The office market continues to improve, with many projects in development. Rents are rising as vacancy decreases, according to Jones Lang LaSalle’s 2014 U.S. Office Outlook (http://bit.ly/1ildrS7). Dozens of markets are classified as experiencing a “rising phase” (among them, Phoenix, Chicago, Salt Lake City, and Atlanta), while Dallas, Houston, San Francisco, and the Silicon Valley are believed to be peaking.
New-construction leaders include Houston and New York City, and even in calmer markets, AEC firms are busy with workplace fitouts and renovations.
The adage “doing more with less” has become a byword for many businesses since the Great Recession, and clients are trying to maximize every precious inch. “Everyone is looking to use less space,” says Daniel P. Perruzzi, Jr., AIA, LEED AP, Principal at Boston-based Margulies Perruzzi Architects. “They’re looking at ways to modify their office and workplace standards so that they can fit into less.”
Hierarchical office assignments are becoming passé, as is the notion that people will stay in their cubicles for much of the day. “A lot of companies are going down to a single size for offices, so they’re not awarding that space on the basis of rank,” notes Perruzzi. “And as a rule, companies are looking to change the ratio between offices and open workstations. It’s all driven by collaboration.”
Non-assigned space concepts continue to gain popularity. Whether or not they’re actual telecommuters, workers on the move require well-considered accommodations, including easily accessible plug-ins for laptops, tablets, and smartphones. Says Perruzzi, “You have to think about the accommodations both technically and physically. Workers want to be able to plug in their devices and see their desktop no matter which workstation they’re using.”
Analyses by experts like CoreNet Global indicate that space per worker may drop below 100 sf within five years. Perruzzi says workstations won’t necessarily keep shrinking but will likely keep reducing in number. Margulies Perruzzi’s design for Philips North America’s first Workplace Innovation Center involved no private offices and 200 physical workstations for about 260 employees. Called “free addressing,” the plan allows employees to migrate from desk to desk while reducing the number of empty spots left by workers who are off-site.
Says Perruzzi: “There’s no such thing as an individual contributor anymore. It’s about people working in teams that change on a regular basis, are very dynamic, and need constant access to each other.”
Top Office Sector Architecture Firms
| Rank | Company | 2013 Office Revenue |
| 1 | Gensler | $472,552,752 |
| 2 | HOK | 141,723,793 |
| 3 | Perkins+will | 112,815,842 |
| 4 | Skidmore, Owings & Merrill | 83,599,900 |
| 5 | NBBJ | 64,107,000 |
| 6 | Stantec | 62,594,213 |
| 7 | ZGF Architects | 43,902,072 |
| 8 | Page | 37,460,000 |
| 9 | Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates | 36,176,000 |
| 10 | Nelson | 36,089,550 |
| 11 | SmithGroupJJR | 35,614,366 |
