Perkins Eastman and Dougherty Announce Intent to Merge

New York, NY – Top international design and architecture firm Perkins Eastman and California-based firm Dougherty are pleased to announce the intent to merge their practices. The merger will significantly build upon the established practices—particularly K12 and higher education design—of both firms and diversify their combined expertise, particularly in California. The combined firm will total over 1000 employees, adding enhanced resources, client value, and opportunities for employees. The merger is planned to be effective May 1, 2018.

Erich Burkhart FAIA, Executive Director and Managing Principal of Perkins Eastman’s San Francisco office, says, “Perkins Eastman has had a longstanding commitment to expand on the West Coast. Dougherty’s respected and highly-regarded architectural design practice here in California naturally aligns with Perkins Eastman’s plan to diversify the firm’s expertise in the region, enhancing our client relationships, and providing growth opportunities for our valued employees.”

Betsey Olenick Dougherty FAIA, LEED-AP, Dougherty’s founding principal, furthers: “The merger of Dougherty with Perkins Eastman represents the perfect alliance of a highly respected international design firm with a regional hands-on studio. Both firms share a common cultural commitment to personal service, quality, technology advancement, sustainability, and community-based quality of life projects.”

Both firms were founded with similar beliefs—that architecture can have a direct and positive impact on people’s lives, achieved through close collaboration with the client and community. In particular, the award-winning K-12 and higher education portfolios of both firms reflect a commitment to the planning and design of high-performance environments that enhance educational outcomes for students and function as the centers of their communities. The merger will strategically position the combined firm to better address the requirements—and opportunities—of 21st-century high-performance educational and other civic environments.

About Perkins Eastman

Perkins Eastman is an award-winning 1000-person global design firm networked across 15 locations.  The firm was founded on the belief that design should enhance the human experience in the places where people live, work, play, learn, age, and heal. Perkins Eastman’s portfolio comprises work in a wide range of specialized project types: Primary & Secondary Education, Higher Education, Civic & Cultural, Healthcare, Hospitality, Large Scale Mixed-Use, Office & Retail, Planning & Urban Design, Residential, Science & Technology, Senior Living, Sports & Exhibition, Transportation & Infrastructure, and Workplace. For more information visit www.perkinseastman.com.

About Dougherty

As Dougherty approaches its 40th year of regional practice, it is most appropriate to secure an exciting and promising merger with Perkins Eastman to offer to our clients and our staff the broad array of resources available through PE’s international presence, reputation, and portfolio. Dougherty’s goal is to offer the best of both – the depth of resources and talent of Perkins Eastman with the personal service and intimate studio culture of Dougherty. Both firms share a compatible portfolio, a dedication to sustainable design, a commitment to our communities, and the joy of providing a creative studio-based environment for our respective clients and staff. As this transition takes place, the www.dougherty.us website content as well as Social Media formats will merge with Perkins Eastman’s online presence.

Featured

  • Embry-Riddle Breaks Ground on New Office Building

    Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) in Daytona Beach, Fla., recently announced that construction has begun on a new office building for its campus Research Park, according to a news release. The university partnered with Hoar Construction on the 34,740-square-foot Center for Aerospace Technology II (CAT II), which will be used for research and lab purposes.

  • Fellowes Launches New 3D Modular, Product Configurators

    Contract interiors and architectural solutions provider Fellowes recently announced the launch of new 3D modular and product configurators for several of its product lines, according to a news release. The new products offer SIF file integration and pricing for the Volo, Markerboards, Sena, and Rising product lines in connection with 3D Cloud, which provides 3D product visualization and 3D digital asset management.

  • Spaces4Learning Announces Winners of 2025 Product Awards

    Spaces4Learning has just announced the winners of the 2025 Product Awards! The award program recognizes innovation and excellence in products that enhance learning environments in K–12 schools and institutions of higher education.

  • Average Annual Number of Tornadoes per State

    New Tornado Wind Load Design Criteria in IBC Offer Improvements to Life Safety

    For the first time in U.S. building code history, the 2024 International Building Code (IBC) includes tornado wind load design criteria, marking a significant advancement in life-safety provisions.

Digital Edition