Wikipedia

HOK (firm)

HOK Group, Inc.,formerlyHellmuth, Obata + Kassabaum,is an American design,architecture,engineering,andurban planningfirm. Founded in 1955, it is headquartered inSt. Louis, Missouri.

HOK Group, Inc.
Company typePrivate
IndustryArchitecture,engineering,urban planning
Founded1955;69 years ago(1955)
Founders
Headquarters
St. Louis, Missouri
,
United States
Number of locations
26 offices
Area served
International
Key people
  • Eli Hoisington
  • Susan Klumpp Williams (Co-CEOs)
  • Carl Galioto (President)
ServicesArchitecture, Consulting, Engineering, Experience Design, Interiors, Landscape Architecture, Lighting Design, On-Site Space Management, Planning + Urban Design, Sustainable Design
Number of employees
1,600[1]
Websitewww.hok.com
HOK founding partnersGeorge Hellmuth,Gyo Obata,andGeorge Kassabaum(1956)
Priory Chapel atSaint Louis Abbeylocated inCreve Coeura suburb ofSt. Louis
National Air and Space MuseuminWashington, D.C.
Tokyo Telecom Center inTokyo
Passenger Terminal Amsterdam inAmsterdam
Steven F. Udvar-Hazy CenterinChantilly, Virginia
Indianapolis International AirportColonel H. Weir Cook Terminal inIndianapolis,Indiana
King Abdullah University of Science and TechnologyinThuwal,Saudi Arabia
Salvador Dali MuseuminSt. Petersburg, Florida
World Trade CenterinChennai,India
Rogers Placearena inEdmonton,Alberta,Canada

History

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Founding

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HOK was established inSt. Louis,Missouri, in 1955.[2]The firm is named for its three founding partners:George F. Hellmuth,Gyo ObataandGeorge Kassabaum,all graduates of the School of Architecture atWashington University in St. Louis.[2]

The practice's first building designs were schools in St. Louis suburbs, and St. Thomas Aquinas High School inFlorissantwas the first independent school designed by the firm. Another prominent school they designed was theSaint Louis Priory School.[3]

Early years

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By the mid-1960s, the firm was winning commissions across the United States and began to open additional offices, starting with San Francisco in 1966 for the design of a library at Stanford University and Dallas in 1968 for the master planning and design ofDallas/Fort Worth International Airport.[4][5]Also in 1968, HOK launched its interior design practice. That year, HOK expanded intoWashington, D.C.,after winning the commission to design theSmithsonian National Air and Space Museum.In 1973, HOK established a presence in New York by acquiring Kahn & Jacobs, designers of many New York City skyscrapers. By the 1970s, the firm was operating internationally and in 1975 the firm was named as architect of the $3.5 billionKing Saud UniversityinRiyadh,at the time the single largest building project in the world.[6]In 1979, George Kassabaum was elected into theNational Academy of Designas an Associate Academician.[7]

In 1983, HOK formed HOK Sport Venue Event, a subsidiary devoted entirely to designing sport stadiums, arenas, and convention centers, an architectural boom market at the time.[6]In January 2009, the Board of HOK Group, Inc. and managers of HOK Sports Facilities, LLC transferred ownership of HOK Sport to leaders of that practice. The company became an independent firm, and rebranded itself asPopulous.[8]

Expansion and acquisitions

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HOK's first office outside the US opened in Hong Kong in 1984, and the second in London in 1987, a practice that would be expanded in 1995 by merging with the British architectural practice Cecil Denny Highton.[9][10]

The firm expanded into China in 2013, when it acquired theNew YorkandShanghaioffices of hospitality design firmBBG-BBGM,creating one of the world's largest interior design firms,[11]although BBG-BBGM's office in Washington, D.C., continues to operate as BBGM. By 2007, international work represented more than 40% of HOK's annual revenue.[12]

As of June 2024, HOK operates 26 offices[13]across North America, Europe and Asia, including in Hong Kong, Beijing and Shanghai in China; Dubai in the Middle East;[14]Mumbai, India; and Toronto, Canada, where it established its first offices in 1997 with the acquisition of Urbana Architects.[15][16][17][18][19]

