WORKPLACEstudio2017 Design Review

WelcomeDLR Group’s Workplace Studio celebrated another year of growth in 2017. We welcomed Staffelbach, a lauded workplace design firm in Dallas, and Studio Hive, a boutique workplace design firm in Minneapolis to the DLR Group family. This infused our team with more than 80 new designers, project managers, planners, and strategists. Our increased bench depth has strengthened our ability to bring best-in-class ideas, solutions, and processes to our clients.

We’ve also doubled down on our commitment to Workplace Elevated (WE), our workplace strategy program. How would you feel if 79 percent of your employees experienced more collaboration, and 64 percent were more productive in your workplaces? What if by increasing your employees’ satisfaction in their work environment, you could also increase their loyalty to your company? Our investments in research–and dedication to applying our findings to our design solutions–have produced these exact outcomes in recently completed projects.

Our core and shell design continues to grow as well, with corporate headquarters for global tech firms and award-winning, environmentally-progressive speculative office buildings for developers in urban markets across the nation.

The workplace industry is in the midst of a sea change: The pendulum has swung from operating cost reductions through homogenization and densification, to efficiencies through activating individual performance and wellbeing. This paradigm is perfectly matched to our long-held promise to elevate the human experience through design.

We’re excited for the future of workplace. Thank you to our clients and friends for partnering with DLR Group to bring that future into being today.

Angela Castleton, PCCM Global Workplace Leader

WorkplaceLeadership Janice Linster, FASID

MinneapolisPrincipal

Melissa Spearman, LEED AP BD+C, PCCMOmahaPrincipal

Filo Castore, AIA, LEED APHoustonPrincipal

Mark Ludtka, AIA, LEEP AP BD+C SeattlePrincipal

Alison Marik Zeno, NCIDQ, LEED AP ID+C Los AngelesSenior Associate

Elaine Kanelos DenverSenior Associate

Jeremy Reding, AIA, WELL APSeattlePrincipal

Steve Cavanaugh, AIA, LEED AP ChicagoPrincipal

Jo Heinz, FIIDA DallasPrincipal

Tim Thielke, AIA Assoc., LEED AP Phoenix Associate

Ronald Reed, FAIAClevelandPrincipal

Gretchen Wahab, NCIDQ, LEED AP, PCCMLos AngelesPrincipal

Jesse DukerLos AngelesPrincipal

Amarpreet Sethi, CEM, HBDP, BEMP, LEED APSeattlePrincipal

Insights in Workplace

2017 marked the year of the employee. Choice-rich environments that support a variety of behaviors and a culture of wellbeing; amenitization of aging real estate to compete with new asset models; and the vital role of stakeholder engagement and change management in project success were a few topics our design professionals explored in our Insights. Underpinning them all is a drive to unlock the benefits that come from design for the individual employee experience.

Q+A: Healthy Space Research

byJoe MacDonaldBased in New York, Joe is DLR Group’s Global Research & Development Leader.

DLR Group is committed to investing in R&D programs focused on technology, process improvement, and evidence-based design, and dedicates time and resources annually for employee-owners to produce primary and secondary research and publications. As a firm, we recognize that in-house research benefits not only our employee-owners, but also our clients. Research proposals selected each year are those that foster the development and exchange of diverse and challenging ideas about architecture, engineering, planning, and interior design. Our R&D program contributes meaningful perspectives to design culture, the built environment, and greater society.

One of our 2017 R&D grant winners is Healthy Space, a research project from Building Performance Analyst Shona O’Dea and Architect Michael Vander Ploeg. Healthy

Space will capture real indoor air quality (IAQ) data points to quantify the healthiness of the air we breathe, and qualify how we think about workplace productivity. Across more than 20 of DLR Group’s offices around the world, O’Dea and Vander Ploeg will track temperature; relative humidity; CO2; PM2.5, an atmospheric particulate with a diameter less than 2.5 micrometers; and TVOCs, a wide range of organic chemical compounds, of the air in our offices in real time. Based on our research, this is the most comprehensive data set informing IAQ in our industry.

