
Forbes: Houston is America's #1 construction hotspot
A new list of America's 20 biggest boomtowns shows Houston on top, with New York City close behind, followed by Dallas, Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles.
| Nov 11, 2014
Must see: Artist pairs up Hollywood icons with famous modern architecture
In his latest series, Federico Babina illustrated 17 iconic Hollywood personalities, from Marilyn Monroe to Michael Caine, interacting with famous 20th century homes.
| Nov 11, 2014
Renzo Piano's third building at London Bridge Quarter approved, will be built adjacent to the Shard
Renzo Piano Building Workshop has been granted planning approval for its residential building at London Bridge Quarter—a 26-story apartment tower dubbed Feilden House.
| Nov 10, 2014
5 guiding principles for solving airflow issues in open-plenum office spaces
Although architecturally appealing, exposed ceilings can create unwanted drafts and airflow problems if not engineered correctly. McGuire Engineers' Bill Stangeland offers tips for avoiding airflow issues on these projects.
| Nov 10, 2014
Clemson, Parsons architecture education programs honored for innovation, long-term impact
The architecture programs at Parsons The New School for Design and Clemson University have been selected as 2014 NCARB Award recipients for developing innovative curricula that merge practice and education.
| Nov 10, 2014
Herzog & De Meuron unveils plan for National Library of Israel
The library’s new home will be a completely new building in Jerusalem, and will combine the functions of a central research center, a venue for indoor and outdoor cultural and educational activities, and a place for digital experience.
| Nov 10, 2014
Hotel construction pipeline hits five-year high
The hotel construction pipeline hit a five-year high in the third quarter, clocking in at 3,516 projects and 443,936 rooms, Lodging Econometrics reports.
| Nov 7, 2014
Arts college uses creative financing to build 493-bed student housing
Many states have cut back funding for higher education in recent years, and securing money for new housing has been tougher than ever for many colleges and universities. A recent residence hall project in Boston involving three colleges provides an inspiring example of how necessity can spawn invention in financing strategies.
| Nov 7, 2014
Prefab helps Valparaiso student residence project meet an ambitious deadline
Few colleges or universities have embraced prefabrication more wholeheartedly than Valparaiso (Ind.) University. The Lutheran-based institution completed a $27 million residence hall this past summer in which the structural elements were all precast.
