Federal, state, and local government construction hasn’t exactly been a steamroller for the past few years, due to the end of stimulus availability and the ongoing effects of budget sequestration.
At press time, the most recent Commerce Department report indicated that government construction spending was up just under 1% in April, to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $267 billion, despite overall economic contraction of about 1% in the first quarter. Federal construction spending was the growth leader, rising by 1.9% to a rate of $23.5 billion. State and local projects—a much larger piece of the public pie—were up just 0.7%, to $243.5 billion.
Among non-infrastructure public construction spending categories, healthcare (up 6%) and education (up 2%) appear most promising for this year, according to the Associated Builders and Contractors’ 2014 forecast.
Improving energy performance of existing properties through targeted upgrades—and, sometimes, large-scale reconstruction—continues to be a federal priority. Of 20 projects recently honored by the General Services Administration’s Design Awards program, half were reconstruction jobs, ranging from Beaux Arts courthouses to Modernist offices.
Along with the push for energy efficiency, federal agencies are increasingly exploring telework as an alternative to expanding office space. The bright side? Telecom and AV renovations will be required to help agencies keep off-site staff connected.
Many state and local governments continue to struggle with the sluggish overall economy, causing delays in needed construction. Among the discernible themes among state and local projects submitted to BD+C: new police facilities (designed to reflect changing ideas about community policing), replacement and upgraded courthouses, and mass-transit stations.
Top Government Sector Architecture Firms
| Rank | Company | 2013 Government Revenue |
| 1 | Stantec | $144,299,056 |
| 2 | Heery International | 125,058,364 |
| 3 | HOK | 114,753,666 |
| 4 | SmithGroupJJR | 83,064,158 |
| 5 | HDR | 81,601,164 |
| 6 | Skidmore, Owings & Merrill | 57,835,664 |
| 7 | SHW Group | 56,007,000 |
| 8 | Gensler | 52,272,600 |
| 9 | EYP Architecture & Engineering | 42,800,000 |
| 10 | RS&H | 39,200,000 |
| 11 | Page | 38,704,000 |
| 12 | Moseley Architects | 35,135,469 |
| 13 | Leo A Daly | 29,483,542 |
| 14 | Perkins+will | 28,975,375 |
| 15 | Clark Nexsen | 28,873,388 |
| 16 | ZGF Architects | 27,425,548 |
| 17 | CannonDesign | 27,000,000 |
| 18 | FreemanWhite | 25,941,154 |
| 19 | NBBJ | 19,382,000 |
| 20 | DLR Group | 19,300,000 |
| 21 | Hammel, Green and Abrahamson | 19,167,839 |
| 22 | EwingCole | 17,300,000 |
| 23 | HKS | 17,247,862 |
| 24 | PGAL | 16,097,917 |
| 25 | HNTB Corp. | 15,269,498 |
| 26 | Westlake Reed Leskosky | 15,049,000 |
| 27 | Quattrocchi Kwok Architects | 13,230,000 |
| 28 | Hoefer Wysocki Architecture | 12,860,000 |
| 29 | Fentress Architects | 12,160,971 |
| 30 | BLDD Architects | 11,800,000 |
| 31 | RTKL Associates | 11,469,000 |
| 32 | SchenkelShultz Architecture | 11,278,000 |
| 33 | NORR | 9,792,248 |
| 34 | LS3P | 8,882,375 |
| 35 | Morris Architects | 8,350,000 |
| 36 | Davis Brody Bond | 8,263,108 |
| 37 | LaBella Associates | 8,130,000 |
| 38 | CTA Architects Engineers | 8,014,884 |
| 39 | Beyer Blinder Belle | 7,947,688 |
| 40 | HMC Architects | 6,811,005 |
| 41 | VOA Associates | 6,808,200 |
