Top 50 U.S. Architecture Firms

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ARCHITECT Magazine has released their fourth annual ranking of the most “powerful, philanthropic, talented and profitable” architecture firms in the United States. Don’t be fooled, this doesn’t necessarily mean the biggest firms, as the survey uses the broadest possible criteria to allow practices, both small and large, the opportunity to compete and be recognized.

Firms are ranked by profitability, sustainability and design quality. For the first time this year, the survey included pro bono work and water modeling in response to the challenging realities of the economy, natural disasters and drought.

Additionally, the survey revealed that 66% of the firms reported an increase in their net revenue from 2010 to 2011. No surprise there, when considering the slow, overall improvement of the ABI (check out the latest ABI report here).

DLR Group; Omaha, Neb.

William Rawn Associates; Boston

HOK; St. Louis

Zimmer Gunsul Frasca Architects (ZGF); Portland, Ore.

Pei Cobb Freed & Partners Architects; New York

Westlake Reed Leskosky; Cleveland

Skidmore Owings & Merrill; New York

Payette; Boston

SmithGroupJJR, Detroit

Cannon Design; Grand Island, N.Y.

HDR Architecture; Omaha, Neb.

Kaplan McLaughlin Diaz Architects (KMD); San Francisco

Centerbrook Architects and Planners; Centerbrook, Conn.

Perkins+Will; Chicago

Pearce Brinkley Cease + Lee; Raleigh, N.C.

BNIM; Kansas City

Frank Harmon Architect; Raleigh, N.C.

HGA Architects and Engineers; Minneapolis

Mark Cavagnero Associates Architects; San Francisco

RNL; Denver

EYP Architecture & Engineering; Albany, N.Y.

EHDD; San Francisco

Eskew+Dumez+Ripple; New Orleans

NBBJ; Seattle

Sasaki Associates; Watertown, Mass.

The Miller Hull Partnership; Seattle

AECOM; Los Angeles

Lord Aeck & Sargent; Atlanta

H3 Hardy Collaboration Architecture; New York

RBB Architects; Los Angeles

LMN Architects; Seattle

Richärd+Bauer; Phoenix

Leddy Maytum Stacy Architects; San Francisco

Goettsch Partners; Chicago

Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture; Chicago

LPA; Irvine, Calif.

HKS Architects; Dallas

Ratcliff Architects; Emeryville, Calif.

Studios Architecture; Washington, D.C.

Little Diversified Architectural Consulting; Charlotte, N.C.

Ehrlich Architects; Culver City, Calif.

Good Fulton & Farrell; Dallas

Robert A.M. Stern Architects; New York

Ross Barney Architects; Chicago

Tsoi/Kobus & Associates; Cambridge, Mass.

FxFowle; New York

Architectural Resources Cambridge (ARC); Cambridge, Mass.

Ann Beha Architects; Boston

PBK Architects; Houston

Clark Nexsen; Norfolk, Va. 


Top 50 in Business: Ranked according to net revenue per employee and change in net revenue from fiscal year 2010.

RBB Architects; Los Angeles

Mojo Stumer Associates; Greenvale, N.Y.

FreemanWhite; Charlotte, N.C.

William Rawn Associates; Boston

Kaplan McLaughlin Diaz Architects (KMD); San Francisco

View complete business list here.

Top 50 in Sustainability: Ranked according to their commitment to sustainability practices and the green certifications of their projects

Westlake Reed Leskosky; Cleveland

EHDD; San Francisco

Pearce Brinkly Cease + Lee; Raleigh, NC

William Rawn Associates; Boston

RNL; Denver

View complete sustainability list here.

Top 50 in Design Excellence/Pro Bono: Ranked according to the awards they have won for their design and their commitment to pro bono work.

Skidmore, Owings & Merrill; NY

Zimmer Gunsul Frasca Architects (ZGF); Portland, OR

BNIM; Kansas City

HOK; St. Louis

DLR Group; Omaha, Neb.

View complete Design Excellence/Pro Bono list here.

Compare this year’s list to the 2011 Top 100 Architecture Firms.

via ARCHITECT