I sat down with the Healthy Space team to discuss their project goals.

Joe MacDonald: Why does your research project focus on indoor air quality?

A design-focused R&D program will position DLR Group’s offices as laboratories to quantify indoor air quality.

Shona O’Dea: DLR Group is committed to designing and engineering holistic and innovative solutions for both its clients’ environments, as well as its own workspaces. This research will identify gaps and opportunities for workplace IAQ. Our hypotheses aim to address how our design impacts IAQ. It is an area with limited amounts of scientific information, and the fastest growing concern for occupant health and wellbeing.

In addition to our observed data, Healthy Space will gather existing research in the area of indoor environmental quality (IEQ). We hope these findings lead to further correlations between healthy workplaces and key performance indicators such as occupant productivity, revenue, and ROI addressed in DLR Group’s Workplace Elevated program.

JM: What will happen to the data you gather?

Michael Vander Ploeg: All live data will be fed directly to a QLEAR, cloud-based IEQ dashboard, which can be accessed by each DLR Group office to evaluate IAQ in real time. The data will be monitored by DLR Group researchers and graduate students at partner universities.

JM: What are some of the anticipated outcomes of monitoring and measurement?

SO: Our Number One goal is to elevate the employee-owner experience through IAQ transparency. Studies have shown that sharing this data alone can increase occupants’ positive perceive of environments they cannot fully control.

A byproduct of continuous IAQ monitoring is a select certification. DLR Group offices that meet RESET standards for health and well-being will earn RESET Certification, a performance-based building standard recognizing measurably healthy results for PM2.5, CO2 and TVOC levels in indoor spaces . If all offices monitored in our study meet the RESET IAQ Standard, DLR Group will be the first company in the world to certify all of its permanent offices.

MVP: This will be great for DLR Group, but ultimately, we will extrapolate what we learn for the benefit of our clients. With each breath we take, we ingest particles from the materials that surround us. Healthy materials are the first line of defense in ensuring that what we breathe doesn’t compromise our cognition, health, or wellbeing, followed by adequate ventilation and filtration.

SO: It is the norm for buildings to track temperature to control the HVAC system, and more advanced energy codes require lighting and HVAC controls to modulate daylight and CO2, respectively. However, few existing— and even new—buildings are measuring beyond CO2 to assess IAQ.

Our Healthy Space research will help close that gap by measuring particulate matter, and VOCs along with baseline metrics of temperature, humidity, and carbon dioxide. We’ll also analyze specific IAQ optimization strategies such as green walls, air delivery, and distribution methodologies against the IAQ metrics listed above, and occupant satisfaction. This will inform a feedback loop for our interior design best-practices that elevate the human experience.

Follow #healthyspace on Twitter and Facebook to join our conversation.

Shona O’Dea, LEED AP BD+C, WELL AP

Michael Vander Ploeg

1 - 3 yrs

4 - 7 yrs

12 + yrs

8 - 11 yrs

opportunity to learn

meaningful work

physical work environment

flexible work policies

opportunity to advance

compensation

TOP TALENT INFLUENCES #1 INFLUENCE #2 INFLUENCE #3 INFLUENCE

byGretchen Wahab, NCIDQ, LEED AP, PCCMGretchen Gretchen is a national resource directing Workplace Elevated, DLR Group’s workplace strategies program.

Our clients often ask us about the “workplace of the future,” but what does it mean? We use it to reference forward-thinking design solutions that address the wants and needs of tomorrow’s emerging workforce. Existing market research around future workplaces factors often reinforces stereotypes about the generation gap and Millennials in the workplace. But those assumptions can lead to ineffective, and potentially dangerous, outcomes. We are a data-driven, evidence based design firm, and we use data to inform our design solution—not stereotypes.

What if we looked at the workforce in terms of years of experience instead of generational labels?We surveyed a cross-section of 500 professionals between the ages of 20 and 40 years who work across the nation. Here is what we learned about the similarities and differences across the ages.

Workplace Priorities: Experience MattersA recent DLR Group survey generates the facts and figures informing an evidence-based design approach to the office.

