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Increases of Giant Proportion

Judith Davidsen -- Interior Design, 1/1/2005 12:00:00 AM

Second Top 100 Interior Design Giants

We're thrilled to announce that there's been a return to double-digit growth—a phenomenon that hasn't occurred since 2001. The 2005 top 100 Interior Design Giants earned $1,610,057,477, a hefty 10.19 percent increase over last year, when a rise of little over 1 percent was considered cause for mild jubilation. As for who's responsible, four firms moved up from last year's second 100 Giants, another four returned after a short hiatus from any Giants ranking, and one seems to have come out of nowhere.

Compared with last year, when only 42 top 100 Giants reported expanded earnings, this year 70 of them experienced increases ranging from less than 1 percent all the way up to 73 percent. (Two companies reported no change.)

More than a third of those reporting increases credit an emphasis on business development, including new marketing hires, as well as publishing, speaking engagements, and community activity. Diversification and expanded services were each credited by 18.6 percent. Ten firms concentrated on maintaining relationships with existing clients, while seven each expanded into new geographical territories or focused primarily on the project types that have proven most profitable for them.

No one method, however, seems to be associated with outstanding growth. In fact, while some of the more assertive activity—getting out of ancillary businesses and markets that did not generate profits, for example—produced nice enough returns, one of the highest increases went to a firm that claims not to have changed its habits at all; it simply was commissioned more work.

As usual, office design was the largest single earner at 35.49 percent of total fees, down 2.22 points. Health care, perennially in fourth or fifth place, came in second with 13.25 percent of the total, up 1.77 percentage points. Hospitality, especially hard hit after 2001, is still in fourth place, but many of the Giants attribute their current success to a rebound in this area. And seventh-ranked science and technology is responsible for almost 6 percent of total earnings.

Total space installed was 514,428,655 square feet, up almost 1 percent from last year. The total value of installation was $38,795,444,794, up a sizeable 11.3 percent; $1,753,132,680 of these dollars—more than twice as much as last year—went toward sustainable products.

The average fee earned per employee climbed to $235,559 from $213,284; the highest was an astounding $1,285,714, a glorious increase from last year's high of $816,667 earned per employee. (The lowest was $63,966.) Interior design staff increased 4 percent, and a significant number of Giants feel that attracting top talent, mainly project directors and managers, will be a major challenge in the year to come. It's been a while since we've heard anything like that.