| 42 | Parkhill, Smith & Cooper | 6,687,000 |
| 43 | Rosser International | 6,652,324 |
| 44 | LMN Architects | 6,388,100 |
| 45 | Sherlock, Smith & Adams | 6,388,000 |
| 46 | Becker Morgan Group | 6,343,277 |
| 47 | Flad Architects | 6,126,870 |
| 48 | KZF Design | 5,887,462 |
| 49 | Epstein | 5,402,000 |
| 50 | IBI Group ? Gruzen Samton | 5,000,000 |
| 51 | Solomon Cordwell Buenz | 4,500,000 |
| 52 | Goodwyn Mills & Cawood | 4,409,249 |
| 53 | Wight & Company | 4,402,093 |
| 54 | RSP Architects | 4,326,000 |
| 55 | Harley Ellis Devereaux | 4,310,000 |
| 56 | Carrier Johnson + Culture | 4,066,891 |
| 57 | BRPH | 3,957,000 |
| 58 | FGM Architects | 3,776,698 |
| 59 | Ennead Architects | 3,729,000 |
| 60 | RNL | 3,418,000 |
| 61 | WDG Architecture | 3,095,000 |
| 62 | Perkins Eastman | 3,000,000 |
| 63 | GWWO | 2,965,804 |
| 64 | Gresham, Smith and Partners | 2,787,930 |
| 65 | Integrus Architecture | 2,705,119 |
| 66 | Hoffmann Architects | 2,654,000 |
| 67 | Swanke Hayden Connell Architects | 2,534,000 |
| 68 | Ratio Architects | 2,462,355 |
| 69 | LPA | 2,205,538 |
| 70 | Emersion Design | 2,183,039 |
| 71 | Array Architects | 2,138,000 |
| 72 | WHR Architects | 2,076,445 |
| 73 | Cooper Carry | 1,987,669 |
| 74 | Little | 1,961,000 |
| 75 | Bergmann Associates | 1,941,360 |
| 76 | OZ Architecture | 1,724,680 |
| 77 | Legat Architects | 1,675,500 |
| 78 | LBL Architects | 1,600,000 |
| 79 | Schrader Group Architecture | 1,573,559 |
| 80 | Symmes Maini & McKee Associates | 1,563,000 |
| 81 | Good Fulton & Farrell | 1,373,500 |
| 82 | H+L Architecture | 1,295,496 |
| 83 | Harvard Jolly Architecture | 1,221,576 |
| 84 | Cambridge Seven Associates | 1,210,000 |
| 85 | FXFOWLE Architects | 1,180,000 |
| 86 | Smallwood, Reynolds, Stewart, Stewart & Associates | 1,128,560 |
| 87 | Moody Nolan | 1,083,924 |
| 88 | CO Architects | 1,031,600 |
| 89 | Shepley Bulfinch | 836,000 |
| 90 | Corgan | 762,894 |
| 91 | Cuningham Group Architecture | 742,891 |
| 92 | Lord Aeck Sargent | 742,273 |
| 93 | GBBN Architects | 660,000 |
| 94 | Nadel | 650,000 |
| 95 | Eppstein Uhen Architects | 640,751 |
| 96 | Commonwealth Architects | 599,591 |
| 97 | Hastings+Chivetta Architects | 491,188 |
| 98 | DesignGroup | 433,190 |
| 99 | Baskervill | 391,276 |
| 100 | Payette | 383,755 |
| 101 | Taylor Design | 372,052 |
| 102 | LawKingdon Architecture | 350,000 |
| 103 | Anderson Mikos Architects | 350,000 |
| 104 | NAC|Architecture | 345,476 |
| 105 | Environetics | 341,475 |
| 106 | Kirksey | 323,571 |
| 107 | H3 Hardy Collaboration Architecture | 305,903 |
| 108 | Hnedak Bobo Group | 301,000 |
| 109 | TEG Architects | 235,686 |
| 110 | RBB Architects | 215,897 |
| 111 | BBS Architects | 200,030 |
| 112 | DLA Architects | 133,140 |
| 113 | Fanning/Howey Associates | 50,000 |
| 114 | BSA LifeStructures | 41,019 |
| 115 | ai Design Group | 33,048 |
Top Government Sector Engineering Firms
| Rank | Company | 2013 Government Revenue |
| 1 | Fluor Corporation | $2,675,202,710 |
| 2 | URS Corp. | 648,982,536 |
| 3 | AECOM Technology Corp. | 574,020,000 |
| 4 | Jacobs | 287,190,693 |
| 5 | STV | 168,948,000 |
| 6 | Burns & McDonnell | 99,462,332 |
| 7 | Parsons Brinckerhoff | 57,994,366 |
| 8 | Leidos | 55,125,000 |
| 9 | H&A Architects & Engineers | 38,735,000 |
| 10 | Allen & Shariff | 33,964,317 |
| 11 | Dewberry | 26,388,476 |
| 12 | Arup | 23,554,256 |
| 13 | Smith Seckman Reid | 19,741,666 |
