After a long period of anemic performance, with growth mostly driven by renovations and additions, the K-12 sector is showing renewed interest in new construction. Consultant Paul Abramson, using data from Dun & Bradstreet, calculates that districts spent about $13.4 billion on construction projects in 2013, about $7.6 billion of which went for new schools (http://bit.ly/1kN4qkv).
Highest-spending regions included Texas-Louisiana-Oklahoma-Arkansas ($2.3 billion, or 17% of the nation’s K-12 total) and Arizona-California-Hawaii-Nevada ($1.68 billion). The lowest-spending regions included debt-plagued Illinois with neighboring states Minnesota and Wisconsin ($651 million) and Alaska-Idaho-Oregon-Washington ($558 million).
High schools are outpacing other K-12 facilities in construction spending, with the dollar value of projected 2014 starts at $4.15 billion, or 44% of the K-12 total. That’s followed by 33% for elementary schools, 23% for middle schools, and <1% for administrative and support projects.
Among the evident design trends: STEM morphing into STEAM with the addition of arts enrichment (sometimes with professional-quality performance spaces) to science, technology, engineering, and math schools; growing enthusiasm for vocational training facilities that provide an alternative to the traditional college prep path; and schools that do a better job of cementing community connections by leveraging local architectural themes.
The push for sustainable K-12 facilities also marches on; at high levels of green, the theme typically suffuses the pedagogy. Hood River (Ore.) Middle School’s Music and Science Building was recently certified net-zero energy by the International Living Future Institute, making it the first public school building to earn the tough-to-achieve designation.
Top K-12 School Sector Architecture Firms
| Rank | Company | 2013 K-12 Revenue |
| 1 | DLR Group | $41,000,000 |
| 2 | SHW Group | 40,016,000 |
| 3 | PBK | 35,880,000 |
| 4 | HMC Architects | 26,097,082 |
| 5 | Fanning/Howey Associates | 17,877,000 |
| 6 | Perkins+will | 16,668,514 |
| 7 | Heery International | 14,994,535 |
| 8 | NAC|Architecture | 14,494,206 |
| 9 | LPA | 14,191,442 |
| 10 | Perkins Eastman | 13,950,000 |
| 11 | Quattrocchi Kwok Architects | 13,230,000 |
| 12 | Moseley Architects | 12,521,613 |
| 13 | Integrus Architecture | 12,229,858 |
| 14 | Corgan | 10,372,178 |
| 15 | FGM Architects | 9,846,977 |
| 16 | NTD Architecture | 9,200,000 |
| 17 | Parkhill, Smith & Cooper | 8,580,000 |
| 18 | Symmes Maini & McKee Associates | 8,375,000 |
| 19 | Stantec | 8,097,800 |
| 20 | SchenkelShultz Architecture | 7,880,000 |
| 21 | SEI Design Group | 7,566,000 |
| 22 | Slaterpaull Architects | 7,500,468 |
| 23 | DLA Architects | 7,255,830 |
| 24 | GWWO | 7,047,216 |
| 25 | BRPH | 6,681,000 |
| 26 | Legat Architects | 6,630,200 |
| 27 | Wight & Company | 6,579,000 |
| 28 | Ashley McGraw Architects | 6,093,874 |
| 29 | HMFH Architects | 6,032,607 |
| 30 | BBS Architects | 5,950,250 |
| 31 | BLDD Architects | 5,750,000 |
| 32 | LaBella Associates | 5,644,772 |
| 33 | LS3P | 5,155,547 |
| 34 | Eppstein Uhen Architects | 4,623,477 |
| 35 | H+L Architecture | 4,070,997 |
| 36 | EwingCole | 4,020,000 |
| 37 | FXFOWLE Architects | 3,940,000 |
| 38 | Harley Ellis Devereaux | 3,780,000 |
| 39 | Cooper Carry | 3,402,330 |
| 40 | Goodwyn Mills & Cawood | 3,399,167 |
| 41 | CTA Architects Engineers | 3,336,600 |
| 42 | HKS | 3,142,143 |
| 43 | Cuningham Group Architecture | 3,052,272 |
| 44 | Schrader Group Architecture | 3,047,414 |
| 45 | NORR | 2,976,836 |
| 46 | Hord Coplan Macht | 2,948,595 |
| 47 | Ratio Architects | 2,879,009 |
| 48 | Albert Kahn Associates | 2,775,253 |
| 49 | IBI Group ? Gruzen Samton | 2,500,000 |
