Architectural firms reported their Orange County billings grew 4.5% in the past year, another sign they have recovered from the pandemic.
Billings for the 25 largest firms on this year’s list were $540.3 million for the 12-month period ended June 30, according to the Business Journal’s annual list. A year ago, the firms reported a 9.7% increase as they recuperated from the pandemic. In the 2020-21 period, they reported a 1.1% decline.
“We’re really pleased with what we’re seeing,” LPA Inc. Chief Executive Wendy Rogers told the Business Journal. “We have nine different practice areas like education, commercial, residential and recreation and they’re all doing well.”
LPA retained the No. 3 spot by growing 6.5% to $70.9 million in billings for the year ended June 30.
LPA designed the County of Orange’s new $400 million Civic Center complex which opened in September; also in the past year, LPA won an award from the American Institute of Architects for its design of Tide Academy in Menlo Park.
It’s also busy designing buildings for Edwards Lifesciences Corp. (NYSE: EW) and Hoag Hospital in Irvine.
Taking over the top spot was AO Architects of Orange, which reported a 14% jump in billings to $84.1 million. Multifamily has been a hot market for AO Architects, which last year reported a 17% increase.
Recent projects for the firm include community amenities at Five Point Holdings LLC’s (NYSE: FPH) Great Park Neighborhoods like “The Cave,” a resort-style community pool and lounge, and “The Cove,” a community event center.
It’s also designing the 434-unit AMLI Aero in San Diego, one of the first luxury rental developments to kick off construction as part of Kearny Mesa’s redevelopment plan to transform an industrial neighborhood into an urban center.
Slipping to No. 2 was Irvine-based Ware Malcomb, which had a 16% decline to $73.4 million. A year ago, its OC billings climbed 8.9%. Among recent designs were a nine-story building in Los Angeles’s Art District and the Mexico City headquarters for PC giant Lenovo.
The biggest jump was 61% to $30.5 million for Tustin-based WATG, which moved up from No. 8 to No. 6. The firm, which was founded in 1945 in Honolulu, specializes in hospitality, tourism, and destination design. This year, it moved its headquarters from Irvine to the Flight at Tustin Legacy office campus.
By the Numbers
The list ranks 25 architecture firms that hit the Business Journal’s baseline of at least $5 million in local billings.
Sixteen firms reported an increase in year-over-year billings, compared to 18 a year ago.
Only five reported a decline in billings, compared to four a year ago.
Nine firms reported billings topped 10% growth, the same as a year ago.
The firms reported companywide growth declined 12% to $1.8 billion.
The companies on the list reported a 4.8% increase to 414 OC licensed architects, while their overall OC employee count increased 5.4% to 2,695.
Notables
The second biggest percentage increase on the list was No. 10 PJHM Architects, which climbed 34% to $15.7 million.
No. 20 tBP/Architecture Inc., which was the fastest grower on the 2021 list at 47%, reported its growth declined 23% to $7 million.
The largest decline on the list was Tustin-based Taylor Design, which reported OC billings fell 33% to $10.1 million. Its ranking also dropped to No. 14 from No. 10, while companywide billings increased 2.8% to $30.5 million.
Irvine-based TCA Architects Inc. continued its rebound with a 7% increase to $7.1 million. Two years ago, it was the biggest decliner on the list with a 41% drop before rebounding 6.7% on last year’s list.
