Skip to main content
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

  • Secret to Efficient, On-Time School Infrastructure & Modernization Projects is All in the Preparation

    Warmer weather and longer days make summer the ideal time for construction and modernization projects at educational facilities. School boards and construction firms must coordinate effectively to ensure that these projects do not extend even a single day into the school year and impede classroom operation.

  • Can AI Help Build Stronger Communities in Student Housing?

    Student housing success is shifting from operational performance to student experience, with belonging now at the center. A recent 2025 report underscores a growing emphasis on student well-being, community, and engagement, signaling that expectations now extend beyond logistics to ensure students feel supported in their living environments. AI is enabling that shift by reducing administrative workload and giving teams more time to focus on meaningful student engagement.

  • S4L Announces 2026 Education Design Showcase Winners

    Spaces4Learning is thrilled to announce the winners of the 2026 Education Design Showcase! Now in its 27th year, the annual awards program honors innovative solutions in planning, design, architecture, and construction across K–12 and higher education.

  • Wenger Names New Vice President of Sales for Performing Arts, Controls

    Wenger Corporation, which provides products and solutions for music and theater education, performing arts and athletic storage, recently announced the hiring of a new Vice President of Sales for Performing Arts and Controls.