flexiblefullpage
billboard
interstitial1
catfish1
Currently Reading

Two Mid-Atlantic design firms join forces

Architects

Two Mid-Atlantic design firms join forces

Quinn Evans Architects and Cho Benn Holback + Associates have similar portfolios with an emphasis on civic work. 


By John Caulfield, Senior Editor | April 25, 2017

Larry Barr (second from left), AIA, President of Quinn Evans Architects, standing with the management and principals of Cho Benn Holback + Associates, which Quinn Evans acquires effective May 1. Pictured with Barr are (from left): Brandon Schultz, LEED AP; Diane Cho, AIA, and George Holback, Cho Benn Holback's cofounders; Brian Oster, AIA, LEED AP BD+C; Mark Nook, AIA; and Anath Ranon, AIA, LEED AP BD+C. Image credit: E. Brady Robinson

The Washington, D.C. architectural and planning practice Quinn Evans Architects will expand to five office locations on May 1 when its acquisition of Baltimore-based Cho Benn Holback + Associates becomes effective.

Quinn Evans, founded in 1984, also operates from offices in Detroit and Ann Arbor, Mich.; and Madison, Wis. The new addition brings Quinn Evans’ employee count to more than 140.

The 30-person Cho Benn Holback, which was established in 1979, will remain at its current location, and operate under its name with the addition “a Quinn Evans Company.” No changes to its management or staffing are anticipated.

The two firms have portfolios in cultural, educational, civic, and urban infill projects, with an expertise in historic preservation and adaptive reuse. Cho Benn Holback + Associates has been recognized with more than 200 design awards, and is regarded for its design and revitalization work in Baltimore.

“Quinn Evans Architects is well known for its resourcefulness in urban planning and design, and that focus is what has inspired our own work through the years as well,” says Diane Cho, AIA, one of the firm’s founding partners. “We are looking to help rebuild and reinvigorate communities. Working together, we’ll have an opportunity to take our experience to other cities, and bring Quinn Evans’ perspective to our work here in Baltimore as well.”

Larry Barr, AIA, President of Quinn Evans Architects, views Cho Benn Holback + Associates as an ideal fit for Quinn Evans Architects in terms of staff, expertise, and portfolio. “I have long admired the thoughtful and creative approach reflected in their work—the caliber of design is consistently visionary and transformative. Projects like the Lillian Jones Apartments; the National Postal Museum; and Open Works, the state-of-the-art new maker space in Baltimore, are standouts.”

Both firms have completed a number of theater projects: Quinn Evans is currently designing the modernization of the 500-seat, 36-year-old Terrace Theatre at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in D.C., and Cho Benn Holback recently completed the $28 million renovation of Center Stage in Baltimore. (Whiting-Turner Construction was the GC on that project.)

 

Tags

Related Stories

Sports and Recreational Facilities | Jul 23, 2015

Japan announces new plan for Olympic Stadium

The country moves on from Zaha Hadid Architects, creators of the original stadium design scrapped last week.

Green | Jul 23, 2015

NASA: U.S. headed for worst droughts in a millennium

Data from NASA shows carbon emissions could be the driving force behind devastating water shortages and record droughts in the western U.S.

Airports | Jul 22, 2015

MUST SEE: JFK airport taps Gensler to design terminal for animals

Pets can enjoy luxurious spa and grooming services before being transported directly to their flight from the terminal.

Office Buildings | Jul 21, 2015

Finally! There's a workplace trend that’s worth embracing

There’s a realization by corporate real estate executives that in order to create a successful workplace, there must be alignment between their people, their place, and the tools they have to do their jobs.

University Buildings | Jul 21, 2015

Maker spaces: Designing places to test, break, and rebuild

Gensler's Kenneth Fisher and Keller Roughton highlight recent maker space projects at MIT and the University of Nebraska that provide just the right mix of equipment, tools, spaces, and disciplines to spark innovation. 

Architects | Jul 21, 2015

Architecture Billings Index at highest mark since 2007

This is the first month in 2015 that all regions are reporting positive business conditions, said AIA Chief Economist Kermit Baker.

BIM and Information Technology | Jul 20, 2015

New stylus brings digital sketching to the next level

Without buttons, users can change the weight of the stylus’ stroke.

Architects | Jul 20, 2015

New York design competition looks to shed the sidewalk shed

New York, which has nearly 200 total miles of sidewalk sheds, is seeking a concept that is practical but that also looks good.

Cultural Facilities | Jul 19, 2015

SET Architects wins design competition for Holocaust Memorial

The design for the memorial in Bologna, Italy, is dominated by two large metal monolithic structures that represent the oppressive wooden bunks in concentration camps in Germany during World War II.

Sports and Recreational Facilities | Jul 17, 2015

Japan scraps Zaha Hadid's Tokyo Olympic Stadium project

The rising price tag was one of the downfalls of the 70-meter-tall, 290,000-sm stadium. In 2014, the cost of the project was 163 billion yen, but that rose to 252 billion yen this year.

boombox1
boombox2
native1

More In Category


Urban Planning

Bridging the gap: How early architect involvement can revolutionize a city’s capital improvement plans

Capital Improvement Plans (CIPs) typically span three to five years and outline future city projects and their costs. While they set the stage, the design and construction of these projects often extend beyond the CIP window, leading to a disconnect between the initial budget and evolving project scope. This can result in financial shortfalls, forcing cities to cut back on critical project features.



Libraries

Reasons to reinvent the Midcentury academic library

DLR Group's Interior Design Leader Gretchen Holy, Assoc. IIDA, shares the idea that a designer's responsibility to embrace a library’s history, respect its past, and create an environment that will serve student populations for the next 100 years.

halfpage1

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021