An analysis of Dun & Bradstreet stats by consultant Paul Abramson indicates that some $11 billion was spent on higher ed construction last year—up a billion from 2012, with nearly 70% comprising new buildings (http://bit.ly/1qhMzaw).
As examined in BD+C’s in-depth May report, university stakeholders face complicated cap-ex stressors, from chronic (lender stinginess, deferred maintenance) to impending (President Obama’s pledge to start rating colleges on value delivered, consumer pushback on ever-rising costs).
Creative approaches to financing, design, and delivery are top-of-mind. Paula Stamp, Business Development Manager in the Los Angeles office of PCL Construction, says clients are exploring CM at risk, design-build, and design risk. Margie Simmons, VP and Education Sector Leader at Stantec, adds: “Higher debt levels will encourage institutions to seek off-balance-sheet financing solutions and P3s.”
Teri Jones, VP at Sundt Construction, sees a similar pattern, plus emphasis on revenue-generating buildings like dorms and recreation centers.
Facility trends observed by Stamp include housing construction by community colleges (serving a growing international-student population) and better use of indoor and outdoor circulation and common space. John Baxter, Education Sector Leader at EYP, says clients are asking for features that enhance an interactive “corridor culture” in dorms.
Michael Medici, AIA, NCARB, Learning Practice Leader and Senior VP at SmithGroupJJR, mentions growing demand for facilities that support interprofessional health sciences education and project-based, career-oriented learning. Also gaining traction: office zones that mimic private-sector workplaces, with less assigned space and more team zones.
Perkins+Will higher ed designers Jeff Ziebarth, Jeff Stebar, and John Long are also seeing this pattern; Long says younger faculty and administrators have been a lot more receptive than veterans.
Top University Sector Architecture Firms
| Rank | Company | 2013 Higher Ed Revenue |
| 1 | CannonDesign | $76,000,000 |
| 2 | Perkins+will | 45,582,532 |
| 3 | Stantec | 42,368,888 |
| 4 | EYP Architecture & Engineering | 39,000,000 |
| 5 | Gensler | 29,492,000 |
| 6 | SmithGroupJJR | 27,088,190 |
| 7 | Clark Nexsen | 21,732,694 |
| 8 | Skidmore, Owings & Merrill | 20,933,579 |
| 9 | Page | 19,771,000 |
| 10 | ZGF Architects | 19,397,489 |
| 11 | Wilson Architects | 18,500,000 |
| 12 | Ennead Architects | 18,086,505 |
| 13 | Flad Architects | 16,260,000 |
| 14 | SHW Group | 15,991,000 |
| 15 | Shepley Bulfinch | 15,595,000 |
| 16 | Harley Ellis Devereaux | 15,120,000 |
| 17 | Moseley Architects | 15,016,516 |
| 18 | Lord Aeck Sargent | 13,533,882 |
| 19 | HMC Architects | 13,440,933 |
| 20 | NBBJ | 13,242,000 |
| 21 | HKS | 12,847,559 |
| 22 | Ballinger | 12,113,215 |
| 23 | Beyer Blinder Belle | 11,627,926 |
| 24 | DLR Group | 11,100,000 |
| 25 | LS3P | 10,532,964 |
| 26 | Morris Architects | 10,000,000 |
| 27 | Solomon Cordwell Buenz | 10,000,000 |
| 28 | Davis Brody Bond | 9,835,655 |
| 29 | FGM Architects | 9,821,820 |
| 30 | LPA | 9,561,760 |
| 31 | Perkins Eastman | 9,300,000 |
| 32 | Moody Nolan | 9,104,965 |
| 33 | CO Architects | 8,912,400 |
| 34 | EwingCole | 7,430,000 |
| 35 | Heery International | 7,186,274 |