The People Click to view full graphic

39% female61% male

of total of total of total of total

54% female 44% male

55% female 45% male

42% female58% male

20% 29% 24% 27%

1 - 3 YEARS EXPERIENCE 4 - 7 YEARS EXPERIENCE 8 - 11 YEARS EXPERIENCE 12+ YEARS EXPERIENCE

43% 5%

13% 3%

36%

Talent Influences In our talent-driven market, every employer wants to know what drives decision making. Top prospective employees often have multiple offers on the table simultaneously. How can employers tilt the balance in their favor? We asked our group of surveyed professionals for their influences when deciding if they should work for a company.

As respondents accrue professional experience, priorities shift from learning opportunities to opportunities for advancement, meaningful work to compensation. Of the 11 surveyed factors, benefits, charismatic leadership, company’s mission, community involvement, and relatable coworkers were not top-three influences for any experience group. For younger employees, image matters: The physical work environment ranks in the top three factors that influence younger employees.

Green for Wellbeing There are ample studies connecting sustainability, wellbeing, and productivity in the workplace but there is often a gap between proof and perception. We asked which elements of sustainability are most essential to job satisfaction.

Daylight and outside views are the top-two ranked elements across all groups. From there, interesting trends emerge. Sit/stand desks are more essential to younger employees, while quality interior lighting rises in the ranks as experience levels, and age, increase. Surprisingly, although fitness centers and recreation facilities are an often requested amenity, active and passive recreation rank in the bottom two. Another surprising finding is the low ranking of biophilia/plants (third from last) despite evidence of its positive impact on cognitive function.

It’s All In a Day’s Work Today, enterprises consider the individual experience more and more. How do employees want to feel after a day’s work? What cultural influencers do they want to see made tangible in their work environments?

Although creativity is ranked as the Number One desired cultural influencer, creative is only seventh in the ways respondents want to feel after a day’s work. With a similar gap, innovation is in the top-third of most desired cultural influencer, while innovative is in the bottom quarter of how respondents want to feel after a day’s work.

Doing the Best Work: Where and Why Not only did we ask which spaces in the office are essential for job satisfaction, but also where each group finds they get their best work done. Responses revealed patterns around collaboration, working from home, and the progression from team-based working to solo focus as experience advances.

The desk remains the most popular place to get the best work done, retaining its reign as the essential daily touch point for employees. Individual workspace is also the most essential space for job satisfaction, but the importance placed on it wanes with experience. The nascent shift toward mobile patterns and new ways of working is reflected in less than half of respondents reporting they get their best work done away from their desk.

desk solo focus

small collab.

out of office

office cafe

maker spaceby overall rank

WHERE THE BEST WORK IS DONE

1 - 3

yea

rs

4 - 7

yea

rs

8 - 1

1 ye

ars

12 +

yea

rs

12+1

mobile technology

small collab.

desk

choice of where to work

ESSENTIAL SPACES IN THE OFFICE

avoid distractions

12+1

easier to focus

minimize commute

lifestyle benefits

TOP OFFICE AVOIDANCE REASONS

When they do, their best work is done away from the office, different experience levels do so for different reasons. Less experienced employees avoid the office to minimize commute and for lifestyle benefits, while experienced employees avoid the office because they find it easier to focus with fewer distractions. This may be a reflection of less experienced employees’ desire for mentorship and the opportunity to learn, which shifts toward a more individual focus on advancement as experience progresses.

Architects Must Think Like DevelopersFor new office buildings, a thorough understanding of a project’s business and economic drivers drives our design process.

byMark Ludtka, AIA, LEED AP BD+CBased in Seattle, Mark leads DLR Group’s Workplace Studio in the Pacific Northwest.

As architects, it is fundamental that we understand the goals and aspirations of our clients, and this is never more relevant than when we’re designing a building for developers. Our strategies differ significantly for a developer that intends to hold onto its new asset within its portfolio versus one that wants to sell the building for a significant return, or even one that intends to operate and maintain the building for a third-party owner. Over 30 years of workplace architecture and design, I’ve found that each scenario uniquely influences our approach to the building’s design and construction.