| 50 | RS&H | 2,450,000 |
| 51 | Harvard Jolly Architecture | 2,097,387 |
| 52 | Shepley Bulfinch | 2,000,000 |
| 53 | Becker Morgan Group | 1,945,649 |
| 54 | Leo A Daly | 1,787,681 |
| 55 | Good Fulton & Farrell | 1,704,900 |
| 56 | KZF Design | 1,490,333 |
| 57 | Clark Nexsen | 1,441,748 |
| 58 | Little | 1,410,229 |
| 59 | LMN Architects | 1,223,400 |
| 60 | Smallwood, Reynolds, Stewart, Stewart & Associates | 1,213,567 |
| 61 | Environetics | 1,137,965 |
| 62 | Massa Montalto Architects | 1,056,000 |
| 63 | VOA Associates | 989,711 |
| 64 | Mithun | 930,000 |
| 65 | Gensler | 700,000 |
| 66 | WHR Architects | 699,316 |
| 67 | PGAL | 672,000 |
| 68 | Ennead Architects | 585,055 |
| 69 | Davis Brody Bond | 570,932 |
| 70 | DesignGroup | 538,710 |
| 71 | OZ Architecture | 487,900 |
| 72 | Kirksey | 466,989 |
| 73 | HNTB Corp. | 444,786 |
| 74 | Beyer Blinder Belle | 405,394 |
| 75 | CO Architects | 386,900 |
| 76 | RSP Architects | 377,000 |
| 77 | LawKingdon Architecture | 350,000 |
| 78 | Ziegler Cooper | 348,762 |
| 79 | Morris Architects | 335,000 |
| 80 | Rule Joy Trammell + Rubio | 320,000 |
| 81 | Cambridge Seven Associates | 305,000 |
| 82 | Ware Malcomb | 284,000 |
| 83 | Hoffmann Architects | 260,000 |
| 84 | CASCO Diversified Corp. | 250,000 |
| 85 | JRS Architect | 235,000 |
| 86 | Rosser International | 230,000 |
| 87 | Page | 229,000 |
| 88 | Nelson | 210,577 |
| 89 | Gresham, Smith and Partners | 200,000 |
| 90 | Hastings+Chivetta Architects | 169,568 |
| 91 | Nadel | 130,000 |
| 92 | Epstein | 108,000 |
| 93 | BSA LifeStructures | 106,426 |
| 94 | ATA Beilharz Architects | 104,525 |
| 95 | Niles Bolton Associates | 104,386 |
| 96 | Hensley Lamkin Rachel | 100,000 |
| 97 | GBBN Architects | 97,000 |
| 98 | Sherlock, Smith & Adams | 92,000 |
| 99 | Lord Aeck Sargent | 75,379 |
| 100 | Poskanzer Skott | 50,000 |
| 101 | TEG Architects | 11,928 |
Top K-12 School Sector Engineering Firms
| Rank | Company | 2013 K-12 Revenue |
| 1 | AECOM Technology Corp. | $50,930,000 |
| 2 | URS Corp. | 47,642,239 |
| 3 | Jacobs | 35,150,000 |
| 4 | Parsons Brinckerhoff | 20,057,993 |
| 5 | TTG | 12,352,642 |
| 6 | STV | 8,018,000 |
| 7 | Shive-Hattery | 5,975,671 |
| 8 | KCI Technologies | 4,800,000 |
| 9 | Dewberry | 4,340,398 |
| 10 | Joseph R. Loring & Associates | 4,300,000 |
| 11 | Heapy Engineering | 4,079,921 |
| 12 | Thornton Tomasetti | 3,617,144 |
| 13 | Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates | 3,380,000 |
| 14 | Allen & Shariff | 3,000,000 |
| 15 | Interface Engineering | 2,934,922 |
| 16 | KJWW Engineering Consultants | 2,878,919 |
| 17 | Paulus, Sokolowski and Sartor | 2,800,000 |
| 18 | Brinjac Engineering | 2,677,720 |
| 19 | Simpson Gumpertz & Heger | 2,610,000 |
| 20 | M/E Engineering | 2,531,610 |
| 21 | Primera Engineers | 2,357,000 |
| 22 | French & Parrello Associates | 2,297,300 |
| 23 | Coffman Engineers | 2,147,260 |
| 24 | Henderson Engineers | 2,103,903 |
| 25 | Bridgers & Paxton Consulting Engineers | 2,024,344 |
| 26 | RDK Engineers | 1,880,000 |
| 27 | Wallace Engineering | 1,691,000 |
| 28 | KPFF Consulting Engineers | 1,625,000 |
| 29 | H.F. Lenz | 1,619,250 |
| 30 | Highland Associates | 1,600,000 |
| 31 | KLH Engineers | 1,384,045 |
| 32 | Glumac | 1,306,149 |
| 33 | AKF Group | 1,299,000 |
| 34 | Rist-Frost-Shumway Engineering | 1,000,000 |
| 35 | Fishbeck, Thompson, Carr & Huber | 1,000,000 |
| 36 | CJL Engineering | 994,410 |
| 37 | TLC Engineering for Architecture | 967,161 |
| 38 | M-E Engineers | 966,000 |
| 39 | Walter P Moore and Associates | 937,062 |
| 40 | Vanderweil Engineers | 808,300 |
| 41 | Karpinski Engineering | 720,037 |
| 42 | Sparling | 682,833 |
| 43 | Martin/Martin | 674,166 |
| 44 | SSOE Group | 664,516 |
