Two Mid-Atlantic design firms join forces

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.)

The editors of Building Design+Construction present 10 “Great Solutions” that highlight innovative technology and products that can be used to address some of the many problems Building Teams face in their day-to-day work. Readers are encouraged to submit entries for Great Solutions; if we use yours, you’ll receive a $25 gift certificate. Look for more Great Solutions in 2012 at: www.bdcnetwork.com/greatsolutions/2012.

Rainscreen system installed at the west building envelope expansion of the University of Arizona’s Meinel Optical Sciences Center in Tucson, with its folded glass wall and copper-paneled, breathable cladding over precast concrete.

| Dec 10, 2011

Energy performance starts at the building envelope

Rainscreen system installed at the west building expansion of the University of Arizona’s Meinel Optical Sciences Center in Tucson, with its folded glass wall and copper-paneled, breathable cladding over precast concrete.

| Dec 10, 2011

Turning Balconies Outside In

Operable glass balcony glazing systems provide solution to increase usable space in residential and commercial structures.

| Dec 10, 2011

BIM tools to make your project easier to manage

Two innovations—program manager Gafcon’s SharePoint360 project management platform and a new BIM “wall creator” add-on developed by ClarkDietrich Building Systems for use with the Revit BIM platform and construction consultant—show how fabricators and owner’s reps are stepping in to fill the gaps between construction and design that can typically be exposed by working with a 3D model.