| 36 | Hastings+Chivetta Architects | 6,378,602 |
| 37 | Westlake Reed Leskosky | 6,325,000 |
| 38 | FXFOWLE Architects | 6,200,000 |
| 39 | Mithun | 6,158,000 |
| 40 | Goodwyn Mills & Cawood | 6,127,329 |
| 41 | HOK | 5,876,913 |
| 42 | BSA LifeStructures | 5,789,413 |
| 43 | NTD Architecture | 5,586,000 |
| 44 | LMN Architects | 5,549,900 |
| 45 | Ratio Architects | 5,537,316 |
| 46 | Leo A Daly | 5,395,356 |
| 47 | Bergmann Associates | 5,304,175 |
| 48 | Little | 5,249,190 |
| 49 | Hammel, Green and Abrahamson | 4,836,088 |
| 50 | Legat Architects | 4,685,600 |
| 51 | GBBN Architects | 4,560,000 |
| 52 | Carrier Johnson + Culture | 4,060,468 |
| 53 | Parkhill, Smith & Cooper | 4,026,000 |
| 54 | Cooper Carry | 3,961,244 |
| 55 | CTA Architects Engineers | 3,737,320 |
| 56 | Cambridge Seven Associates | 3,473,000 |
| 57 | PGAL | 3,260,300 |
| 58 | BLDD Architects | 3,000,000 |
| 59 | IBI Group ? Gruzen Samton | 3,000,000 |
| 60 | Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates | 2,974,000 |
| 61 | Slaterpaull Architects | 2,879,532 |
| 62 | Hord Coplan Macht | 2,843,072 |
| 63 | OZ Architecture | 2,825,000 |
| 64 | Kirksey | 2,822,225 |
| 65 | Rule Joy Trammell + Rubio | 2,801,380 |
| 66 | WDG Architecture | 2,757,000 |
| 67 | RS&H | 2,450,000 |
| 68 | SchenkelShultz Architecture | 2,386,000 |
| 69 | Payette | 2,282,352 |
| 70 | Corgan | 2,202,280 |
| 71 | Integrus Architecture | 2,191,762 |
| 72 | BLTa | 2,175,000 |
| 73 | H3 Hardy Collaboration Architecture | 2,141,323 |
| 74 | WHR Architects | 1,958,367 |
| 75 | Baskervill | 1,853,208 |
| 76 | Ashley McGraw Architects | 1,836,510 |
| 77 | KZF Design | 1,698,300 |
| 78 | Eppstein Uhen Architects | 1,691,787 |
| 79 | VOA Associates | 1,628,847 |
| 80 | GWWO | 1,623,501 |
| 81 | Wight & Company | 1,586,000 |
| 82 | Hoffmann Architects | 1,548,000 |
| 83 | Symmes Maini & McKee Associates | 1,530,000 |
| 84 | PBK | 1,500,000 |
| 85 | NAC|Architecture | 1,424,431 |
| 86 | LaBella Associates | 1,310,186 |
| 87 | Niles Bolton Associates | 1,263,210 |
| 88 | Nelson | 1,213,987 |
| 89 | Fentress Architects | 1,120,400 |
| 90 | Urban Design Group | 1,100,000 |
| 91 | Environetics | 1,087,370 |
| 92 | NORR | 1,052,484 |
| 93 | Becker Morgan Group | 1,037,159 |
| 94 | Albert Kahn Associates | 904,065 |
| 95 | RTKL Associates | 849,000 |
| 96 | Good Fulton & Farrell | 815,800 |
| 97 | Goettsch Partners | 810,000 |
| 98 | BBS Architects | 800,240 |
| 99 | Commonwealth Architects | 775,074 |
| 100 | Francis Cauffman | 707,774 |
| 101 | RNL | 690,000 |
| 102 | RBB Architects | 657,149 |
| 103 | RSP Architects | 620,000 |
| 104 | Gresham, Smith and Partners | 567,000 |
| 105 | Fanning/Howey Associates | 541,000 |
| 106 | Rosser International | 539,460 |
| 107 | Harvard Jolly Architecture | 530,103 |
| 108 | DesignGroup | 457,970 |
| 109 | Hnedak Bobo Group | 353,000 |
| 110 | JRS Architect | 295,000 |
| 111 | Emersion Design | 273,766 |
| 112 | Ware Malcomb | 240,000 |
| 113 | H+L Architecture | 236,252 |
| 114 | Smallwood, Reynolds, Stewart, Stewart & Associates | 226,716 |
| 115 | Sherlock, Smith & Adams | 219,000 |
Top University Sector Engineering Firms
| Rank | Company | 2013 Higher Ed Revenue |
| 1 | AECOM Technology Corp. | $76,410,000 |
