It seems only natural, given the turbulent economy of the last couple years, that you’d start to see mergers and acquisitions in the architecture and design industries. This week showed that come true, when Seattle-based NBBJ and Cambridge-based Chan Krieger Sieniewicz announced they are merging practices.
NBBJ, a global architecture and design firm, and Chan Krieger Sieniewicz, internationally-known for urban design and architecture excellence, announced today a merger of the two firms that will create an integrated team of over 700 architects, urban designers, planners and interior designers. The Chan Krieger Sieniewicz team, including its five principals, will continue in their current roles. As part of the transition to the NBBJ name, the Cambridge office will operate as Chan Krieger NBBJ.
Interestingly, this was brought about by the two firms’ collaboration working with client Mass General Hospital. “We were initially brought together with NBBJ when MGH suggested we team up and combine what the client saw as complementary abilities,” said Alex Krieger, Founding Principal of Chan Krieger Sieniewicz and Professor at the Harvard Graduate School of Design. “As we worked with our colleagues at NBBJ, we realized we shared the same values and studio culture, only on a different scale.”
My question for you, dear readers, is, does bigger equal better? And what does this pose for the Boston-area architecture community, especially in the wake of losing other notable firms around the city?