| 45 | RMF Engineering | 650,000 |
| 46 | Aon Fire Protection Engineering Corp. | 540,000 |
| 47 | Newcomb & Boyd | 534,136 |
| 48 | Environmental Systems Design | 521,731 |
| 49 | Guernsey | 502,819 |
| 50 | I. C. Thomasson Associates | 500,000 |
| 51 | G&W Engineering Corp. | 484,000 |
| 52 | Wick Fisher White | 446,553 |
| 53 | Arup | 431,084 |
| 54 | CTLGroup | 400,000 |
| 55 | OLA Consulting Engineers | 308,400 |
| 56 | Kamm Consulting | 286,426 |
| 57 | DeSimone Consulting Engineers | 262,015 |
| 58 | GRW | 189,200 |
| 59 | Zak Companies | 178,364 |
| 60 | Dunham Associates | 150,000 |
| 61 | Mazzetti | 149,031 |
| 62 | Davis, Bowen & Friedel | 132,028 |
| 63 | Affiliated Engineers | 112,000 |
| 64 | Spectrum Engineers | 93,110 |
| 65 | Magnusson Klemencic Associates | 76,069 |
Top K-12 School Sector Construction Firms
| Rank | Company | 2013 K-12 Revenue |
| 1 | Gilbane | $480,230,252 |
| 2 | Turner Construction | 419,619,000 |
| 3 | Balfour Beatty US | 372,288,885 |
| 4 | CORE Construction Group | 278,177,865 |
| 5 | Skanska USA | 212,802,648 |
| 6 | Swinerton Builders | 182,000,000 |
| 7 | Kraus-Anderson Construction | 181,000,000 |
| 8 | JE Dunn Construction | 167,798,654 |
| 9 | Consigli Construction | 151,997,147 |
| 10 | Whiting-Turner Contracting Co., The | 146,933,150 |
| 11 | Adolfson & Peterson Construction | 142,957,713 |
| 12 | Barton Malow | 142,524,833 |
| 13 | McCarthy Holdings | 140,400,000 |
| 14 | PCL Construction | 122,996,983 |
| 15 | Tutor Perini Corp. | 120,049,254 |
| 16 | McShane Companies, The | 118,124,887 |
| 17 | Flintco | 110,350,000 |
| 18 | KBE Building Corp. | 89,239,714 |
| 19 | Bernards | 85,000,000 |
| 20 | Sundt Construction | 69,522,647 |
| 21 | Absher Construction | 67,476,142 |
| 22 | LeChase Construction Services | 65,600,000 |
| 23 | Walsh Group, The | 62,965,887 |
| 24 | Wight & Company | 61,092,000 |
| 25 | Lend Lease | 59,255,000 |
| 26 | Haselden Construction | 55,166,396 |
| 27 | LPCiminelli | 54,810,831 |
| 28 | Shawmut Design and Construction | 51,000,000 |
| 29 | Ryan Companies US | 48,316,285 |
| 30 | URS Corp. | 47,642,239 |
| 31 | Yates Companies, The | 42,800,000 |
| 32 | Pepper Construction | 35,760,000 |
| 33 | C.W. Driver | 35,595,000 |
| 34 | E.W. Howell | 33,818,000 |
| 35 | Coakley & Williams Construction | 32,267,167 |
| 36 | Brasfield & Gorrie | 30,364,402 |
| 37 | Choate Construction | 30,237,395 |
| 38 | Bette Companies, The | 29,375,000 |
| 39 | S. M. Wilson & Co. | 25,725,568 |
| 40 | Suffolk Construction | 25,620,266 |
| 41 | EMJ Corp. | 24,000,000 |
| 42 | Parsons Brinckerhoff | 20,057,993 |
| 43 | Manhattan Construction | 19,124,000 |
| 44 | New South Construction | 17,650,000 |
| 45 | Hill & Wilkinson | 17,026,000 |
| 46 | Kitchell Corp. | 16,545,918 |
| 47 | Heery International | 14,994,535 |
| 48 | HITT Contracting | 14,900,000 |
| 49 | Robins & Morton | 13,176,447 |
| 50 | W. M. Jordan Company | 12,735,471 |
| 51 | Messer Construction | 12,453,591 |
| 52 | Structure Tone | 12,081,000 |
| 53 | Hill International | 12,000,000 |
| 54 | Boldt Company, The | 11,978,048 |
| 55 | Hathaway Dinwiddie Construction | 11,690,000 |
| 56 | James G. Davis Construction | 10,187,161 |
| 57 | Stalco Construction | 10,040,000 |
| 58 | STV | 8,018,000 |
| 59 | Hunt Construction Group | 7,000,000 |
| 60 | O'Neil Industries/W.E. O'Neil | 5,825,412 |
| 61 | Weis Builders | 3,389,000 |
| 62 | Beck Group, The | 3,117,539 |
| 63 | Allen & Shariff | 3,000,000 |
| 64 | Linbeck Group | 2,590,000 |
| 65 | Batson-Cook | 1,810,861 |
| 66 | Hoar Construction | 1,769,000 |
| 67 | Clark Group | 1,731,296 |
| 68 | James McHugh Construction | 1,460,905 |
| 69 | Weitz Company, The | 1,434,533 |
| 70 | IMC Construction | 1,433,690 |