The Top 100 Giants

2005 Rank	Firms, Headquarters	Design Fees (Millions)	Work Installed		Design Staff	2004 Rank
			Value (millions)	Sq. Ft. (millions)
Methodology: The first installment of the three-part annual business survey of Interior Design Giants comprises the 100 largest firms ranked by interior design fees for the 12-month period ending December 31, 2004. The second 100 Giants firm ranking will be published in July; the final installment, listing the top 50 hospitality Giants, will be published in October. Interior design fees include fees attributed to: 1. All types of interiors work, including commercial and residential. 2. All aspects of a firm's interior design practice, from strategic planning and programming to design and project management. 3. Fees paid to a firm for work performed by employees and independent contractors who are "full-time staff equivalent." Interior design fees do not include revenues paid to a firm and remitted to subcontractors who are not considered the equivalent of full-time staff. For example, certain firms attract work that is subcontracted to a local firm. The originating firm may collect all the fees and retain a fee for management or generation, paying the remainder to the performing firm. The amounts paid to the latter firm are not included in the fees of the collecting firm in determining its ranking. Data was compiled and analyzed by Interior Design's market research staff in New York: research manager Wing Leung and tabulation supervisor Laura Girmscheid. Judith Davidsen is a contributing editor for the magazine.
1	Gensler, San Francisco; gensler.com	$123.200	$2,460.00	35.20	635	1
2	Hellmuth, Obata + Kassabaum, St. Louis; hok.com	$81.000	$2,530.00	32.0	236	2
3	Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, New York; som.com	$56.700	$950.00	9.0	216	5
4	Leo A Daly, Omaha; leodaly.com	$48.330	$1,100.50	15.1	174	4
5	Jacobs, Pasadena, California; jacobs.com	$42.591	$400.85	5.0	178	9
6	Perkins + Will, Chicago; perkinswill.com	$40.000	$1,200.00	14.0	165	3
7	IA Interior Architects, San Francisco; interiorarchitects.com	$39.039	$716.00	19.3	207	7
8	HDR, Omaha; hdrinc.com	$36.300	$1,400.00	14.0	216	12
9	Callison Architecture, Seattle; callison.com	$36.300	$977.97	10.4	102	10
10	HLW, New York; hlw.com	$31.000	$550.00	7.5	100	17
11	Pavlik Design Team, Fort Lauderdale, Florida; pavlikdesign.com	$30.210	$1,710.00	21.9	136	6
12	Hillier Architecture, Princeton, New Jersey; hillier.com	$30.000	$375.00	3.0	30	19
13	NBBJ, Seattle; nbbj.com	$29.800	$905.00	18.0	215	8
14	TPG Architecture (The Phillips Group), New York; tpgarchitecture.com	$28.720	$1,182.53	11.8	161	13
15	Cannon Design, Boston; cannondesign.com	$28.033	NR*	5.0	170	15
16	SmithGroup, Minneapolis; smithgroup.com	$28.012	$417.21	4.3	162	11
17	Wilson & Associates, Dallas; wilsonassoc.com	$27.500	$1,000.00	NR	187	22
18	PageSoutherlandPage, Houston; psp.com	$26.798	$348.00	5.4	66	55
19	Hirsch Bedner Associates, Santa Monica, California; hbadesign.com	$25.825	$1,523.68	14.5	220	16
20	Creative Design Consultants, Costa Mesa, California; cdcdesigns.com	$25.500	NR	0.9	78	21
21	Design Forum, Dayton, Ohio; designforum.com	$25.200	$650.00	6.3	165	14
22	NELSON, Philadelphia; nelsononline.com	$23.500	$616.20	10.4	205	29
23	Flad & Associates, Madison, Wisconsin; flad.com	$23.400	$525.18	8.8	178	18
24	Perkins Eastman, New York; perkinseastman.com	$20.125	$116.00	2.5	97	24
25	Kling, Philadelphia; kling.us	$19.500	$400.00	2.5	100	23
26	RTKL Associates, Baltimore; rtkl.com	$17.000	$400.00	6.5	69	20
27	DMJM Design (DMJM Rottet/Spillis Candela DMJM), Los Angeles; dmjm.com	$16.600	$395.00	5.0	148	34
28	HKS, Dallas; hksinc.com	$16.500	$455.00	4.8	57	28
29	Mancini Duffy, New York; manciniduffy.com	$16.175	$400.00	6.6	94	32
30	A/R Environetics Group, New York; arenvironetics.com	$15.900	$183.00	2.5	60	26
31	EwingCole, Philadelphia; ewingcole.com	$15.400	$550.00	2.8	146	39
32	FRCH Design Worldwide, Cincinnati; frch.com	$15.300	$200.77	NR	132	43
33	Ai, Washington, D.C.; aiarchitecture.com	$15.000	$325.00	NR	95	25
34	Burt Hill Kosar Rittelmann Associates, Pittsburgh; burthill.com	$14.304	NR	NR	134	49
35	STUDIOS Architecture, Washington, D.C.; studiosarchitecture.com	$14.000	$700.00	4.0	72	30
36	RSP Architects, Minneapolis; rsparch.com	$14.000	$312.00	3.9	41	35
37	Interior Space International, Chicago; epstein-isi.com	$13.500	$500.00	12.0	68	37
38	Zimmer Gunsul Frasca Partnership, Portland, Oregan; zgf.com	$13.500	$180.00	4.5	65	47
39	Ted Moudis Associates, New York; tedmoudis.com	$13.450	$135.00	3.1	72	38
40	Swanke Hayden Connell Architects, New York; shca.com	$13.200	$375.00	5.0	110	36
41	SPACE, Chicago; thinkspace.biz	$13.000	$430.00	6.5	120	33