| 14 | Simpson Gumpertz & Heger | 19,066,000 |
| 15 | Affiliated Engineers | 15,598,000 |
| 16 | Syska Hennessy Group | 12,155,407 |
| 17 | Thornton Tomasetti | 10,996,123 |
| 18 | Coffman Engineers | 10,676,374 |
| 19 | KPFF Consulting Engineers | 10,500,000 |
| 20 | RMF Engineering | 10,000,000 |
| 21 | Guernsey | 9,680,758 |
| 22 | Shive-Hattery | 9,029,738 |
| 23 | Walker Parking Consultants | 8,925,000 |
| 24 | Bridgers & Paxton Consulting Engineers | 8,780,161 |
| 25 | WSP Group | 8,060,000 |
| 26 | Interface Engineering | 6,809,917 |
| 27 | Glumac | 6,650,738 |
| 28 | Joseph R. Loring & Associates | 6,500,000 |
| 29 | Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates | 5,870,000 |
| 30 | TTG | 5,811,850 |
| 31 | Graef | 5,387,348 |
| 32 | KJWW Engineering Consultants | 5,191,493 |
| 33 | TLC Engineering for Architecture | 5,134,526 |
| 34 | Heapy Engineering | 5,072,001 |
| 35 | Ross & Baruzzini | 4,975,183 |
| 36 | I. C. Thomasson Associates | 4,750,000 |
| 37 | KCI Technologies | 4,600,000 |
| 38 | Vanderweil Engineers | 4,565,800 |
| 39 | Degenkolb Engineers | 4,462,450 |
| 40 | GRW | 3,753,047 |
| 41 | Sparling | 3,690,424 |
| 42 | H.F. Lenz | 3,559,848 |
| 43 | Barge Waggoner Sumner & Cannon | 3,495,000 |
| 44 | SSOE Group | 3,332,408 |
| 45 | Newcomb & Boyd | 3,140,130 |
| 46 | M/E Engineering | 3,096,775 |
| 47 | Henderson Engineers | 2,989,363 |
| 48 | RDK Engineers | 2,880,000 |
| 49 | Apogee Consulting Group | 2,732,049 |
| 50 | Spectrum Engineers | 2,497,641 |
| 51 | Brinjac Engineering | 2,083,384 |
| 52 | M-E Engineers | 2,000,000 |
| 53 | Davis, Bowen & Friedel | 1,610,242 |
| 54 | Walter P Moore and Associates | 1,441,663 |
| 55 | Rist-Frost-Shumway Engineering | 1,350,000 |
| 56 | CTLGroup | 1,330,000 |
| 57 | GHT Limited | 1,300,000 |
| 58 | French & Parrello Associates | 1,213,200 |
| 59 | Dunham Associates | 1,200,000 |
| 60 | AKF Group | 1,186,000 |
| 61 | Highland Associates | 1,150,000 |
| 62 | Paulus, Sokolowski and Sartor | 1,015,000 |
| 63 | Environmental Systems Design | 920,969 |
| 64 | BR+A Consulting Engineers | 920,000 |
| 65 | Aon Fire Protection Engineering Corp. | 918,914 |
| 66 | CJL Engineering | 870,000 |
| 67 | Mazzetti | 831,363 |
| 68 | Primera Engineers | 775,000 |
| 69 | ThermalTech Engineering | 750,000 |
| 70 | KLH Engineers | 480,951 |
| 71 | OLA Consulting Engineers | 262,000 |
| 72 | Zak Companies | 208,120 |
| 73 | Wick Fisher White | 195,530 |
| 74 | Wallace Engineering | 150,000 |
| 75 | Total Building Commissioning | 122,935 |
| 76 | G&W Engineering Corp. | 109,200 |
| 77 | P2S Engineering | 99,369 |
| 78 | DeSimone Consulting Engineers | 90,000 |
| 79 | Stanley Consultants | 74,747 |
| 80 | Integrated Design Group | 55,650 |
Top Government Sector Construction Firms
| Rank | Company | 2013 Government Revenue |
| 1 | Turner Construction | $2,343,544,729 |
| 2 | Clark Group | 2,342,085,755 |
| 3 | PCL Construction | 1,343,431,142 |
| 4 | Walsh Group, The | 1,188,110,497 |
| 5 | Hensel Phelps | 1,184,760,000 |
| 6 | Balfour Beatty US | 1,145,573,619 |
| 7 | Gilbane | 814,257,000 |
| 8 | Tutor Perini Corp. | 767,580,319 |
| 9 | McCarthy Holdings | 738,000,000 |
| 10 | Lend Lease | 551,622,000 |
| 11 | Skanska USA | 493,318,641 |
| 12 | Whiting-Turner Contracting Co., The | 455,618,872 |
| 13 | Brasfield & Gorrie | 379,267,063 |
| 14 | JE Dunn Construction | 321,764,977 |
