Orange County architecture firms saw an uptick in local billings for the 12 months through June after weathering two years of declines.
The top 30 companies here saw signs of recovery, combining for a $15.3 million increase in billings on work done in Orange County offices, according to this week’s Business Journal list. That’s a gain of about 4.4%, to $360.8 million, compared with last year.
Twelve of the 30 companies on this week’s list reported increases in local billings. Six reported declines, and 12 were listed as flat based on Business Journal estimates.
The overall gain for the county’s architecture firms appears to buck a national trend.
The most recent Architecture Billings Index by the American Institute of Architects showed billings for U.S. firms declined for the fourth month in a row in July. The index also reflected a modest improvement on inquiries for new projects.
“I think we have seen the business climate improve over the last 12 to 18 months, but it has been very, very gradual,” said Dan Heinfeld, president of Irvine-based LPA Inc., which kept its No. 1 spot for the fourth-straight year despite a dip of about 1% to $43.5 million in local billings.
A recent spate of new schools helped the firm hold about steady, Heinfeld said.
LPA’s major projects include Fremont High School and ExplorOcean museum in Newport Beach.
No. 4 McLarand Vasquez Emsiek & Partners Inc. of Irvine saw the biggest billings increase over the 12 months, with an increase of $6.7 million, or 27.8%, to $30.8 million.
MVE & Partners is working on a number of projects throughout the state, including an apartment community at Irvine Spectrum, the Port of Los Angeles Police headquarters in San Pedro, and the Downtown Educational Complex in Oakland. It also counts a project in China on its current roster.
70.8% Jump
Irvine-based Carlile Coatsworth Architects Inc., No. 27 on the list, had the highest percentage growth in total billings here, with a 70.8% jump to $3.9 million.
“We got involved in three projects at Disneyland, so that was a departure from our normal previous product type,” Principal Calvin Coatsworth said. “And we’ve seen some re-emergence of industrial work, and a couple of our retail clients have remained busy. We’re cautiously optimistic.”
No. 5 WATG in Irvine jumped several spots on this year’s list, with a 34.9% increase in billings, to $19.5 million. Notable global projects include Atlantis, The Palm in Dubai; luxury resort Puertas al Cielo in Mexico; and the Ritz-Carlton in Guangzhou, China.
The company also is one of the four on the list that saw double-digit growth in the number of employees here. It added 16 employees and now has a total of 114.
The number of Orange County employees held steady at most of the listed companies. Ten firms reported an increase, six cut employment, and the rest were even, or estimated even, with last year.
The number of employees overall fell by 124, or 6.5%, to 1,787.
Others Add Jobs
No. 13 Irvine-based TCA, previously Thom-as P. Cox Architects Inc., led the job gainers, nearly doubling employment to 65 over the 12 months through June.
The rising number of Orange County licensed architects is another indication of improving business here.
Firms on this year’s list reported a 4% in-crease in licensed architects working for them from a year earlier.
This year’s list included two newcomers: Costa Mesa-based Robinson Hill Architecture Inc.; and the Irvine office of WD Partners, which has headquarters in Columbus, Ohio.
Download the 2011 OC’s LARGEST ARCHITECTURE FIRMS List (pdf)
