Orange County’s top 31 architecture firms notched an 8% increase in local billings from a year earlier—to $362.5 million—during 12 months through June, according to this week’s Business Journal list.
That compared with a collective 4% increase in annual billings among last year’s list of top firms here. Prior to that, the industry’s local billings fell for two straight years.
More than half of the firms on this year’s list—20—reported gains in business. Six firms had declines, and numbers for five companies were based on Business Journal estimates.
The number of local licensed architects increased 2% for a total of 386. Firms saw a 2% increase in total local employees to 2,123.
Irvine-based LPA Inc. kept its No. 1 seat for a fifth-straight year and reported an almost 3% increase in billings to $44.6 million.
The commercial design firm—which works largely on education facilities and office buildings—had 41 architects in the OC office as of August, down from 57 a year earlier. It had 152 total OC employees, or 46 fewer workers than a year earlier.
KTGY Group Inc. moved up one spot to No. 2, with an almost 5% increase in billings to $34.5 million. The firm boosted OC employees by 23% to 151. The total includes 31 licensed architects, up from a year-earlier count of 24.
The biggest gainer over the 12-month period was Architects Orange, which jumped six spots to No. 4 on $23.5 million in billings. That was more than double the amount for the year-earlier period.
“Most of the growth came from the residential group,” said Jack Selman, senior partner at the Orange-based firm. “We’re also doing major retail outlet centers. Retail isn’t that strong, but this is one retail sector that’s doing well. We have two in South Korea … one in South America and two in Canada.”
The firm doubled total OC employees to 156, including two new principals. It has 35 licensed architects, up from 26 as of last August. It also recently opened a new office in Scottsdale, Ariz.
No. 5 Ware Malcomb saw billings increase by nearly 35% to $22.9 million. The gains helped the firm move up one spot.
“We’re likely going to bill in the $32 million range this year,” Chief Executive Lawrence Armstrong said. Ware Malcomb has 12 offices around the U.S. and abroad, with a total 170 employees. More than 80 are in the OC office, 8% more than a year earlier.
Armstrong said he has been seeing commercial real estate “coming back in small submarkets around the country, pockets here and there, like the Inland Empire industrial market, which is certainly showing signs of life.”
The firm is in the process of opening a second Northern California office in downtown San Francisco.
No. 13 Lee & Sakahara Architects in Irvine has seen a 66% increase in billings to $10.8 million, jumping six spots. It has 28 employees here, with 14 architects.
Irvine-based Carlile Coatsworth Architects Inc. saw a 62% growth in billings, which landed them at No. 19 with $6.4 million. That’s up from a year-earlier ranking of No. 27.
A handful of firms saw decreased billings during the 12 months through June.
No. 4 Irvine-based MVE Group had $26.3 million over the period, down about 15%. It kept the number of local architects unchanged at 21 and added two employees for a total of 94.
Local projects include The Park at Irvine Spectrum Center apartment community and the Summit office buildings in Aliso Viejo.
The Newport Beach office of San Francisco-based Gensler, No. 8 on the list, had an almost flat year at $17.4 million after a 1% decline. It has 90 employees locally, including 18 architects, both unchanged from a year earlier.
Three newcomers were on this year’s list.
The Irvine office of Pleasanton-based Dahlin Group Architecture Planning made No. 25 on $4.5 million in billings, which reflected an 80% increase over the year through June. The firm has 10 employees in its OC office, including one architect.
Sherman Oaks-based International Parking Design’s Irvine office brought in $2.6 million in billings, good for No. 29. It had eight employees here with two architects as of August.
Irvine-based MVA Architects made No. 31 despite an 8% decline in billings to $1.2 million. It has one architect here, out of five total employees.