42	Marc-Michaels Interior Design, Winter Park, Florida; marc-michaels.com	$12.255	$24.13	NR	50	42
43	Ellerbe Becket, Minneapolis; ellerbebecket.com	$12.000	$355.00	4.9	36	31
44	DBI Architects, Washington, D.C.; dbia.com	$12.000	$150.00	2.5	51	41
45	Peter Marino & Associates Architects, New York	$11.700	$175.00	0.5	96	--
46	OWP/P ARCHITECTS, Chicago; owpp.com	$11.600	$290.00	5.8	31	51
47	Roger Ferris + Partners, Westport, Connecticut; ferrisarch.com	$11.500	$286.00	1.7	48	50
48	CUH2A, Princeton, New Jersey; cuh2a.com	$10.200	$634.50	11.3	74	44
49	DiLeonardo International, Warwick, Rhode Island; DiLeonardo.com	$10.200	$334.00	3.0	51	45
50	Cubellis Associates, Boston; cubellis.com	$10.170	$191.20	4.1	46	75
51	ASD, Atlanta; asdnet.com	$9.750	NR	NR	65	60
52	RMW Architecture + Interiors, San Francisco; rmw.com	$9.746	$205.25	2.7	45	58
53	CBT/Childs Bertman Tseckares, Boston; cbtarchitects.com	$9.500	$220.00	2.6	39	52
54	Griswold, Heckel & Kelly Associates, Chicago; ghk.net	$9.300	$230.00	4.2	63	48
55	VOA Associates, Chicago; voa.com	$9.284	$152.00	2.5	74	--
56	Gould Evans, Kansas City, Missouri; gouldevans.com	$9.275	NR	NR	145	70
57	Karlsberger Companies, Columbus, Ohio; Karlsberger.com	$9.150	$260.00	2.3	19	57
58	Tsoi/Kobus & Associates, Cambridge, Massachussetts; tka-architects.com	$9.000	$400.22	2.7	7	46
59	Little Diversified Architectural Consulting, Charlotte, North Carolina¹	$9.000	$310.00	6.0	59	59
60	Gresham Smith & Partners, Nashville; gspnet.com	$8.937	$174.83	3.4	44	54
61	Butler Rogers Baskett Architects, New York; brb.com	$8.806	$140.00	1.5	56	76
62	Ballinger, Philadelphia; ballinger-ae.com	$8.580	$159.00	4.2	16	--
63	Nicholas J. Tricarico, Architect, Wayne, New Jersey; Tricarico.com	$8.100	$140.00	4.3	55	62
64	Spector Group, North Hills, New York; spectorgroup.com	$7.800	$2.13	2.2	52	61
65	TVS, Atlanta; tvsa.com	$7.800	NR	NR	43	53
66	Daroff Design + DDI Architects, Philadelphia; daroffdesign.com	$7.790	$125.00	1.8	36	96
67	Shepley Bulfinch Richardson and Abbott, Boston; sbra.com	$7.200	$100.75	0.7	12	68
68	Gwathmey Siegel & Associates Architects, New York; gwathmey-siegel.com	$7.154	$144.70	0.7	46	66
69	JRS Architect, Mineola, New York; jrsarchitect.com	$7.125	$150.00	1.1	28	86
70	The Stubbins Associates, Cambridge, Massachussetts; stubbins.us	$7.000	$48.00	1.5	15	--
71	Granary Associates, Philadelphia; Granaryassoc.com	$6.900	NR	NR	65	67
72	Concepts 4, Long Beach, California; concepts4inc.com	$6.850	$160.00	1.8	22	74
73	Huntsman Architectural Group, San Francisco; huntsmanag.com	$6.750	$250.00	5.0	47	101
74	Slifer Designs, Edwards, Colorado; sliferdesigns.com	$6.700	NR	NR	31	82
75	The Switzer Group, New York; theswitzergroup.com	$6.560	$112.00	2.5	38	65
76	Francis Cauffman Foley Hoffmann, Architects, Philadelphia; fcfh-did.com	$6.500	$140.00	2.5	37	73
77	JGA, Southfield, Michigan; jga.com	$6.445	$50.00	1.8	36	93
78	H. Chambers Company, Baltimore; chambersusa.com	$6.420	$65.00	2.0	13	69
79	Brayton + Hughes Design, San Francisco; bhdstudio.com	$6.200	$70.00	1.6	28	72
80	Sasaki Associates, Watertown, Massachussetts; sasaki.com	$6.000	$97.00	1.0	32	91
81	OPX, Washington, D.C.; opxglobal.com	$6.000	$70.00	1.5	36	89
82	Brennan Beer Gorman Monk Interiors, New York; bbg-bbgm.com	$6.000	NR	NR	35	71
83	Cooper Carry, Atlanta; coopercarry.com	$5.900	NR	NR	45	104
84	Wimberly Allison Tong & Goo, Honolulu; watg.com	$5.750	NR	NR	37	--
85	Loebl Schlossman & Hackl, Chicago; Lshdesign.com	$5.745	$95.00	1.1	13	80
86	LS3P Associates, Charleston, South Carolina; ls3p.com	$5.700	$318.00	9.0	70	63
87	Einhorn Yaffee Prescott Architecture & Engineering, Albany; eypae.com	$5.700	$57.00	0.5	19	81
88	Anshen + Allen, San Francisco; anshen.com	$5.590	$56.50	2.3	18	56
89	TRO/The Ritchie Organization, Newton, Massachussetts; troarch.com	$5.553	$49.90	0.3	14	108
90	Bergmeyer Associates, Boston; bergmeyer.com	$5.500	$100.00	0.9	63	85
91	ADD, Cambridge, Massachussetts; addinc.com	$5.460	$182.08	3.6	31	92
92	Lawrence Group, St. Louis; thelawrencegroup.com	$5.428	$120.97	1.6	47	95
93	Planning Design Research Corporation, Houston; pdrcorp.com	$5.302	$250.00	2.2	36	100
94	Carrier Johnson, San Diego; carrierjohnson.com	$5.250	$167.30	2.4	10	88
95	The Gettys Group, Chicago; gettys.com	$5.200	$100.00	NR	28	64
96	Staffelbach Design Associates, Dallas; staffelbach.com	$5.200	$94.00	1.0	38	83
97	Environments Group, Chicago; Envgroup.com	$5.100	$120.00	1.5	47	87
98	Smallwood, Reynolds, Stewart, Stewart Interiors, Atlanta; srssa.com	$5.100	$56.25	2.5	29	94
99	Group Goetz Architects, Washington, D.C.; gga.com	$5.000	$110.00	1.5	34	84
100	Silvester+Tafuro, South Norwalk, Connecticut; silvestertafuro.com	$4.920	$30.00	1.0	31	77