| 2 | Jacobs | 35,150,000 |
| 3 | URS Corp. | 29,434,668 |
| 4 | Vanderweil Engineers | 26,614,500 |
| 5 | Burns & McDonnell | 24,152,332 |
| 6 | Affiliated Engineers | 22,469,000 |
| 7 | Parsons Brinckerhoff | 20,057,993 |
| 8 | STV | 18,416,000 |
| 9 | Arup | 14,561,909 |
| 10 | KJWW Engineering Consultants | 13,071,767 |
| 11 | BR+A Consulting Engineers | 10,120,000 |
| 12 | WSP Group | 9,120,000 |
| 13 | Simpson Gumpertz & Heger | 9,070,000 |
| 14 | Thornton Tomasetti | 7,942,631 |
| 15 | M-E Engineers | 7,243,000 |
| 16 | P2S Engineering | 7,170,208 |
| 17 | Shive-Hattery | 6,612,598 |
| 18 | Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates | 6,550,000 |
| 19 | Dewberry | 6,331,593 |
| 20 | Environmental Systems Design | 6,144,227 |
| 21 | RMF Engineering | 5,400,000 |
| 22 | AKF Group | 5,261,000 |
| 23 | Glumac | 4,922,565 |
| 24 | M/E Engineering | 4,699,367 |
| 25 | TTG | 4,600,100 |
| 26 | Newcomb & Boyd | 4,505,166 |
| 27 | RDK Engineers | 4,490,000 |
| 28 | Heapy Engineering | 4,426,631 |
| 29 | KCI Technologies | 4,400,000 |
| 30 | Interface Engineering | 4,351,590 |
| 31 | Joseph R. Loring & Associates | 4,100,000 |
| 32 | I. C. Thomasson Associates | 3,500,000 |
| 33 | Spectrum Engineers | 3,347,542 |
| 34 | Highland Associates | 3,200,000 |
| 35 | KPFF Consulting Engineers | 3,125,000 |
| 36 | Syska Hennessy Group | 3,072,512 |
| 37 | Ross & Baruzzini | 3,043,445 |
| 38 | H.F. Lenz | 2,878,115 |
| 39 | Rist-Frost-Shumway Engineering | 2,850,000 |
| 40 | Sparling | 2,553,080 |
| 41 | Smith Seckman Reid | 2,519,005 |
| 42 | Martin/Martin | 2,263,812 |
| 43 | Karpinski Engineering | 2,170,197 |
| 44 | Aon Fire Protection Engineering Corp. | 2,000,000 |
| 45 | Fishbeck, Thompson, Carr & Huber | 2,000,000 |
| 46 | SSOE Group | 1,912,012 |
| 47 | Henderson Engineers | 1,838,909 |
| 48 | TLC Engineering for Architecture | 1,806,782 |
| 49 | Zak Companies | 1,706,697 |
| 50 | Bridgers & Paxton Consulting Engineers | 1,686,953 |
| 51 | CJL Engineering | 1,657,350 |
| 52 | Graef | 1,584,321 |
| 53 | Primera Engineers | 1,456,000 |
| 54 | CCRD Partners | 1,388,000 |
| 55 | Brinjac Engineering | 1,303,855 |
| 56 | Paulus, Sokolowski and Sartor | 1,200,000 |
| 57 | Wallace Engineering | 1,133,000 |
| 58 | Stanley Consultants | 1,090,529 |
| 59 | Leidos | 1,040,000 |
| 60 | Walter P Moore and Associates | 1,005,161 |
| 61 | Allen & Shariff | 1,000,000 |
| 62 | Dunham Associates | 950,000 |
| 63 | Bala Consulting Engineers | 926,000 |
| 64 | Degenkolb Engineers | 855,093 |
| 65 | OLA Consulting Engineers | 840,000 |
| 66 | Mazzetti | 774,981 |
| 67 | DeSimone Consulting Engineers | 474,096 |
| 68 | KLH Engineers | 468,745 |
| 69 | ThermalTech Engineering | 460,000 |
| 70 | French & Parrello Associates | 300,690 |
| 71 | GHT Limited | 260,000 |
| 72 | Wick Fisher White | 223,276 |
| 73 | CTLGroup | 220,000 |
| 74 | Davis, Bowen & Friedel | 204,422 |
| 75 | Barge Waggoner Sumner & Cannon | 200,000 |
| 76 | Magnusson Klemencic Associates | 166,730 |
| 77 | Coffman Engineers | 116,263 |
Top University Sector Construction Firms
| Rank | Company | 2013 Higher Ed Revenue |
| 1 | Whiting-Turner Contracting Co., The | $818,698,552 |
| 2 | Turner Construction | 774,984,000 |
| 3 | Gilbane | 475,524,757 |
