Where architecture and A/E firms broke new ground in ’16 (as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2017 Giants 300 Report):
Adrian Smith+Gordon Gill Using HadCM3 weather files to simulate building performance against climate change and stormwater scenarios.
AHL Created “Pedal Parc” from recycled materials; people can pedal stationary bikes to charge their smartphones.
api(+) New focus: food retailing and food service markets.
Array Architects Three-day Lean training for staff.
Architecture Design Collaborative Mobile Design Studio enables on-site conceptual design for multifamily projects anywhere in the U.S. in <48 hours.
Ballinger Greater emphasis on convergent facilities (e.g., academic labs) to foster collaborative interdisciplinary learning.
BWBR Launched “Human-Centered Safety” to address safety needs of patients and staff at behavioral health centers.
CallisonRTKL Two inventions: a variable-insulation green roof with insulated ceiling and sensor-operated fan that regulates the interior environment in relation to the green roof’s mass; and a green roof cooling system with embedded pipes that is cooled by irrigation.
Cambridge Seven Associates Adopted Deltek Vision to integrate project management with accounting and staffing.
Carrier Johnson + CULTURE Brought new services in-house: construction management, landscape architecture, healthcare design, forensic architecture, and K-12 education.
CASCO Diversified Corporation Targeting high-end retail and restaurant work via acquisition of R5 Design Agency.
Cordogan Clark & Associates Pioneering offsite prefabricated “systems buildings” (structure, floors, walls) using recyclable materials.
Core States Group Specializing in IPD for architecture, engineering, construction management, construction services, program management, development services.
Cortland Partners Outfitted 60-foot Mobile Training Unit—custom-designed learning space, specialty training stations, and video room—to bring hands-on training to staff in nine states.
CSArch Installed new intranet for better internal communications.
Cuningham Group Architecture Established a Research Council to sponsor client- and project-focused R&D leading to improved designs and services.
Dattner Architects Encouraging WELL AP and Passive House certifications for designers. Hosted several day-long workshops on passive house design.
DGA Creating “translational medicine” facilities, where cell/gene therapy helps create new medical treatments.
SEE ALSO: Top 115 Architecture Firms
Top 100 Architecture/Engineering Firms
E4H Architecture Merged three firms to create a single healthcare-only architecture firm. Implemented Smart Facility Design process, using proprietary software.
EwingCole Moved to three-person leadership team: Jared Loos, Robert McConnell, AIA, and Keith Fallon, RA.
Francis Cauffman Created an internal model for delivery process, from go/no-go to post-occupancy follow-up.
FXFOWLE Published research that showed the viability of using the Passivhaus standard on high-rise residential buildings in New York City.
GBBN Architects Established “EDGE” galleries at its four locations to stimulate fertile, creative thought across distinct realms.
GreenbergFarrow Added structural engineering capability; expanding landscape architecture services.
GWWO Using video game engines to make BIM models more accessible to users.
Harley Ellis Devereaux Implementing Lean design principles and new visualization tools into workflow.
Harvard Jolly Using Autodesk BIM 360 Glue to spot potential construction errors.
HDR Two new computational design tools: Rapid Energy Performance Simulator (for parametric energy analysis); and a Health and Wellness tool (to measure the financial impacts of various wellness design strategies).
HKS Developed “sequence-simulator” parametric modeling tool to simulate human movement in complex healthcare environments; also, “Lab in a Bag,” a sensor network that correlates environmental and human outcomes.
HMC Using Flexsim software to analyze human traffic patterns and predict pedestrian flow in high-traffic healthcare spaces, such as EDs.
IA | Interior Architects Gathering real-time operations data and creating custom infographics to gain better insights on user trends and opportunities.
Kahler Slater Conducting POEs to see how spaces and environments have performed for end-users over time.
Kenneth Park Architects Added three interior designers (now seven); expanded services to include commercial offices, residential interiors, hospitality.
L3 Healthcare Design Completed a five-year project to design a prototype orthopedic ambulatory surgery center.
Legat Architects Created eight strategic planning groups to explore long-term initiatives.
LPA Four-member research team leading efforts in post-occupancy surveying and energy data gathering.
LEO A DALY New effort: repurposing historic structures.
Lord Aeck Sargent Started new design forum, pin-ups and critiques, “Drink & Draw” event, and office Social Hour.
Niles Bolton Associates Gathering cost metrics specific to multifamily building typologies, location, and density.
Payette Developed publicly available Glazing and Winter Comfort Tool to improve façade design and lower energy demand.
Perkins+Will Collaboration with Arid Lands Institute, Arup, and city of Los Angeles on “Hazel,” a digital modeling tool to help arid communities build infrastructure needed to capture and reuse stormwater runoff.
Quattrocchi Kwok Architects Advocating for CHPS-designed schools; designing K-12s based on current research showing benefits of good facility design on academic achievement.
Retail Design Collaborative Renamed the firm (formerly Perkowitz + Ruth).
