Projects, projects and more projects are what lie ahead for several of San Diego’s architectural firms.
Increases in business has created more requests for services offered by firms. As projects become steadily available, some of San Diego’s architectural firms are finding ways to expand their services and build upon their relationships with their clients.
They are also finding themselves involved in service arenas that they might not have been in a few years ago.
The San Diego Business Journal’s List of Largest Architectural Firms features 25 companies ranked by total number of local staff.
HMC Architects, No. 14 on The List, is waiting for the state board to allocate funds for projects of area school districts for next year.
Last month’s completion of the Preuss Model School on UCSD’s campus and construction for the Cardiff Elementary School District has the firm eagerly awaiting what they predict will be a prosperous year.
– School Projects Are Lion’s Share
According to Kathy Lord, senior associate project director, HMC completed more projects for city school districts this year than any one firm in the state for school districts. In 1999, 85 percent of HMC’s gross billings came from services for the San Diego Unified School District.
With six offices throughout California, “We’re able to do a lot more work for a lot of people,” she said.
HMC is also doing a lot more work in areas they hadn’t before.
“We’re trying to make sure schools aren’t our only business,” Lord said.
HMC has expanded its services for medical facilities and is working with Children’s Hospital on implementing SB-1953, the Hospital Facilities Seismic Safety Act. The state mandate requires all hospitals to meet seismic retrofitting for earthquakes within specified time frames.
“Hospitals are beginning to do the planning now,” said Thomas Todd, managing principal of HDR Architecture, Inc., No. 6 on the List. With the compliance deadline for SB-1953 set for 2008, he predicts that architectural services to the health care industry will explode as a high-growth market and remain one for the next few years.
– Election Victory For Public Sector
The passage of Proposition 35 in November also brought about a small victory for architectural firms that offer services to the public sector in California. The proposition allows the state to contract with private engineers and architects for highways and other projects rather than using state employees.
Lord said it makes for a positive relationship between the firm and the client and allows for more clarity and master planning of a project.
“(The proposition) helps get the whole picture out at the beginning of the project and allows a bond counsel to speak knowledgably about legalities and avoid having a bond killed at the end,” she said.
While working in the public sector has its advantages of steady, long-ranging projects, working in the private sector offers advantages of shorter, more abundant projects. “(Working in) the public sector you can do more work, more often,” Todd said.
Todd said the increase in design-build services have increased sales revenue and allowed them to execute and complete projects faster.
With its 60 offices nationwide, HDR doubled in revenue from the year before by roughly 180 percent.
– Design-Build A Cooperative Strategy
Design-build projects consist of building contractors working to carry out a design that is still in its early stages. The design team and contractor work simultaneously until the project is complete.
These types of projects, which are popular among science and high-tech facilities, are usually smaller and the clients have a shorter window of opportunity to market their product, Todd said.
But because of the way these projects are performed, it allows businesses to facilitate their needs faster.
Along with design-build services, HDR is continuing to expand into servicing the justice arena, which includes forensic facilities, jails, courthouses and state buildings. The firm is currently working with the Immigration and Naturalization Services to expand border crossing, detention and processing facilities.
The Internet remains an effective tool for the industry in not only communicating with clients, but also it is used tremendously to produce work.
– ‘Net Becomes More Useful
Both HMC and HDR reflect their use of the Internet has increased rapidly.
“(Through) the Internet, a lot of communication is done with consultants through e-mail, it’s a lot faster,” Lord said. “With the invention of the Internet, you’re just an e-mail away.”
She also said the Internet had brought in quite a few resumes and inquiries from architects abroad in search of jobs in San Diego.
“We’ve gotten a lot of e-mail from architects in foreign countries who are moving here and were architects in their country and want to continue here,” she said.
For HDR, the Internet has been useful in its ability to share work at a higher degree than would have been otherwise, Todd said.
“We have different designers, working on different projects throughout the country, but (the Internet) brings communication in broadband over real time,” he said.
With the architectural market on a healthy rise, HDR is looking forward to the new year and accomplishing its goals, according to Todd.
“We’re projecting not as rapid a growth as this year, but we look to grow in revenue by 50 percent,” he said.