Short-Term Goals For developers that seek to quickly sell a new building, we must arrive at a design that fits the local market, can be built with readily available materials, and will lease quickly.

This doesn’t mean we sacrifice safety and quality over speed: quick builds aren’t always wrong, if that’s what the client needs. A recent client in the midst of a major hiring crunch, for example, had to prioritize speed as schedule drove everything about the project. And while this client wanted to control costs as much as possible, they also needed flexibility to house infrastructure and constantly shifting teams of employees. To that end, the selection of materials and structural and mechanical systems were driven by balancing speed, cost, and future flexibility.

In cities where high rises are permitted, office towers tend to be constructed from steel because they are not limited by ceiling height or total building height. Steel also allows for fairly large floor plates, a market preference driven primarily by technology tenants. Before tech was blue chip,

companies made do with what was cheaply available—often old warehouses or manufacturing facilities. Structures in the Meatpacking District in New York feature deep floorplates and high ceilings. In manufacturing facilities, high ceilings provide long sight lines for safety. As these facilities were adapted by tech companies, long sight lines supported collaboration and productivity. As the warehouse aesthetic became the standard go-to for tech, including uncovered ductwork and exposed structural details, designers were challenged to create that same sense of historical place in newer buildings. T3, for example, constructed entirely from cross-laminated timber (CLT), gives the older character of exposed wood beams and taller floor-to-floor heights in a reinvented way.

High rises aren’t every developer’s request. A recent, award-winning campus for SRM Development is two 90,000-square-foot floors, which is the equivalent of three buildings at the 30,000-square-foot measurement typical of professional service buildings. These larger buildings are often outside city centers, and require the addition of amenities tenants would normally find in the surrounding neighborhood. Developers aiming to attract technology tenants often have to weigh the advantages of providing the preferably large floor plates with high ceilings typical in less urban settings, against a less than 30,000-square-foot floor plate and going vertical to remain in the purview of neighborhood amenities that may help them attract talent.

Long-Term Goals Generally speaking, for a developer driven by long-term goals—both as a portfolio asset and as owner/operator—staying power is key. Aesthetically, time-tested design appears to be the preference but what are often referred to as “traditional” design choices also factor into lease ability. Gridded floorplates in a square office tower tend to offer more rentable square footage than one of an irregular shape such as the Transamerica Pyramid, maximizing a site’s developable square footage and the resulting property income. Not only do these boxier building shapes offer a favorable ratio of floor-plate-to-perimeter-skin, linear layouts tend to be more flexible for a broader swath of potential tenants.

For developers looking to attract a higher-paying tenant, we as architects have to make the building look, feel, and possess the functional characteristics commensurate with competitors paying at that rate. If I am designing a building for someone, but I intend to own and operate it for them, I want to meet their needs as best I can while finding ways to reduce my operating costs. Efficient mechanical systems; renewable energy options, such as solar panels; and more utilitarian finishes that can take a licking but still look good over time are top of mind in this scenario. Anything we can do to make the building easier to maintain—so I don’t spend a lot out-of-pocket to repair and maintain the building—helps with amortization of the property.

Amenities, Amenities, Amenities In addition to leasable square footage, many developers also consider what’s already happening in the neighborhood. If there are local businesses already supported by the community, developers consider the potential support tenants can offer those existing businesses and define a complementary, not redundant, amenity program. In instances where services, entertainment and fitness, or food and beverage already exist near the build site, less budget, time, and square footage is dedicated to common areas, maximizing rentable and usable area within each floor. Full transparency around a building’s amenity goals also helps us design a limited number of shafts—namely those for mechanicals, elevators, and stairs—because those significantly limit rentable square feet. Using the perimeter to bring air in, and for exhaust, can help limit vertical mechanical shafts and increase rentable area.