RNL Implemented a proprietary rating system that summarizes metrics from Envision, WELL, Energy Star, Fitwel, etc.
ROSSETTI Expanding its role in urban planning.
SH Architecture Using Lean design principles to streamline project delivery.
Sheehan Partners Architecture + Interiors Use of virtual reality for client presentations.
Sink Combs Dethlefs Invented a secure laundry closet where the hamper connects directly to the locker room but can also be accessed from the outside. Laundry service personnel can get to the dirty laundry, but not into the locker room itself.
SmithGroupJJR InKNOWvations professional development series: 53 topics, 197 sessions, 2,023 participants. Website provides one-stop shop for learning, performance, and goal setting.
STR Partners Educating school districts to self-perform work.
Ted Moudis Associates New training program for Newforma, PlanGrid, and virtual reality.
TEG Architects Refined its master planning process to help clients align healthcare facilities with their strategic plans.
Ware Malcomb New concentration: designing multistory warehouse buildings for tight sites in cities like LA, NY, and Seattle.
WATG Designed world’s first freeform 3D-printed house.
WDG Architecture Special focus on operational efficiencies for talent acquisition, workflow, balancing teams.
Weber Thompson Using VR to support clients with leasing efforts for their properties.
Wendel Applying a Master Builder approach in which the design firm leads the design-build team to provide a single point of contact for the client.
Wilson Associates Implemented Office 365 for better collaboration across global offices. New design studio in Shanghai.
ZGF Applying computational design to form-making and analysis.
VIEW ALL STORIES AND AEC FIRM RANKINGS FROM THE 2017 GIANTS 300 REPORT
Related Stories
Retail Centers | May 3, 2024
Outside Las Vegas, two unused office buildings will be turned into an open-air retail development
In Henderson, Nev., a city roughly 15 miles southeast of Las Vegas, 100,000 sf of unused office space will be turned into an open-air retail development called The Cliff. The $30 million adaptive reuse development will convert the site’s two office buildings into a destination for retail stores, chef-driven restaurants, and community entertainment.
Codes and Standards | May 3, 2024
New York City considering bill to prevent building collapses
The New York City Council is considering a proposed law with the goal of preventing building collapses. The Billingsley Structural Integrity Act is a response to the collapse of 1915 Billingsley Terrace in the Bronx last December.
Architects | May 2, 2024
Emerging considerations in inclusive design
Design elements that consider a diverse population of users make lives better. When it comes to wayfinding, some factors will remain consistent—including accessibility and legibility.
K-12 Schools | Apr 30, 2024
Fully electric Oregon elementary school aims for resilience with microgrid design
The River Grove Elementary School in Oregon was designed for net-zero carbon and resiliency to seismic events, storms, and wildfire. The roughly 82,000-sf school in a Portland suburb will feature a microgrid—a small-scale power grid that operates independently from the area’s electric grid.
AEC Tech | Apr 30, 2024
Lack of organizational readiness is biggest hurdle to artificial intelligence adoption
Managers of companies in the industrial sector, including construction, have bought the hype of artificial intelligence (AI) as a transformative technology, but their organizations are not ready to realize its promise, according to research from IFS, a global cloud enterprise software company. An IFS survey of 1,700 senior decision-makers found that 84% of executives anticipate massive organizational benefits from AI.
Codes and Standards | Apr 30, 2024
Updated document details methods of testing fenestration for exterior walls
The Fenestration and Glazing Industry Alliance (FGIA) updated a document serving a recommended practice for determining test methodology for laboratory and field testing of exterior wall systems. The document pertains to products covered by an AAMA standard such as curtain walls, storefronts, window walls, and sloped glazing. AAMA 501-24, Methods of Test for Exterior Walls was last updated in 2015.
MFPRO+ News | Apr 29, 2024
World’s largest 3D printer could create entire neighborhoods
The University of Maine recently unveiled the world’s largest 3D printer said to be able to create entire neighborhoods. The machine is four times larger than a preceding model that was first tested in 2019. The older model was used to create a 600 sf single-family home made of recyclable wood fiber and bio-resin materials.
K-12 Schools | Apr 29, 2024
Tomorrow's classrooms: Designing schools for the digital age
In a world where technology’s rapid pace has reshaped how we live, work, and communicate, it should be no surprise that it’s also changing the PreK-12 education landscape.
Adaptive Reuse | Apr 29, 2024
6 characteristics of a successful adaptive reuse conversion
In the continuous battle against housing shortages and the surplus of vacant buildings, developers are turning their attention to the viability of adaptive reuse for their properties.
AEC Innovators | Apr 26, 2024
National Institute of Building Sciences announces Building Innovation 2024 schedule
The National Institute of Building Sciences is hosting its annual Building Innovation conference, May 22-24 at the Capital Hilton in Washington, D.C. BI2024 brings together everyone who impacts the built environment: government agencies, contractors, the private sector, architects, scientists, and more.