| 4 | Skanska USA | 371,024,162 |
| 5 | PCL Construction | 368,990,947 |
| 6 | Clark Group | 312,942,079 |
| 7 | Shawmut Design and Construction | 265,610,000 |
| 8 | Barton Malow | 264,908,516 |
| 9 | Structure Tone | 229,539,000 |
| 10 | Consigli Construction | 227,995,719 |
| 11 | Mortenson Construction | 220,320,000 |
| 12 | McCarthy Holdings | 203,600,000 |
| 13 | Sundt Construction | 185,867,366 |
| 14 | Holder Construction | 176,219,000 |
| 15 | Messer Construction | 172,997,147 |
| 16 | Balfour Beatty US | 171,519,250 |
| 17 | JE Dunn Construction | 164,791,311 |
| 18 | LeChase Construction Services | 164,000,000 |
| 19 | Walbridge | 163,500,000 |
| 20 | Power Construction | 159,000,000 |
| 21 | Beck Group, The | 157,055,739 |
| 22 | Suffolk Construction | 149,745,824 |
| 23 | Tutor Perini Corp. | 145,671,900 |
| 24 | DPR Construction | 140,724,634 |
| 25 | W. M. Jordan Company | 130,566,823 |
| 26 | C.W. Driver | 127,735,000 |
| 27 | Flintco | 113,500,000 |
| 28 | Walsh Group, The | 111,960,180 |
| 29 | Boldt Company, The | 107,802,444 |
| 30 | Brasfield & Gorrie | 107,242,213 |
| 31 | Juneau Construction | 97,432,186 |
| 32 | Manhattan Construction | 89,176,000 |
| 33 | Rodgers Builders | 88,744,572 |
| 34 | McGough | 82,000,000 |
| 35 | Summit Contracting Group | 80,286,141 |
| 36 | Choate Construction | 77,541,745 |
| 37 | Pepper Construction | 72,000,000 |
| 38 | Hathaway Dinwiddie Construction | 66,219,000 |
| 39 | Bernards | 66,000,000 |
| 40 | Hensel Phelps | 65,670,000 |
| 41 | O'Neil Industries/W.E. O'Neil | 65,552,134 |
| 42 | Kraus-Anderson Construction | 64,000,000 |
| 43 | Hunt Construction Group | 64,000,000 |
| 44 | B. L. Harbert International | 63,854,476 |
| 45 | Lend Lease | 56,720,000 |
| 46 | CORE Construction Group | 55,821,501 |
| 47 | Fortis Construction | 53,628,000 |
| 48 | Layton Construction | 52,600,000 |
| 49 | Paric Corp. | 50,000,000 |
| 50 | New South Construction | 47,702,000 |
| 51 | Hill & Wilkinson | 46,288,000 |
| 52 | Austin Commercial | 44,335,793 |
| 53 | Yates Companies, The | 42,800,000 |
| 54 | Bette Companies, The | 38,929,000 |
| 55 | Hoffman Construction | 37,000,000 |
| 56 | Coakley & Williams Construction | 32,064,969 |
| 57 | Adolfson & Peterson Construction | 30,713,572 |
| 58 | URS Corp. | 29,434,668 |
| 59 | James G. Davis Construction | 27,506,326 |
| 60 | Weitz Company, The | 26,478,980 |
| 61 | Bomel Construction | 24,949,344 |
| 62 | Linbeck Group | 24,410,000 |
| 63 | LPCiminelli | 23,426,935 |
| 64 | IMC Construction | 22,086,310 |
| 65 | Hill International | 22,000,000 |
| 66 | HITT Contracting | 20,900,000 |
| 67 | E.W. Howell | 20,566,000 |
| 68 | Parsons Brinckerhoff | 20,057,993 |
| 69 | STV | 18,416,000 |
| 70 | Stalco Construction | 17,780,000 |
| 71 | Haselden Construction | 17,425,677 |
| 72 | Kitchell Corp. | 13,043,551 |
| 73 | Hoar Construction | 12,920,000 |
| 74 | Batson-Cook | 12,513,549 |
| 75 | Absher Construction | 12,280,813 |
| 76 | S. M. Wilson & Co. | 10,863,488 |
| 77 | James McHugh Construction | 10,538,534 |
| 78 | Robins & Morton | 8,714,264 |
| 79 | Clune Construction | 8,635,947 |
| 80 | Haskell | 8,294,931 |
| 81 | Alberici Constructors | 7,380,631 |
| 82 | Heery International | 7,186,274 |
| 83 | Wight & Company | 4,935,000 |