Amenities can also factor into a landlord’s ability to attract tenants. In a large building, a fully-wired conference facility with good AV systems that can be reasonably leased from a building owner frees up a lot of square footage—and design opportunity—so large tenants don’t have to plan that in their space. They can instead prioritize collaborative and work spaces that support the activities of their employees, over a meeting room for 100+ that eats up a lot of room for not a lot of use. That frees us, as designers, to focus on flexible and multi-functional spaces that can accommodate large groups, or break into many smaller spaces. In addition to more leasable square footage, amenities outside the office can also offer productivity advantages. In these casual “third-space” settings outside the tenant office, people share with fewer inhibitions and speak more freely without the concern of others eavesdropping.

Here in the Pacific Northwest, bike storage and lockers are the most common amenities requested, as well as outdoor spaces. For a while, workout rooms and gym facilities were big, but they were no longer being used, or perceived as added value. People tend to gravitate to fitness facilities on a personal level, be it barre class, yoga, spin, or CrossFit. That choice is often tied to one’s social life, too, so it is hard for many to incorporate that activity in a work setting. Universally, what attracts people are “great room” experiences as part of a lobby, a place that people sit, meet, work, and connect through all-wireless devices. Accompanying that is almost always some sort of F&B program which helps keep the space active, kind of like an informal conferencing or coworking space.

This is why, when working with developers, it is so important we ask seemingly simple questions about the short and long-term goals of our developer clients: It helps us prioritize and organize very complex solutions, as well as where and how to most effectively spend the clients’ budget. The closer we align our desired outcomes, the greater are our chances for collective success.

Design 2017

In 2017, DLR Group delivered more than three million square feet of core and shell, interior, and strategic workplace solutions to developer, end user, and broker clients. Client partners in the technology, financial, creative, and other industries entrusted DLR Group with the design of headquarters, global design standards, and more than 250 projects to propel their businesses forward.

This global sports and entertainment marketing company has dedicated decades to first and foremost serving their clients. However, with its new headquarters on the Connecticut coast, the company looked to turn their gaze inward to the employee. DLR Group’s design team helped transition the company from a closed, focused work environment; to a shared, open collaborative workspace. By integrating a concept of group, loop, and gather, the team was able to organize employees with common roles, create shared circulation paths, and consolidate amenity spaces into a condensed zone. Signage, lighting, and material palette give the space a cohesive look and feel while allowing for playful user integration with “swag walls” where users display personal and team achievements. A unifying spine stiches different groups together with a fabricated baffle installation in the ceiling for an acoustic buffer and visual connector. In addition to delivering a new headquarters in Stamford during 2017, DLR Group also designed a new 14,000-SF office for 50 Octagon employees in Charlotte, N.C., on a compressed, 16 week schedule.

Group, loop, and gather principles inform new social patterns and celebrate achievement at Octagon’s new headquarters.

Team Sport

Stamford, Conn.

Nickelodeon’s new headquarters inspires creativity, and serves as a resource to the entertainment community.

A Creative Artists’ Retreat

Nickelodeon had outgrown its main campus and started utilizing offsite buildings to house many of its employees. The design and construction of a new Class A office building is a core part of the corporation’s strategy to increase efficiency and build a physical presence in the community. DLR Group’s planning of the new state-of-the-art headquarters building unites all of Nickelodeon’s brands in one location as a hub for the entire animation industry. Designed in partnership with STUDIOS, the timeless, yet contemporary, new office building continues the theme of the existing campus with careful consideration to reflect the creativity and sophistication of Nickelodeon while responding to the adjacent industrial context. Additionally, the scale of the building provides a previously unattainable physical presence in the community, visible from a distance in the surrounding area, including a nearby transit hub and the heavily traveled interstate highway. The campus is designed as an open and inviting space where employees feel the freedom and inspiration of an artists’ retreat. The building layout follows the client’s strong belief that creative ideas spring more frequently from casual interactions than forced meetings, so interior spaces are designed for greater collaboration and mobility between the various production arms.

Burbank, Calif.