| 12 | Hammel, Green and Abrahamson | 33,267,365 |
| 13 | RTKL Associates | 30,705,000 |
| 14 | EYP Architecture & Engineering | 30,000,000 |
| 15 | CannonDesign | 29,000,000 |
| 16 | HKS | 26,255,885 |
| 17 | Corgan | 24,977,990 |
| 18 | HDR | 24,700,000 |
| 19 | RSP Architects | 23,106,000 |
| 20 | Leo A Daly | 20,101,466 |
| 21 | Heery International | 20,011,958 |
| 22 | LS3P | 17,522,964 |
| 23 | Ware Malcomb | 17,500,000 |
| 24 | Kirksey | 15,989,864 |
| 25 | LPA | 15,875,503 |
| 26 | Perkins Eastman | 15,000,000 |
| 27 | NORR | 14,244,421 |
| 28 | Goettsch Partners | 12,070,000 |
| 29 | VOA Associates | 11,040,757 |
| 30 | Epstein | 10,752,000 |
| 31 | CTA Architects Engineers | 10,438,159 |
| 32 | Margulies Perruzzi Architects | 10,191,746 |
| 33 | Cuningham Group Architecture | 10,068,814 |
| 34 | BRPH | 9,906,000 |
| 35 | DLR Group | 9,800,000 |
| 36 | Environetics | 9,612,351 |
| 37 | Vocon | 9,203,152 |
| 38 | RNL | 8,941,000 |
| 39 | Gresham, Smith and Partners | 8,768,000 |
| 40 | Ziegler Cooper | 8,676,816 |
| 41 | Davis Brody Bond | 8,369,474 |
| 42 | FXFOWLE Architects | 7,880,000 |
| 43 | Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture | 7,750,000 |
| 44 | Clark Nexsen | 7,707,493 |
| 45 | LMN Architects | 7,368,900 |
| 46 | Little | 7,253,565 |
| 47 | Cooper Carry | 7,227,738 |
| 48 | Symmes Maini & McKee Associates | 6,490,000 |
| 49 | WDG Architecture | 5,844,000 |
| 50 | Solomon Cordwell Buenz | 5,300,000 |
| 51 | Carrier Johnson + Culture | 5,118,818 |
| 52 | Swanke Hayden Connell Architects | 4,990,000 |
| 53 | Eppstein Uhen Architects | 4,972,955 |
| 54 | Fentress Architects | 4,551,790 |
| 55 | Francis Cauffman | 4,187,463 |
| 56 | Wight & Company | 3,683,000 |
| 57 | Smallwood, Reynolds, Stewart, Stewart & Associates | 3,653,284 |
| 58 | OZ Architecture | 3,625,600 |
| 59 | GBBN Architects | 3,540,500 |
| 60 | Callison | 3,481,227 |
| 61 | HMC Architects | 3,388,658 |
| 62 | Albert Kahn Associates | 3,297,848 |
| 63 | Baskervill | 3,226,678 |
| 64 | Rule Joy Trammell + Rubio | 3,120,000 |
| 65 | Montroy Andersen DeMarco | 3,107,000 |
| 66 | Goodwyn Mills & Cawood | 2,932,849 |
| 67 | Good Fulton & Farrell | 2,928,000 |
| 68 | JRS Architect | 2,850,000 |
| 69 | HNTB Corp. | 2,793,299 |
| 70 | Ratio Architects | 2,720,819 |
| 71 | Inventure Design Group | 2,711,701 |
| 72 | ai Design Group | 2,663,516 |
| 73 | KZF Design | 2,544,819 |
| 74 | EwingCole | 2,510,000 |
| 75 | RS&H | 2,450,000 |
| 76 | Integrus Architecture | 2,410,899 |
| 77 | MulvannyG2 Architecture | 2,200,000 |
| 78 | Wilson Architects | 2,200,000 |
| 79 | Rosser International | 1,921,665 |
| 80 | Hoffmann Architects | 1,602,000 |
| 81 | Beyer Blinder Belle | 1,496,952 |
| 82 | LaBella Associates | 1,493,586 |
| 83 | Hnedak Bobo Group | 1,339,000 |
| 84 | Commonwealth Architects | 1,212,741 |
| 85 | Hord Coplan Macht | 1,113,153 |
| 86 | MBH Architects | 1,090,000 |
| 87 | PGAL | 1,074,700 |
| 88 | Nadel | 1,000,000 |
| 88 | Polytech Associates | 1,000,000 |
