For an architect that has just finished in college or university and wants to start building their career, they might want to look at joining an architect firm at one point or another, especially if they are hoping to shadow other, experience architects and gain some valuable knowledge.
Much like law firms, architect firms are generally started by the architects themselves, and with the way that cities are developing across the world, there’s a greater need for competent architects than ever before.
Some of these firms have grown larger than their competitors and have since become multinational corporations in their own right. For the beginner architect wanting to make it big with one of the more well-known firms around, these are some of the largest and most successful architect firms of all time.
Gensler
Most architects have heard of Gensler, and it’s generally considered the most successful firm in the world in terms of its overall revenue as well as its number of employees. Over the course of 2021, Gensler recorded total revenue of over one billion US dollars, and currently retains over 6000 employees, who are working on over 10000 projects across the United States and the rest of the world.
They are known for designing such buildings as the Facebook Headquarters, Shanghai Tower, the Abu Dhabi Financial Centre, and the South Korean International Airport. Of course, the firm only hires the best of the best, and it can be difficult to find permanent employment here, but worth it.
RSP Architects
Next up is RSP Architects, a firm that’s based in the Minneapolis, although it has offices across the world.
Over 60 years old, it’s one of the oldest of its kind, but also has become a well-known name in the industry, but they tend to offer their services to governments, schools, hospitals, corporations, and other technology companies. Some of the work the firm has completed includes the St Regis within Kuala Lumpur, as well as the Nakheel Mall in the UAE.
Perkins And Will
First founded in 1935, Perkins and Will is a Chicago-based architecture firm that anyone with a love of architecture will have undoubtedly heard of at some point. With a reported revenue of $600 million for the year of 2020 – the kind of money usually associated with New Zealand mega casino bonuses – Perkins and Will currently employs around 2600 people, and has offices in a number of different countries.
Many of the buildings that this firm has completed worldwide include Florida Atlantic University, the Concordia International School, the Bridgestone Tower, Crow Island School, and many, many others. The firm has also won plenty of awards, and is headed by CEO Philip Harrison, who has tripled the size of the firm ever since taking over in 2006.
Some other firms that have become successful in their own right include Japan’s Nikken Sekkei, Zgf Architects in the United States, Kohn Pedersen Fox based in the city of New York, HKS in Dallas, and Perkins Eastmen, which has its headquarters in New York City.