| 84 | Gray Construction | 3,880,000 |
| 85 | Ryan Companies US | 3,715,948 |
| 86 | KBE Building Corp. | 2,694,826 |
| 87 | Leopardo Companies | 1,907,266 |
| 88 | Douglas Company, The | 1,507,502 |
| 89 | JLL | 1,375,045 |
| 90 | Astorino | 1,222,033 |
| 91 | Allen & Shariff | 1,000,000 |
Read BD+C's full 2014 Giants 300 Report
Related Stories
| Aug 11, 2010
Burwell Architects, Ziegler Cooper Architects announce merger
Ziegler Cooper Architects is pleased to announce that Burwell Architects has merged into the Corporate Interior Studio of Ziegler Cooper Architects. We believe the new relationship will enhance and expand the services we can provide to our clients.
| Aug 11, 2010
BE&K Building Group, Turner, BRPH awarded Boeing 787 Dreamliner assembly plant project
A joint venture of the BE&K Building Group and Turner Construction (BE&K | Turner), with design partner BRPH, has been awarded the design-build contract for design and construction of The Boeing Company’s new 787 Dreamliner final assembly plant in North Charleston, South Carolina.
| Aug 11, 2010
Sustainable Buildings as Teaching Tools: 4 Strategies for Integrating Buildings into Experiential Learning
4 Strategies for Integrating Buildings into Experiential Learning
| Aug 11, 2010
Using physical mockups to identify curtain wall design flaws
Part two of a five-part series on diagnosing and avoiding cladding, glazing, and roofing failures from building forensics expert IBA Consultants.
| Aug 11, 2010
Morphosis builds 'floating' house for Brad Pitt's Make It Right New Orleans foundation
Morphosis Architects, under the direction of renowned architect and UCLA professor Thom Mayne, has completed the first floating house permitted in the U.S. for Brad Pitt’s Make It Right Foundation in New Orleans.The FLOAT House is a new model for flood-safe, affordable, and sustainable housing that is designed to float securely with rising water levels.
| Aug 11, 2010
Turner edges out Perkins+Will for the top spot on BD+C's Top 200 Building Team LEED APs ranking
With 1,006 LEED Accredited Professionals on staff, Turner Construction took the top spot on Building Design+Construction’s 2009 ranking of AEC firms with the most LEED APs, published as part of the Giants 300 report. Turner added more than 580 LEED APs during the past year to surpass Perkins+Will, which held the top spot four years running.
| Aug 11, 2010
BIG's 'folded façade' design takes first-prize in competition for China energy company headquarters
Copenhagen-based architect BIG, in collaboration with ARUP and Transsolar, was awarded first-prize in an international competition to design Shenzhen International Energy Mansion, the regional headquarters for the Shenzhen Energy Company.
| Aug 11, 2010
Guggenheim and Google team up on shelter design competition
The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and Google yesterday announced the launch of Design It: Shelter Competition, a global, online initiative that invites the public to use Google Earth and Google SketchUp to create and submit designs for virtual 3-D shelters for a location of their choice anywhere on Earth. The competition opened on June 8, 2009, in honor of Frank Lloyd Wright’s birthday, and closes to submissions on August 23.