| 90 | P+R Architects | 982,666 |
| 91 | Parkhill, Smith & Cooper | 945,000 |
| 92 | Bergmann Associates | 939,420 |
| 93 | Niles Bolton Associates | 840,919 |
| 94 | Moseley Architects | 744,501 |
| 95 | Moody Nolan | 722,616 |
| 96 | H+L Architecture | 711,172 |
| 97 | EDI International | 630,916 |
| 98 | BLTa | 630,000 |
| 99 | H3 Hardy Collaboration Architecture | 611,898 |
| 100 | Hoefer Wysocki Architecture | 605,000 |
| 101 | WATG | Wimberly Interiors | 568,000 |
| 102 | Cambridge Seven Associates | 460,000 |
| 103 | Morris Architects | 335,000 |
| 104 | Emersion Design | 332,073 |
| 105 | DLA Architects | 317,730 |
| 106 | BLDD Architects | 280,000 |
| 107 | Hastings+Chivetta Architects | 243,171 |
| 108 | DesignGroup | 242,580 |
| 109 | Sherlock, Smith & Adams | 235,000 |
| 110 | Slaterpaull Architects | 230,000 |
| 111 | FitzGerald Associates Architects | 210,500 |
| 112 | Poskanzer Skott | 200,000 |
| 113 | SchenkelShultz Architecture | 197,000 |
| 114 | PHX Architecture | 180,000 |
| 115 | FGM Architects | 179,784 |
| 116 | BSA LifeStructures | 174,437 |
Top Office Sector Engineering Firms
| Rank | Company | 2013 Office Revenue |
| 1 | AECOM Technology Corp. | $964,240,000 |
| 2 | Jacobs | 504,890,000 |
| 3 | Parsons Brinckerhoff | 158,130,489 |
| 4 | Burns & McDonnell | 102,620,000 |
| 5 | Thornton Tomasetti | 63,427,107 |
| 6 | URS Corp. | 49,783,891 |
| 7 | WSP Group | 49,230,000 |
| 8 | Arup | 43,201,720 |
| 9 | H&A Architects & Engineers | 36,000,000 |
| 10 | Leidos | 28,150,000 |
| 11 | AKF Group | 27,835,000 |
| 12 | KPFF Consulting Engineers | 27,000,000 |
| 13 | Syska Hennessy Group | 26,817,533 |
| 14 | Magnusson Klemencic Associates | 16,437,499 |
| 15 | Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates | 14,220,000 |
| 16 | Glumac | 14,102,479 |
| 17 | Dewberry | 13,478,149 |
| 18 | Bala Consulting Engineers | 12,507,000 |
| 19 | Environmental Systems Design | 12,505,965 |
| 20 | RDK Engineers | 10,690,000 |
| 21 | Vanderweil Engineers | 10,533,700 |
| 22 | GHT Limited | 9,665,000 |
| 23 | Simpson Gumpertz & Heger | 7,430,000 |
| 24 | Allen & Shariff | 7,200,000 |
| 25 | KCI Technologies | 6,400,000 |
| 26 | Walter P Moore and Associates | 6,002,650 |
| 27 | Highland Associates | 6,000,000 |
| 28 | STV | 5,339,000 |
| 29 | DeSimone Consulting Engineers | 5,084,661 |
| 30 | Aon Fire Protection Engineering Corp. | 5,000,000 |
| 31 | Hixson Architecture, Engineering, Interiors | 5,000,000 |
| 32 | SSOE Group | 4,656,959 |
| 33 | H.F. Lenz | 4,362,698 |
| 34 | Joseph R. Loring & Associates | 4,000,000 |
| 35 | KLH Engineers | 3,875,841 |
| 36 | M-E Engineers | 3,863,000 |
| 37 | Newcomb & Boyd | 3,802,993 |
| 38 | Sparling | 3,799,152 |
| 39 | Bridgers & Paxton Consulting Engineers | 3,612,041 |
| 40 | Smith Seckman Reid | 3,508,905 |
| 41 | Affiliated Engineers | 3,104,000 |
| 42 | Interface Engineering | 2,946,713 |
| 43 | Martin/Martin | 2,793,639 |
| 44 | KJWW Engineering Consultants | 2,711,604 |
| 45 | I. C. Thomasson Associates | 2,600,000 |