| 71 | Astorino | 743,040 |
| 72 | JLL | 242,655 |
Read BD+C's full 2014 Giants 300 Report
Related Stories
Architects | Mar 8, 2024
98 architects elevated to AIA's College of Fellows in 2024
The American Institute of Architects (AIA) is elevating 96 member-architects and 2 non-member-architects to its College of Fellows, an honor awarded to architects who have made significant contributions to the profession. The fellowship program was developed to elevate architects who have achieved a standard of excellence in the profession and made a significant contribution to architecture and society on a national level.
Sports and Recreational Facilities | Mar 7, 2024
Bjarke Ingels’ design for the Oakland A’s new Las Vegas ballpark resembles ‘a spherical armadillo’
Designed by Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) in collaboration with HNTB, the new ballpark for the Oakland Athletics Major League Baseball team will be located on the Las Vegas Strip and offer panoramic views of the city skyline. The 33,000-capacity covered, climate-controlled stadium will sit on nine acres on Las Vegas Boulevard.
Adaptive Reuse | Mar 7, 2024
3 key considerations when converting a warehouse to a laboratory
Does your warehouse facility fit the profile for a successful laboratory conversion that can demand higher rents and lower vacancy rates? Here are three important considerations to factor before proceeding.
Shopping Centers | Mar 7, 2024
How shopping centers can foster strong community connections
In today's retail landscape, shopping centers are evolving beyond mere shopping destinations to become vibrant hubs of community life. Here are three strategies from Nadel Architecture + Planning for creating strong local connections.
Market Data | Mar 6, 2024
Nonresidential construction spending slips 0.4% in January
National nonresidential construction spending decreased 0.4% in January, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of data published today by the U.S. Census Bureau. On a seasonally adjusted annualized basis, nonresidential spending totaled $1.190 trillion.
MFPRO+ Special Reports | Mar 6, 2024
Top 10 trends in senior living facilities for 2024
The 65-and-over population is growing faster than any other age group. Architects, engineers, and contractors are coming up with creative senior housing solutions to better serve this burgeoning cohort.
Architects | Mar 5, 2024
Riken Yamamoto wins 2024 Pritzker Architecture Prize
The Pritzker Architecture Prize announces Riken Yamamoto, of Yokohama, Japan, as the 2024 Laureate of the Pritzker Architecture Prize, the award that is regarded internationally as architecture’s highest honor.
Office Buildings | Mar 5, 2024
Former McDonald’s headquarters transformed into modern office building for Ace Hardware
In Oak Brook, Ill., about 15 miles west of downtown Chicago, McDonald’s former corporate headquarters has been transformed into a modern office building for its new tenant, Ace Hardware. Now for the first time, Ace Hardware can bring 1,700 employees from three facilities under one roof.
Green | Mar 5, 2024
New York City’s Green Economy Action Plan aims for building decarbonization
New York City’s recently revealed Green Economy Action Plan includes the goals of the decarbonization of buildings and developing a renewable energy system. The ambitious plan includes enabling low-carbon alternatives in the transportation sector and boosting green industries, aiming to create more than 12,000 green economy apprenticeships by 2040.
Lighting | Mar 4, 2024
Illuminating your path to energy efficiency
Design Collaborative's Kelsey Rowe, PE, CLD, shares some tools, resources, and next steps to guide you through the process of lighting design.
