HOK, the international architecture, engineering, and planning firm, will promote its President and 25-year company veteran Bill Hellmuth, AIA, to the position of Chief Executive Officer, effective April 19.
Hellmuth, who is the nephew of the firm’s founder George Hellmuth (its initials are an acronym for Hellmuth, Obata & Kassabaum), has been President since 2005. When he steps into the CEO post, he will replace Patrick MacLeamy, FAIA, LEED AP, who has served as HOK’s chief for 13 of the 49 years he’s been with the firm.
MacLeamy will remain as HOK’s chairman. During his HOK career, MacLeamy has overseen the establishment of several HOK regional offices in the U.S. and Asia. He has held leadership roles on several landmark HOK projects, including the Moscone Convention Center in San Francisco and King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
In a statement, Hellmuth identified HOK’s “sweet spot” as “the intersection of design excellence and thought leadership, combining design leadership with expertise in specific markets and building types around the world.”
HOK has 1,800 employees (it is 100% employee owned) in 24 offices worldwide. It has current projects in 75 countries.
Hellmuth has a total of 37 years experience in the architecture industry, including a stint with Skidmore, Owings and Merrill. He joined HOK’s St. Louis office in 1991, and two years later was promoted to lead HOK’s Washington, D.C. office. He joined the firm’s executive committee in 2004.
A strong advocate for sustainable design, Hellmuth began integrating sustainability into every project before LEED certification became a benchmark. In 2014 he was named Senior Fellow of the Design Futures Council, and a GSA Design Excellence Peer.
Related Stories
Museums | Nov 5, 2020
The Weekly show: Designing cannabis facilities, Bob Borson's Life of an Architect, museum design
BD+C editors speak with experts from Cooper Robertson, Life of an Architect, and MJ12 Design Studio on the November 5 episode of "The Weekly." The episode is available for viewing on demand.
Multifamily Housing | Oct 30, 2020
The Weekly show: Multifamily security tips, the state of construction industry research, and AGC's market update
BD+C editors speak with experts from AGC, Charles Pankow Foundation, and Silva Consultants on the October 29 episode of "The Weekly." The episode is available for viewing on demand.
AEC Tech | Oct 28, 2020
Meet Jaibot, Hilti's new construction robot
The semi-autonomous robot is designed to assist MEP contractors with ceiling-drilling applications.
Hotel Facilities | Oct 27, 2020
Hotel construction pipeline dips 7% in Q3 2020
Hospitality developers continue to closely monitor the impact the coronavirus will have on travel demand, according to Lodging Econometrics.
Data Centers | Oct 26, 2020
Speed to market is biggest obstacle for burgeoning data center construction sector
Hyperscale and edge computing are driving growth in data center and mission critical facilities construction.
Adaptive Reuse | Oct 26, 2020
Mall property redevelopments could result in dramatic property value drops
Retail conversions to fulfillment centers, apartments, schools, or medical offices could cut values 60% to 90%.
Multifamily Housing | Oct 15, 2020
L.A., all the way
KFA Architecture has hitched its wagon to Los Angeles’s star for more than 40 years.
Architects | Oct 14, 2020
The Weekly Show: AI for building facade inspections; designing a world-class architecture firm
The October 15 episode of BD+C's "The Weekly" is available for viewing on demand.
Coronavirus | Oct 8, 2020
The Weekly show: Statue of Liberty Museum, emotional learning in K-12, LA's climate change vulnerability
The October 8 episode of BD+C's "The Weekly" is available for viewing on demand.
Architects | Oct 8, 2020
Gensler’s annual report chronicles the firm’s ‘transformation’
The firm positions itself as a leading voice for how building design plays a central role in meeting society’s evolving demands.