| 46 | TLC Engineering for Architecture | 2,329,558 |
| 47 | Henderson Engineers | 2,269,347 |
| 48 | ThermalTech Engineering | 2,250,000 |
| 49 | Heapy Engineering | 2,145,190 |
| 50 | CJL Engineering | 1,878,330 |
| 51 | Dunham Associates | 1,750,000 |
| 52 | Wick Fisher White | 1,734,113 |
| 53 | Karpinski Engineering | 1,695,420 |
| 54 | Shive-Hattery | 1,581,161 |
| 55 | CTLGroup | 1,560,000 |
| 56 | Graef | 1,469,354 |
| 57 | Paulus, Sokolowski and Sartor | 1,400,000 |
| 58 | OLA Consulting Engineers | 1,398,000 |
| 59 | TTG | 1,383,325 |
| 60 | Kamm Consulting | 1,344,151 |
| 61 | CCRD Partners | 1,270,000 |
| 62 | G&W Engineering Corp. | 1,091,000 |
| 63 | M/E Engineering | 1,034,842 |
| 64 | Brinjac Engineering | 1,032,104 |
| 65 | Coffman Engineers | 1,028,004 |
| 66 | Mazzetti | 1,013,140 |
| 67 | Rist-Frost-Shumway Engineering | 1,000,000 |
| 68 | Guernsey | 958,526 |
| 69 | Ross & Baruzzini | 828,783 |
| 70 | Apogee Consulting Group | 815,250 |
| 71 | GRW | 562,957 |
| 72 | CRB | 495,240 |
| 73 | Zak Companies | 458,187 |
| 74 | Davis, Bowen & Friedel | 331,004 |
| 75 | Wallace Engineering | 310,000 |
| 76 | French & Parrello Associates | 264,900 |
| 77 | Primera Engineers | 253,000 |
| 78 | RMF Engineering | 150,000 |
| 79 | Integrated Design Group | 137,118 |
| 80 | P2S Engineering | 135,228 |
| 81 | Spectrum Engineers | 85,926 |
| 82 | Stanley Consultants | 12,178 |
| 83 | Total Building Commissioning | 4,798 |
Top Office Sector Construction Firms
| Rank | Company | 2013 Office Revenue |
| 1 | Turner Construction | $1,965,630,000 |
| 2 | Structure Tone | 1,770,996,000 |
| 3 | Balfour Beatty US | 1,083,107,816 |
| 4 | PCL Construction | 965,124,704 |
| 5 | Gilbane | 850,668,144 |
| 6 | Clark Group | 768,213,069 |
| 7 | Skanska USA | 756,888,741 |
| 8 | Hensel Phelps | 595,480,000 |
| 9 | Suffolk Construction | 575,149,178 |
| 10 | HITT Contracting | 510,600,000 |
| 11 | Whiting-Turner Contracting Co., The | 483,040,306 |
| 12 | Hathaway Dinwiddie Construction | 478,000,000 |
| 13 | Clayco | 474,300,000 |
| 14 | DPR Construction | 419,864,261 |
| 15 | James G. Davis Construction | 409,209,373 |
| 16 | Holder Construction | 375,561,000 |
| 17 | Clune Construction | 350,356,681 |
| 18 | Walsh Group, The | 330,591,769 |
| 19 | JE Dunn Construction | 319,712,834 |
| 20 | Tutor Perini Corp. | 299,785,799 |
| 21 | Plaza Construction | 281,000,000 |
| 22 | Brasfield & Gorrie | 255,289,660 |
| 23 | Lend Lease | 203,243,000 |
| 24 | Ryan Companies US | 198,980,348 |
| 25 | Manhattan Construction | 195,656,000 |
| 26 | Choate Construction | 176,908,443 |
| 27 | Parsons Brinckerhoff | 158,130,489 |
| 28 | McGough | 144,000,000 |
| 29 | Austin Commercial | 126,751,064 |
| 30 | Swinerton Builders | 125,070,000 |
| 31 | McShane Companies, The | 120,701,443 |
| 32 | Pepper Construction | 116,840,000 |
| 33 | Mortenson Construction | 114,140,000 |
| 34 | JLL | 107,497,010 |
| 35 | Linbeck Group | 105,400,000 |
| 36 | C.W. Driver | 102,470,000 |
