Is there life after death? Judging by the commercial office sector, maybe there is. After several years in an advanced stage of morbidity, propped up largely by tenant fitouts and renovations, the office sector may be starting to show signs of life.
The ULI Center for Capital Markets and Real Estate recently stated (based on data from CBRE) that the sector is expected to show “steady and substantial three-year improvements,” with vacancy rates declining from 15.4% this year, to 14.4% in 2013 and 12.3% by year-end 2014.
Rental rates should be up 3.7% in ’13, says the ULI. +
TOP 25 OFFICE SECTOR ARCHITECTURE FIRMS
Rank | Company | 2011 Office Revenue ($) |
1 | Gensler | 432,000,000 |
2 | HOK | 144,865,720 |
3 | Perkins+Will | 103,737,646 |
4 | HDR Architecture | 40,800,000 |
5 | Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates | 40,030,000 |
6 | Hammel, Green and Abrahamson | 39,600,000 |
7 | NBBJ | 38,830,000 |
8 | RTKL Associates | 38,055,565 |
9 | Nelson | 36,223,716 |
10 | SmithGroupJJR | 30,700,000 |
11 | Heery International | 29,004,000 |
12 | PageSoutherlandPage | 28,130,000 |
13 | HLW International | 26,750,000 |
14 | HNTB Architecture | 25,231,479 |
15 | Cannon Design | 23,000,000 |
16 | IBI Group | 22,391,853 |
17 | EYP Architecture & Engineering | 20,000,000 |
18 | Little | 19,739,500 |
19 | LEO A DALY | 16,832,770 |
20 | Ware Malcomb | 16,762,000 |
21 | DLR Group | 14,000,000 |
22 | ZGF Architects | 13,227,504 |
23 | RSP Architects | 13,151,000 |
24 | HKS | 12,227,874 |
25 | Corgan Associates | 12,109,000 |
TOP 25 OFFICE SECTOR ENGINEERING FIRMS
Rank | Company | 2011 Office Revenue ($) |
1 | AECOM Technology Corp. | 1,291,000,000 |
2 | Jacobs | 261,100,000 |
3 | Parsons Brinckerhoff | 127,900,000 |
4 | Science Applications International Corp. | 116,240,000 |
5 | URS Corp. | 58,000,000 |
6 | Burns & McDonnell | 43,493,660 |
7 | Michael Baker Jr., Inc. | 42,890,000 |
8 | Stantec | 42,300,000 |
9 | Dewberry | 41,215,530 |
10 | Thornton Tomasetti | 34,780,000 |
11 | WSP USA | 34,500,000 |
12 | ESD/Environmental Systems Design | 22,900,000 |
13 | Arup | 19,146,849 |
14 | Syska Hennessy Group | 18,504,074 |
15 | AKF Group | 15,500,000 |
16 | Sebesta Blomberg | 14,590,000 |
17 | GHT Limited | 13,891,000 |
18 | Clark Nexsen | 13,029,482 |
19 | Glumac | 11,736,618 |
20 | KPFF Consulting Engineers | 10,000,000 |
21 | R.G. Vanderweil Engineers | 9,354,500 |
22 | Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates | 8,967,000 |
23 | RDK Engineers | 8,835,000 |
24 | H&A Architects & Engineers | 7,757,000 |
25 | Interface Engineering | 7,290,488 |
TOP 25 OFFICE SECTOR CONSTRUCTION FIRMS
Rank | Company | 2011 Office Revenue ($) |
1 | Turner Corporation, The | 1,489,944,482 |
2 | Clark Group | 1,148,992,603 |
3 | Structure Tone | 1,004,320,000 |
4 | Balfour Beatty US | 825,948,471 |
5 | Hensel Phelps Construction | 619,660,000 |
6 | Gilbane Building Co. | 617,058,000 |
7 | PCL Construction Enterprises | 594,444,509 |
8 | BL Harbert International | 589,000,000 |
9 | James G. Davis Construction Corp. | 450,000,000 |
10 | Clayco | 426,000,000 |
11 | Suffolk Construction | 388,644,645 |
12 | Whiting-Turner Contracting Co., The | 386,520,693 |
13 | Holder Construction | 327,000,000 |
14 | Tutor Perini Corp. | 312,940,000 |
15 | Weitz Company, The | 302,418,397 |
16 | Ryan Companies US | 288,463,756 |
17 | DPR Construction | 261,922,722 |
18 | Jacobs | 261,100,000 |
19 | Webcor Builders | 229,121,806 |
20 | Mortenson | 221,980,000 |
21 | Walsh Group, The | 211,738,006 |
22 | JE Dunn Construction | 203,050,158 |
23 | Pepper Construction Group | 197,357,000 |
24 | Jones Lang LaSalle | 180,000,000 |
25 | Lend Lease | 173,228,092 |