| 15 | Hunt Construction Group | 277,300,000 |
| 16 | Mortenson Construction | 178,340,000 |
| 17 | STV | 168,948,000 |
| 18 | Hunt Companies | 154,387,811 |
| 19 | Sundt Construction | 153,006,199 |
| 20 | HITT Contracting | 145,900,000 |
| 21 | O'Neil Industries/W.E. O'Neil | 142,005,318 |
| 22 | CORE Construction Group | 135,900,848 |
| 23 | Manhattan Construction | 126,300,000 |
| 24 | Heery International | 125,058,364 |
| 25 | W. M. Jordan Company | 117,481,667 |
| 26 | Yates Companies, The | 111,200,000 |
| 27 | Holder Construction | 110,063,000 |
| 28 | Flintco | 106,026,635 |
| 29 | Hoffman Construction | 84,474,600 |
| 30 | Messer Construction | 79,799,220 |
| 31 | B. L. Harbert International | 74,365,423 |
| 32 | Consigli Construction | 74,312,383 |
| 33 | James G. Davis Construction | 72,010,706 |
| 34 | Suffolk Construction | 67,717,700 |
| 35 | DPR Construction | 65,709,181 |
| 36 | Coakley & Williams Construction | 61,953,906 |
| 37 | C.W. Driver | 58,850,000 |
| 38 | Parsons Brinckerhoff | 57,994,366 |
| 39 | Ryan Companies US | 57,693,535 |
| 40 | Fortis Construction | 52,585,000 |
| 41 | Shawmut Design and Construction | 49,000,000 |
| 42 | Leopardo Companies | 47,786,003 |
| 43 | Bernards | 46,000,000 |
| 44 | Swinerton Builders | 45,394,000 |
| 45 | Walbridge | 41,300,000 |
| 46 | Hill International | 41,000,000 |
| 47 | Power Construction | 39,000,000 |
| 48 | Kitchell Corp. | 38,162,513 |
| 49 | KBE Building Corp. | 37,661,458 |
| 50 | Beck Group, The | 36,300,176 |
| 51 | Allen & Shariff | 33,964,317 |
| 52 | Barton Malow | 33,108,673 |
| 53 | Wight & Company | 32,543,000 |
| 54 | Haselden Construction | 32,300,743 |
| 55 | Absher Construction | 31,202,850 |
| 56 | Structure Tone | 29,981,000 |
| 57 | Hoar Construction | 29,474,000 |
| 58 | Hathaway Dinwiddie Construction | 29,000,000 |
| 59 | New South Construction | 28,999,000 |
| 60 | Haskell | 28,573,183 |
| 61 | S. M. Wilson & Co. | 28,521,558 |
| 62 | Robins & Morton | 28,415,079 |
| 63 | Harkins Builders | 28,400,000 |
| 64 | EMJ Corp. | 21,000,000 |
| 65 | LeChase Construction Services | 19,680,000 |
| 66 | Bomel Construction | 19,327,000 |
| 67 | Layton Construction | 17,900,000 |
| 68 | Adolfson & Peterson Construction | 17,884,760 |
| 69 | McShane Companies, The | 17,672,043 |
| 70 | BlueScope Construction | 14,554,879 |
| 71 | Juneau Construction | 11,405,546 |
| 72 | Hill & Wilkinson | 10,864,000 |
| 73 | E.W. Howell | 9,541,000 |
| 74 | James McHugh Construction | 8,334,048 |
| 75 | Choate Construction | 7,670,062 |
| 76 | Weitz Company, The | 6,600,000 |
| 77 | JLL | 6,000,000 |
| 78 | Stalco Construction | 5,620,500 |
| 79 | LPCiminelli | 4,790,613 |
| 80 | Kraus-Anderson Construction | 3,000,000 |
| 81 | Bette Companies, The | 2,697,000 |
| 82 | Astorino | 2,384,468 |
| 83 | Batson-Cook | 1,390,120 |
| 84 | Graycor | 1,152,668 |
| 85 | Alberici Constructors | 1,080,320 |
| 86 | Paric Corp. | 1,000,000 |
| 87 | IMC Construction | 75,000 |
Read BD+C's full 2014 Giants 300 Report
Related Stories
MFPRO+ News | Jun 3, 2024
Seattle mayor wants to scale back energy code to spur more housing construction
Seattle’s mayor recently proposed that the city scale back a scheduled revamping of its building energy code to help boost housing production. The proposal would halt an update to the city’s multifamily and commercial building energy code that is scheduled to take effect later this year.
