This year’s listing of top design and architectural firms, as ranked by HOTEL BUSINESS®, showed some significant change from last year’s listing. Part of the sea change can be attributed to the fact that New York-based Perkins Eastman Architects, the third-ranked firm in terms of total design fees for 2002, did not participate in this year’s survey. However, in addition, Omaha, NE-based Leo A. Daly took over the top spot in the ranking with $120.0 million in total fees for 2003. Meanwhile, last year’s leader Baltimore, MD-based RTKL Associates dropped to second with $114.5 million in fees, down from over $120-million in 2002. Following the top two, there is a significant drop-off with number three, as Honolulu, HI-based Wimberly Allison Tong & Goo garnered some $37.4 million in fees. The total fees of the top 10 in 2003 actually were down slightly from 2002, but that is somewhat misleading when you consider that Perkins Eastman accounted for some $48 million in fees in 2002. In fact, to underscore the point, the top 10 totaled $415 million in fees in 2003, averaging $41.5 per firm, but those same firms actually produced $389.7 million in fees for 2002, an average of only $38.9 per company. The top 10 last year produced some $429 million in fees in 2002. In what would not be considered much of a surprise given the economic rebound taking place, more new construction projects are coming to fruition in 2004 than during the past couple of years. In projecting for the remainder of 2004, the percentage of designer and architect firms which said that new builds would represent the lion’s share of their projects was some 52%. This is in stark contrast to 2003 when 64% of firms noted that renovations were the source of the majority of their project dollars. The number of completed projects also reflects the improved environment in 2003. The number of projects, including renovations, new construction and conversions, completed during 2003 was 493. In 2002, the same 46 firms surveyed completed only 414 such projects. In addition, 14 of the 46 respondents failed to provide information on completed projects, so the number of completed projects in 2003 is likely significantly higher. Apparently, the hospitality industry is generating more activity among designers and architects as a full 60% noted that more than half of their firm’s projects were hospitality related in 2003.
