Add as a preferred source on Google

DLR Group Acquires Two Education Design Firms

  • By Matt Jones
  • 08/23/21

Integrated design firm DLR Group recently announced the acquisitions of two major education design firms stationed on the east and west coasts. The San Diego-based BakerNowicki Design Studio and the Washington, D.C.-based Bowie Gridley Architects (BGA) will expand DLR Group’s reach to K–12 clients all around the U.S.

“By joining forces with these exceptional design firms, DLR Group is enhancing our competitive position in K–12 education on both coasts,” said DLR Group Senior Principal Jim French, FAIA. “We’ve added expertise in design and educational funding in California, as well as planning and design for private, independent K–12 school clients in the Northeast to elevate DLR Group as the premier education design practice.”

BakerNowicki Design Studio was founded in 2011 and focuses exclusively on educational architecture for K–12 and higher education facilities. One of the organization’s specialties is an intimate knowledge of education funding in California. The firm will operate as DLR Group|BakerNowicki within the San Diego market, and it will work alongside DLR Group’s K–12 studios in Los Angeles, Riverside, Sacramento, and San Francisco.

Bowie Gridley Architects, meanwhile, specializes in master planning and design for K–12 independent school clients. According to a news release, it brings to the table specializations in performing arts, museums, preservation, higher education and hospitality design, as well as a variety of experience and its reputation along the Atlantic Coast and in the northeastern United States. BGA will combine its operations with DLR Group in a new Washington, D.C., location in spring 2022.

BakerNowicki brings 28 design professionals and Bowie Gridley Architects 24 design staff to the DLR Group’s ranks. Both firms’ project teams will be able to provide clients with a deep design experience across the fields of engineering, interiors, high performance design, landscaping, science and technology, and various specialized design services.

About the Author

Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • Los Angeles City College Breaks Ground on New Administration, Workforce Building

    Los Angeles City College (LACC) in Los Angeles, Calif., recently broke ground on a new $72-million administrative facility, according to a news release. The Cesar Chavez Administration and Workforce Building will stand four stories, cover 67,230 square feet, and play home to a wide variety of the school’s educational and administrative services.

  • Empowering People Through Smart, Sustainable Campuses

    Sustainability is facing increasing scrutiny, with some questioning its costs and priorities. Yet for universities, it remains an essential driver of resilience, operational efficiency and long-term competitiveness. At the same time, there is a growing recognition that sustainable transformation is not just about reducing energy consumption and emissions to comply with tightening regulations ‒ it’s about creating vibrant, comfortable environments where people can thrive, innovate and connect. For university leadership, this is a complex balancing act, with rising energy costs and limited budgets only adding to the challenge.

  • concentric silhouettes of a human head

    How Physical Space Shapes the Mind: Designing for Better Learning Outcomes

    Research in environmental psychology and neuroscience increasingly suggests that the way a room is designed can influence memory, focus, or even a student's sense of belonging.

  • South Texas K–12 District Debuts Region’s First Electric Bus Fleet

    The Valley View Independent School District in Pharr, Texas, recently announced a partnership with Highland Electric Fleets to launch the district’s—and the region’s—first fleet of all-electric school buses, according to a news release.

Digital Edition