Employees in Nestle’s First Floor Harper Building no longer occupy a typical workstation on a daily basis; rather they prioritize where they reside based on their tasks at hand. Nestle’s key ambition behind the renovation was to develop an environment where spaces are attributed to activities rather than individuals, inspired by their recently rolled out European design standards. DLR Group’s design introduced a continuum of task-oriented spaces ranging from quiet rooms for deep focus; open office spaces for daily tasks and routine production; and shared social hubs and conference rooms for formal/informal degrees of collaboration. The spaces are organized with attention to adjacencies for integration. Every employee can easily access different environments regardless of where they are working on any given day. Whereas the Harper Building was formerly divided and disconnected by hard-wall offices, kitchens, and conference spaces, the renovation reduces the number of closed spaces–even entirely eliminating the private office. For remaining enclosed spaces, floor-to-ceiling glass storefronts provide a high degree of openness and transparency.

Nestle’s new workplace features spaces attributed to activities rather than individuals.

Freedom of Choice

Solon, Ohio

An oasis to escape to during the workday, the @9 Amenity Center at 50 South Sixth provides new common areas serving the needs of this downtown building’s tenants. The center caters exclusively to building tenants, providing them with social, networking, and wellness opportunities that are the envy of tenants in nearby buildings. DLR Group’s design provides unique amenity spaces that include a work lounge and cafe, executive meeting and training rooms, a client welcome area, and a rooftop terrace overlooking the downtown Minneapolis skyline. Wellness is just steps away with a state-of-the-art Fitness Center and Fitness Studio. Our design process involved extensive research into influences and drivers of employee satisfaction and engagement within Class A buildings, as well as study into which types of amenities can best be provided by building landlords rather than tenants. This research was supplemented through a series of focus groups with building tenants and the building owner, Hines, to inform the program and generate buy-in for the project.

Minneapolis, Minn.

The @9 Amenity Center repositions an iconic downtown building with a robust tenant-driven program.

Oasis for Escape

What’s next?

Hines T3 Goose IslandChicago, Ill.

Following the proof-of-concept with the mass timber T3 building in Minneapolis, DLR Group’s T3 Goose Island will evolve mass timber as a new asset class.

Confidential Technology ClientIrvine, Calif.

With employee interviews that emphasized a laid-back lifestyle, and client criteria prioritizing comfort, this “SoCal backyard” workplace will deliver with tire swings, gazebos, and beehive nap pods.

Advanced Energy Multiple US locations

Advanced Energy’s progressive new headquarters will cement it as a leader in the power solutions industry, modernize operations, and enhance the employee experience.

HBK Capital ManagmentDallas, Texas

Right-sizing and updated standards are cornerstones of DLR Group|Staffelbach’s design for one of the top-rated hedge funds in the world, which will reinvent the HBK workplace.

VertaforeDenver, Colo.

Vertafore’s new headquarters will energize the rapidly growing firm’s workforce in an open-door, transparent office that serves as a recruiting tool. Phase I is completed and Phase II will build on the amenity-rich neighborhood concept.

Sustainability Report

Challenge of the Century One of the most pressing challenges of this century is to mitigate climate change caused by greenhouse gas emissions from human activities. The DLR Group Sustainability Report for 2017 reflects our progress toward meeting the 2030 Challenge. We extract this information from the estimated operational energy consumption, energy production, and energy optimization of DLR Group designs in 2017. Beyond these typical metrics of achievement, we are further beginning to consider the “water-energy nexus,” calculating not only how much water is used to create the energy we use but how to reclaim or conserve it.

Validate Performance DLR Group continues to complete data research to verify actual performance of our designs. We are excited to have submitted three additional buildings into the process of recognition by the New Buildings Institute in 2017 for exemplary energy performance. Once finalized, it will bring our total NBI- recognized buildings to a total of 1.5 million square feet of emerging zero energy and ultra-low performing buildings.

Raise the Bar DLR Group’s average reduction targets of predicted energy use for our high performance designs have consistently exceeded the national peer group average. We set an aggressive goal of 10 percent improvement from where we were the previous year. In 2017, our reduction target came in at 40 percent compared to the average building. A 10 percent improvement set our goal at 44 percent for this past year. DLR Group is thrilled to report that we exceeded that goal and reached a 48 percent reduction in 2017. Additionally, in 2016 we reported that 16 percent of our entire portfolio by gross square footage met the 2030 Challenge goal. This past year we achieved 36 percent of our portfolio meeting this milestone.

