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

Sponsored | | Sep 30, 2014

What are you doing to win business and improve morale?? VDC Director Kris Lengieza shares ways to do both

Bluebeam's Sasha Reed sits down with Kris Lengieza, Director of Virtual Design and Construction for Stiles Corporation, to learn how he approaches change management. SPONSORED CONTENT

Sponsored | | Sep 30, 2014

How project managers can manage technology

Not long ago, the role of a construction project manager revolved around working with people: employees, vendors, consultants, designers, subcontractors and owners. Today, project managers primarily manage information. SPONSORED CONTENT

| Sep 30, 2014

With its 'stacked volumes' scheme, 3XN wins bid to design high-rise in Sydney

By dividing the 200-meter building into five separate volumes and placing atria throughout each volume, the spaces become smaller, more intimate social environments, according to the Danish architects.

| Sep 29, 2014

Living Building vs. LEED Platinum: Comparing the first costs and savings

Skanska USA's Steve Clem breaks down the costs and benefits of various ultra-green building standards and practices.

| Sep 29, 2014

10 common deficiencies in aging healthcare facilities

VOA's Douglas King pinpoints the top issues that arise during healthcare facilities assessments, including missing fire/smoke dampers, out-of-place fire alarms, and poorly constructed doorways. 

| Sep 29, 2014

Snøhetta releases final plan for terraced central library in Calgary

The competition-winning New Central Library is now in the final design stages, after two years of community engagement on the part of design firms Snøhetta and DIALOG. 

| Sep 25, 2014

Jean Nouvel unveils plans for National Art Museum of China

Of the design, Nouvel describes it as inspired by the simplicity of “a single brush stroke.” 

Sponsored | | Sep 25, 2014

Your business doesn’t always need to change

By now, the idea that organizations must adapt to maintain both relevance and market share is so ingrained that it’s been reduced to pithy sayings. But is constant adaptation always the best policy? SPONSORED CONTENT

| Sep 25, 2014

Bjarke Ingels headed home for latest project: Aarhus Island

Aarhus Island will be a waterside development in Denmark's second-largest city. The mixed-use development will implement Ingels' signature angled look in its residential towers.

| Sep 24, 2014

Must see: Semi-submerged hotel planned for Qatar's man-made island

Plans for a new hotel in the Persian Gulf are taking Dubai’s Palm Islands concept to a whole new level—underwater, that is.

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