Related Stories
| Aug 11, 2010
PCA partners with MIT on concrete research center
MIT today announced the creation of the Concrete Sustainability Hub, a research center established at MIT in collaboration with the Portland Cement Association (PCA) and Ready Mixed Concrete (RMC) Research & Education Foundation.
| Aug 11, 2010
Study explains the financial value of green commercial buildings
Green building may be booming, especially in the Northwest, but the claims made for high-performance buildings have been slow to gain traction in the financial community. Appraisers, lenders, investors and brokers have found it difficult to confirm the value of high-performance green features and related savings. A new study of office buildings identifies how high-performance green features and systems can increase the value of commercial buildings.
| Aug 11, 2010
Architecture Billings Index flat in May, according to AIA
After a slight decline in April, the Architecture Billings Index was up a tenth of a point to 42.9 in May. As a leading economic indicator of construction activity, the ABI reflects the approximate nine to twelve month lag time between architecture billings and construction spending. Any score above 50 indicates an increase in billings.
| Aug 11, 2010
Architecture Billings Index drops to lowest level since June
Another stall in the recovery for the construction industry as the Architecture Billings Index (ABI) dropped to its lowest level since June. The American Institute of Architects (AIA) reported the August ABI rating was 41.7, down slightly from 43.1 in July. This score indicates a decline in demand for design services (any score above 50 indicates an increase in billings).
| Aug 11, 2010
RTKL names Lance Josal president and CEO
Lance K. Josal FAIA has been named President and CEO of RTKL Associates Inc., the international planning, design and engineering firm. Josal succeeds RTKL’s current President and CEO, David C. Hudson AIA, who is retiring from the firm. The changes will take effect on 1 September 2009.
| Aug 11, 2010
Balfour Beatty agrees to acquire Parsons Brinckerhoff for $626 million
Balfour Beatty, the international engineering, construction, investment and services group, has agreed to acquire Parsons Brinckerhoff for $626 million. Balfour Beatty executives believe the merger will be a major step forward in accomplishing a number of Balfour Beatty’s objectives, including establishing a global professional services business of scale, creating a leading position in U.S. civil infrastructure, particularly in the transportation sector, and enhancing its global reach.
| Aug 11, 2010
Construction unemployment rises to 17.1% as another 64,000 construction workers are laid off in September
The national unemployment rate for the construction industry rose to 17.1 percent as another 64,000 construction workers lost their jobs in September, according to an analysis of new employment data released today. With 80 percent of layoffs occurring in nonresidential construction, Ken Simonson, chief economist for the Associated General Contractors of America, said the decline in nonresidential construction has eclipsed housing’s problems.
| Aug 11, 2010
Billings at U.S. architecture firms exceeds $40 billion annually
In the three-year period leading up to the current recession, gross billings at U.S. architecture firms increased nearly $16 billion from 2005 and totaled $44.3 billion in 2008. This equates to 54 percent growth over the three-year period with annual growth of about 16 percent. These findings are from the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Business of Architecture: AIA Survey Report on Firm Characteristics.