Read our 2017 Environmental Stewardship Summary

SustainabilityHowever, as a global design leader, we aim for continuous improvement in meeting 2030 Challenge reduction targets. The trend in our AIA 2030 Commitment reporting shows tangible progress in achieving these goals through broader participation across all DLR Group studios. Both renewable energy and building optimization projects are significantly contributing toward our efforts to achieve the benchmarks of Architect 2030.

Through our performance design practice, DLR Group is poised to meet 2030 Challenge goals on every new project by 2020.

environmental2017 Annual Reportstewardship2017 Summary

Awards

Hines T3 OfficeMinneapolis, Minn.

Association of Licensed Architects Design Awards: Silver Award Azure AZ awards Environmental Leadership Canadian Wood Council: Citation Award CoreNet Midwest Chapter: Innovator’s Award Finance & Commerce: Top Project of 2016 Minnesota Construction Association: Green/Sustainable Project of the Year NAIOP: Downtown & North Loop Office Award of Excellence Wood Works: International Wood DesignAward

Nelnet Telegraph District RenovationLincoln, Neb.

Excellence in Architectural Detail, MeritAIA Central States

Google KirklandKirkland, Wash.

425 Business magazine: Best Office Space of the Year; IES Pudget Sound: Illumination Award for Energy and Environmental Design; NAIOP Washington: Office of the Year Finalist

Final Four HeadquartersMinneapolis, Minn.

Minneapolis Saint Paul Business Journal: Coolest Office

2017 was an exciting and very eventful year for DLR Group. We launched the year with 810 design professionals in 24 offices and with demonstrated expertise in 11 building types.

During the year, Westlake Reed Leskosky, Momenta, Studio Hive, Kwan Henmi, and Staffelbach joined DLR Group.

We closed the year with 1,150 design professionals in 29 offices with demonstrated expertise in 15 building types, and added an array of new specialized design services and experts.

In many ways, this acquisition blitz was serendipitous. DLR Group is always looking to add design talent and access to new geographies, and during the year a multitude of factors aligned to enable DLR Group to substantially grow via acquisition. While adding new geographies and expertise is the aim, ensuring a cultural fit is always the strategic imperative. Each of the firms joining DLR Group share beliefs that align with our core values; a commitment to integrated design, sustainability, and design excellence.

The depth of design resources, experience, and expertise that have joined our 100 percent employee-owned firm is remarkable. This includes specialized engineering, theatrical design experts, and internationally recognized interiors, preservation, and planning practices. And new Culture+Performing Arts, Multi-Family Housing, Museum, and Transportation studios, along with enhanced expertise in Education, Justice, Workplace, and sustainable design strengthen our competitive position in the marketplace. The vision is to be a global design leader with resources, reach, and the wherewithal to serve clients wherever, however, and whenever our design services are needed.

Our goal is not to be a big firm. It’s to be a great firm. A highly-differentiated, deeply integrated, global design leader. All our recent acquisitions–WRL, Momenta, Studio Hive, Kwan Henmi, and Staffelbach–further the design ambitions of our employee-owners and our ability to elevate the human experience through design.

Griff Davenport, AIA CEO, DLR Group

ARCHITECT Magazine #1 design firm in 2014Adds 170 people and new locations in Charlotte, Cleveland, and New YorkDoubles design staff in Phoenix and Washington, D.C.Market leading Cultural+Performing Arts StudioAdds highly specialized design & engineering services

Adds 15 design professionals in MinneapolisElevates Minneapolis Workplace StudioAdds leadership and expertise to Global Interiors Practice

Adds seven design professionals to the Kansas City officeEnhances K-12, Higher Education, and Civic design

Adds 30 design professionals and San Francisco office locationEnhances support and service for Northern California clientsAdds Multi-Family Housing and Transportation experts

Adds a recognized presence, and a 50-year legacy of design in DallasEnhances leadership and design resources for Global Workplace Studio and Interiors Practice70 design professionals elevate DLR Group’s reach and ability to serve clients in Texas

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