| 37 | Shawmut Design and Construction | 93,000,000 |
| 38 | B. L. Harbert International | 92,475,153 |
| 39 | CORE Construction Group | 91,118,620 |
| 40 | Leopardo Companies | 90,583,950 |
| 41 | McCarthy Holdings | 84,700,000 |
| 42 | Consigli Construction | 82,688,033 |
| 43 | Messer Construction | 75,756,377 |
| 44 | Power Construction | 67,000,000 |
| 45 | Hoar Construction | 66,258,000 |
| 46 | Weitz Company, The | 65,679,309 |
| 47 | Robins & Morton | 64,633,817 |
| 48 | Sundt Construction | 63,414,544 |
| 49 | Beck Group, The | 61,444,072 |
| 50 | Hill International | 61,000,000 |
| 51 | Yates Companies, The | 50,000,000 |
| 52 | URS Corp. | 49,783,891 |
| 53 | Hunt Construction Group | 46,000,000 |
| 54 | Fortis Construction | 41,800,000 |
| 55 | Adolfson & Peterson Construction | 40,492,626 |
| 56 | LeChase Construction Services | 39,360,000 |
| 57 | Bomel Construction | 38,747,785 |
| 58 | Rodgers Builders | 37,126,784 |
| 59 | Paric Corp. | 35,000,000 |
| 60 | Haselden Construction | 30,679,991 |
| 61 | IMC Construction | 30,597,000 |
| 62 | Barton Malow | 28,706,771 |
| 63 | Haskell | 28,625,841 |
| 64 | Coakley & Williams Construction | 26,086,629 |
| 65 | New South Construction | 22,590,000 |
| 66 | Flintco | 22,000,000 |
| 67 | EMJ Corp. | 21,000,000 |
| 68 | Layton Construction | 20,800,000 |
| 69 | E.W. Howell | 20,491,000 |
| 70 | O'Neil Industries/W.E. O'Neil | 20,354,165 |
| 71 | Heery International | 20,011,958 |
| 72 | Kitchell Corp. | 19,231,158 |
| 73 | Hill & Wilkinson | 19,149,000 |
| 74 | Walbridge | 18,100,000 |
| 75 | Wight & Company | 16,827,000 |
| 76 | Harkins Builders | 16,300,000 |
| 77 | James McHugh Construction | 14,829,260 |
| 78 | Hoffman Construction | 14,000,000 |
| 79 | Kraus-Anderson Construction | 10,000,000 |
| 80 | Batson-Cook | 8,329,557 |
| 81 | Gray Construction | 7,600,000 |
| 82 | Stalco Construction | 7,380,000 |
| 83 | Allen & Shariff | 7,200,000 |
| 84 | Boldt Company, The | 7,044,051 |
| 85 | Bernards | 6,700,000 |
| 86 | W. M. Jordan Company | 6,575,178 |
| 87 | Graycor | 6,456,452 |
| 88 | KBE Building Corp. | 5,964,801 |
| 89 | STV | 5,339,000 |
| 90 | Weis Builders | 5,031,000 |
| 91 | Bette Companies, The | 4,834,000 |
| 92 | Alberici Constructors | 2,961,966 |
| 93 | Absher Construction | 2,256,599 |
| 94 | S. M. Wilson & Co. | 1,607,814 |
| 95 | Douglas Company, The | 1,479,136 |
| 96 | LPCiminelli | 1,349,300 |
| 97 | Astorino | 1,334,650 |
Read BD+C's full 2014 Giants 300 Report
Related Stories
Architects | Feb 27, 2023
Hord Coplan Macht announces retirement of Founder/CEO Lee Coplan, FAIA, and names successor
Hord Coplan Macht, an award-winning integrated architecture, interior design, landscape architecture, and planning firm, announces the retirement of Founder and Chief Executive Officer Lee Coplan, FAIA. Lee leaves behind a long and celebrated career leading the practice over the last four decades while bringing innovative design strategies and leadership to the architecture and design community.