Top 10 in Corporate/Office Design

FIRMS	ID FEE	RANK
Gensler	$69,608,000	1
Hellmuth, Obata + Kassabaum	$47,790,000	2
IA Interior Architects	$24,204,180	7
NELSON	$23,500,000	22
Skidmore, Owings & Merrill	$22,680,000	3
TPG Architecture	$20,391,200	14
Leo A Daly	$18,365,400	4
Perkins + Will	$16,400,000	6
Kling	$16,185,000	25
Mancini Duffy	$14,557,500	29

Top 10 in Hospitality Design

Wilson & Associates	$26,125,000	17
Hirsch Bedner Associates	$25,825,000	19
DiLeonardo International	$10,200,000	49
Concepts 4	$6,507,500	72
H. Chambers Company	$5,778,000	78
Wimberly Allison Tong & Goo	$5,750,000	84
Gensler	$5,544,000	1
Brayton + Hughes Design	$4,960,000	79
The Gettys Group	$4,940,000	95
Daroff Design + DDI Architects	$4,674,000	66

Top 10 in Government Institution design

Jacobs	$13,969,774	5
Gensler	$12,320,000	1
Skidmore, Owings & Merrill	$7,938,000	3
Hellmuth, Obata + Kassabaum	$7,290,000	2
Leo A Daly	$5,799,600	4
DMJM Design	$4,980,000	27
STUDIOS Architecture	$4,900,000	35
HLW International	$4,650,000	10
HDR	$3,630,000	8
Group Goetz Architects	$3,500,000	99

Top 10 in Transportation Design

FIRMS	ID FEE	RANK
Skidmore, Owings & Merrill	$5,670,000	3
Jacobs	$4,429,440	5
Leo A Daly	$4,349,700	4
Gensler	$2,464,000	1
NBBJ	$2,086,000	13
Silvester+Tafuro	$1,721,910	100
Hellmuth, Obata + Kassabaum	$1,620,000	2
Daroff Design + DDI Architects	$1,558,000	66
Interior Space International	$1,350,000	37
Perkins + Will	$400,000	6

