Gensler surpassed $1 billion in architectural revenue in 2014, setting a record and maintaining its leading status for the fourth consecutive year on RECORD’s annual Top 300 Architecture Firms list, which ranks companies based on earnings from the prior year.
Gensler made huge gains last year, particularly in domestic revenue, which totaled $778.45 million, and major international clients have tapped the firm to help them expand into the U.S. market. (Gensler recently designed Metropolis in Los Angeles, a $1 billion mixed-use project by China-based developer Greenland.) “Because Gensler is a global firm with 46 offices across five continents, we partner with clients that also have a global footprint,” says Gensler’s co-CEO Andy Cohen. “Clients are looking for opportunities beyond their markets.”
Overall, U.S. architecture firms are booming, with income totaling $12.3 billion, an increase from $11.2 billion in 2013. The gains are particularly strong in the domestic market, where 2014 revenues added up to $9.4 billion, up from $8.85 billion the previous year. International earnings rose to $2.89 billion, up half a billion.
AECOM, which came in second, also grew enormously, particularly in international revenue for architecture, which increased by nearly $275 million. A major factor in the firm’s blockbuster year was its acquisition of industry giant URS, which ranked sixth on last year’s list. “It was more of a merger than an acquisition—we doubled in size,” says Ross Wimer, who oversees architecture for the Americas. AECOM came in third last year after trailing CH2M HILL, which fell to sixth place this year.
Following the acquisition of Callison in 2014, ARCADIS/Callison RTKL jumped to the fifth spot, doubling revenue in the last year. ARCADIS has kept the names for both RTKL and Callison, known for its retail practice. “Most firms at the size and scale of Arcadis haven’t taken that approach,” says Lance Josal, CEO of Callison RTKL. “ARCADIS recognizes the power behind these two brands and is keeping them intact.”