Libraries | Feb 26, 2023
A $17 million public library in California replaces one that was damaged in a 2010 earthquake
California’s El Centro community, about two hours east of San Diego, recently opened a new $17 million public library. With design by Ferguson Pape Baldwin Architects and engineering services by Latitude 33 Planning & Engineering, the 19,811-sf building replaces the previous library, which was built in the early 1900s, damaged by a 7.2 earthquake that struck Baja California in 2010, and demolished in 2016.
Architects | Feb 24, 2023
7 takeaways from HKS’s yearlong study on brain health in the workplace
Managing distractions, avoiding multitasking, and cognitive training are key to staff wellbeing and productivity, according to a yearlong study of HKS employees in partnership with the University of Texas at Dallas’ Center for BrainHealth.
University Buildings | Feb 23, 2023
Johns Hopkins shares design for new medical campus building named in honor of Henrietta Lacks
In November, Johns Hopkins University and Johns Hopkins Medicine shared the initial design plans for a campus building project named in honor of Henrietta Lacks, the Baltimore County woman whose cells have advanced medicine around the world. Diagnosed with cervical cancer, Lacks, an African-American mother of five, sought treatment at the Johns Hopkins Hospital in the early 1950s. Named HeLa cells, the cell line that began with Lacks has contributed to numerous medical breakthroughs.
Arenas | Feb 23, 2023
Using data to design the sports venue of the future
Former video game developer Abe Stein and HOK's Bill Johnson discuss how to use data to design stadiums and arenas that keep fans engaged and eager to return.
Museums | Feb 22, 2023
David Chipperfield's 'subterranean' design wins competition for National Archaeological Museum in Athens
Berlin-based David Chipperfield Architects was selected as the winner of the design competition for the new National Archaeological Museum in Athens. The project will modernize and expand the original neoclassical museum designed by Ludwig Lange and Ernst Ziller (1866-1874) with new spaces that follow the existing topography of the site. It will add approximately 20,000 sm of space to the existing museum, as well as a rooftop park that will be open to the public.
Multifamily Housing | Feb 21, 2023
Watch: DBA Architects' Bryan Moore talks micro communities and the benefits of walkable neighborhoods
What is a micro-community? Where are they most prevalent? What’s the future for micro communities? These questions (and more) addressed by Bryan Moore, President and CEO of DBA Architects.
Healthcare Facilities | Feb 21, 2023
Cleveland's Glick Center hospital anchors neighborhood revitalization
The newly opened MetroHealth Glick Center in Cleveland, a replacement acute care hospital for MetroHealth, is the centerpiece of a neighborhood revitalization. The eleven-story structure is located within a ‘hospital-in-a-park’ setting that will provide a bucolic space to the community where public green space is lacking. It will connect patients, visitors, and staff to the emotional and physical benefits of nature.
Multifamily Housing | Feb 21, 2023
Multifamily housing investors favoring properties in the Sun Belt
Multifamily housing investors are gravitating toward Sun Belt markets with strong job and population growth, according to new research from Yardi Matrix. Despite a sharp second-half slowdown, last year’s nationwide $187 billion transaction volume was the second-highest annual total ever.
Multifamily Housing | Feb 21, 2023
New multifamily housing and mixed-use buildings in Portland, Ore., must be ready for electric vehicle charging
The Portland, Ore., City Council recently voted unanimously to require all new residential and mixed-use buildings to be ready for electric vehicle charging. The move amends Portland’s zoning laws to require all new multi-dwelling and mixed-use development of five or more units with onsite parking to provide electric vehicle charging infrastructure.