Mass Timber | May 31, 2024
Mass timber a big part of Western Washington University’s net-zero ambitions
Western Washington University, in Bellingham, Wash., 90 miles from Seattle, is in the process of expanding its ABET-accredited programs for electrical engineering, computer engineering and science, and energy science. As part of that process, the university is building Kaiser Borsari Hall, the 54,000-sf new home for those academic disciplines that will include teaching labs, research labs, classrooms, collaborative spaces, and administrative offices.
Construction Costs | May 31, 2024
Despite challenges, 2024 construction material prices continue to stabilize
Gordian’s Q2 2024 Quarterly Construction Cost Insights Report indicates that supply chain issues notwithstanding, many commodities are exhibiting price normalization.
University Buildings | May 30, 2024
Washington University School of Medicine opens one of the world’s largest neuroscience research buildings
In St. Louis’ Cortex Innovation District, Washington University School of Medicine recently opened its new Jeffrey T. Fort Neuroscience Research Building. Designed by CannonDesign and Perkins&Will, the 11-story, 609,000-sf facility is one of the largest neuroscience buildings in the world.
Architects | May 30, 2024
AE firm Goodwyn Mills Cawood merges with Southland Engineering
Architecture and engineering firm Goodwyn Mills Cawood (GMC) is further expanding its services through a strategic merger with engineering firm Southland Engineering in Cartersville, Ga.
K-12 Schools | May 30, 2024
Inclusive design strategies to transform learning spaces
Students with disabilities and those experiencing mental health and behavioral conditions represent a group of the most vulnerable students at risk for failing to connect educationally and socially. Educators and school districts are struggling to accommodate all of these nuanced and, at times, overlapping conditions.
MFPRO+ New Projects | May 29, 2024
Two San Francisco multifamily high rises install onsite water recycling systems
Two high-rise apartment buildings in San Francisco have installed onsite water recycling systems that will reuse a total of 3.9 million gallons of wastewater annually. The recycled water will be used for toilet flushing, cooling towers, and landscape irrigation to significantly reduce water usage in both buildings.
Healthcare Facilities | May 28, 2024
Healthcare design: How to improve the parking experience for patients and families
Parking is likely a patient’s—and their families—first and last touch with a healthcare facility. As such, the arrival and departure parking experience can have a profound impact on their experience with the healthcare facility, writes Beth Bryan, PE, PTOE, PTP, STP2, Principal, Project Manager, Walter P Moore.
Urban Planning | May 28, 2024
‘Flowing’ design emphasizes interaction at Bellevue, Wash., development
The three-tower 1,030,000-sf office and retail development designed by Graphite Design Group in collaboration with Compton Design Office for Vulcan Real Estate is attracting some of the world’s largest names in tech and hospitality.
MFPRO+ News | May 28, 2024
ENERGY STAR NextGen Certification for New Homes and Apartments launched
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently launched ENERGY STAR NextGen Certified Homes and Apartments, a voluntary certification program for new residential buildings. The program will increase national energy and emissions savings by accelerating the building industry’s adoption of advanced, energy-efficient technologies, according to an EPA news release.