Top 10 in Health-Care/Assisted-Living Design

HDR	$21,780,000	8
Cannon Design	$17,100,130	15
Perkins + Will	$14,400,000	6
NBBJ	$13,410,000	13
PageSoutherlandPage	$12,058,920	18
Perkins Eastman	$9,056,250	24
Hellmuth, Obata + Kassabaum	$8,100,000	2
Zimmer Gunsul Frasca Partnership	$6,750,000	38
HKS	$6,600,000	28
Karlsberger Companies	$6,405,000	57

10 Fastest-Growing Firms (by Design Fees)

FIRMS	2003 ID FEE	2004 ID FEE	% CHANGE	05 RANK
Cubellis Associates	$5,880,000	$10,170,000	73.0	50
Daroff Design + DDI Architects	$4,800,000	$7,790,000	62.3	66
NELSON	$14,900,000	$23,500,000	57.7	22
Huntsman Architectural Group	$4,425,000	$6,750,000	52.5	73
Butler Rogers Baskett Architects	$5,857,034	$8,806,000	50.3	61
Gould Evans	$6,300,000	$9,275,000	47.2	56
Skidmore, Owings & Merrill	$40,500,000	$56,700,000	40.0	3
FRCH Design Worldwide	$10,950,000	$15,300,000	39.7	32
Cooper Carry	$4,235,000	$5,900,000	39.3	83
Zimmer Gunsul Frasca Partnership	$9,750,000	$13,500,000	38.5	38

Top 10 in Cultural Design

FIRMS	ID FEE	RANK
HLW	$4,650,000	10
Hellmuth, Obata + Kassabaum	$4,050,000	2
Leo A Daly	$2,899,800	4
Ellerbe Becket	$2,640,000	43
SPACE	$2,600,000	41
Gensler	$2,464,000	1
Skidmore, Owings & Merrill	$1,701,000	3
EwingCole	$1,694,000	31
SmithGroup	$1,624,719	16
Spector Group	$1,560,000	64

Top 10 in Educational Design

FIRMS	ID FEE	RANK
Hillier Architecture	$9,000,000	12
Cannon Design	$8,690,230	15
Jacobs	$7,325,613	5
HLW	$6,200,000	10
SmithGroup	$5,098,256	16
Leo A Daly	$4,833,000	4
Hellmuth, Obata + Kassabaum	$4,050,000	2
Perkins Eastman	$4,025,000	24
PageSoutherlandPage	$4,019,640	18
HDR	$3,630,000	8

Top 10 in Technology Design

IA Interior Architects	$12,882,870	7
Flad & Associates	$12,402,000	23
Gensler	$7,392,000	1
HLW	$6,200,000	10
NBBJ	$5,066,000	13
CUH2A	$4,896,000	48
Hillier Architecture	$4,200,000	12
PageSoutherlandPage	$4,019,640	18
HDR	$3,630,000	8
Jacobs	$2,512,856	5

Top 10 in Residential Design

Creative Design Consultants	$24,225,000	20
Marc-Michaels Interior Design	$12,255,000	42
Slifer Designs	$5,695,000	74
Peter Marino & Associates Architects	$4,797,000	45
Hillier Architecture	$3,000,000	12
Gwathmey Siegel & Associates	$2,503,900	68
Hellmuth, Obata + Kassabaum	$2,430,000	2
Roger Ferris + Partners	$2,300,000	47
Skidmore, Owings & Merrill	$1,701,000	3
TPG Architecture	$1,436,000	14

Top 10 in retail design

FIRMS	ID FEE	RANK
Pavlik Design Team	$28,095,630	11
Callison Architecture	$26,136,000	9
Design Forum	$25,200,000	21
Gensler	$19,712,000	1
FRCH Design Worldwide	$9,945,000	32
Nicholas J. Tricarico, Architect	$7,938,000	63
JGA	$6,445,000	77
TPG Architecture	$5,744,000	14
Cubellis Associates	$4,576,500	50
Peter Marino & Associates Architects	$3,510,000	45

Fee Scales

TITLES	ANNUAL SALARY (Median)	HOURLY RATE (Median)
Principal/Partner	$120,000	$190
Project Manager	$80,000	$125
Designer	$60,000	$100
CAD operator	$47,000	$78
Other design Staff	$42,000	$73