Other domestic acquisitions includeCaudill Rowlett Scottbased inHouston, Texas,in November 1994, adding offices in Houston and Atlanta.[20][21]The purchase of360 Architecturein January 2015, a 200-person,Kansas City–based firm, gave the group capabilities in the design of stadiums, ballparks and arenas.[22]That acquisition enabled HOK to launch a new global Sports, Recreation, and Entertainment design practice after the breakaway of Populous, and to open new offices in Kansas City and Columbus, Ohio.[23]This return to the firm's tradition of stadium architecture was buoyed on May 15, 2015, when the firm announced a multi-year partnership with theUnited Soccer League(USL) in the US to lead a stadium development, design and standards initiative to help house all USL clubs in soccer-specific stadiums across North America by the end of the decade.[24]

Leadership

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In 2023, Eli Hoisington and Susan Klumpp Williams were appointed joint co-CEOs of HOK, the firm's youngest CEOs, and the first time it had appointed a woman.[25][26]They succeededBill Hellmuth,founderGeorge Hellmuth’s nephew, who was president of the firm from 2004 to 2016 and CEO from 2016 until his passing in 2023.[27]Prior to Bill Hellmuth,Patrick MacLeamyserved as HOK’s CEO from 2003 to 2016, and chairman since 2012.[28]MacLeamy succeeded HOK ChairmanBill Valentinewhen he retired after 50 years with the firm.[29]

Innovation and sustainable design

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In 1983, HOK introduced HOK Draw,computer-aided draftingsoftware products that specialized in conceptual architectural design. In the early 2000s, HOK began usingBuilding Information Modeling(BIM) to streamline the design and construction process.[30]

His team designed theWeather Prediction Centerwith a four-story waterfall to direct rainwater into bio-retention gardens; and alouvredsunlight system for a building used by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.[31][32]

HOK has worked with the Biomimicry Group, co-founded byJanine Benyus,since 2008, which directs designers to use natural models in solving problems such as precipitation capture.[33][34]In 2010 they collaborated with the energy and daylight consultancy, The Weidt Group, to complete Net Zero Court, a zero-emissions class A commercial office building in St. Louis.[35][36]Using an ocular roof design, their 2017Mercedes-Benz Stadiumbecame the firstLEEDPlatinum certified sports stadium in the US.[37][38]Their design for theBoston Consulting GroupHQ in Toronto in 2022, uses principles of wellness-informed architecture, to maximise natural light and encouraging standing, for which it won WELL Platinum Certification fromWELL Building Standardaccreditation body.[39]

HOK and Biomimicry 3.8 released the Genius of Biome report, a textbook for how to applybiomimicrydesign principles.[40]In 2014, ORO Editions publishedHOK Tall Buildings,a 300-page book exploring the design of the contemporary high-rise.[41]

Publications

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  • Mendler, Sandra; Odell, William (2000).The HOK Guidebook to Sustainable Design.New York Weinheim: Wiley.ISBN9780471379065.OCLC45059599.

Selected projects

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References

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  1. ^"HOK buys US firm 360 Architecture".20 August 2014.
  2. ^abOlsen, Carlene (11 March 2022)."HOK Cofounder Gyo Obata Dies at 99".Interior Design.Retrieved2024-02-27.
  3. ^ab"Lee F. Mindel Tours the St. Louis Priory Chapel".Architectural Digest.2014-01-31.Retrieved2022-04-04.
  4. ^"Stanford University Architectural Collection".oac.cdlib.org.Retrieved2024-02-27.
  5. ^Bell, Ervin J., ed. (1968)."ARCHITECT OR DESIGNER"(PDF).The Architectural Index– via US Modernist.
  6. ^ab"Anatomy of a Giant: HOK".Building Design + Construction.11 August 2010.Retrieved2021-04-22.
  7. ^"Complete List of National Academicians from 1826 to the present"(PDF).National Academy of Design.p. 30.
  8. ^Chu, Jeff (2009-04-01)."The Biggest-and Newest-Name in Sports Stadiums: Populous".Fast Company.Retrieved2021-04-22.
  9. ^Kassabaum, Hellmuth, Obata & (2009).HOK.Images Publishing. pp. 6–8.ISBN978-1-86470-318-4.{{cite book}}:CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  10. ^Booth, Emily, ed. (2005-03-10)."Founding partner of Cecil Denny Highton dies".The Architects’ Journal.Retrieved2024-05-21.
  11. ^Nalewicki, Jennifer (January 20, 2014)."BBG-BBGM Joins HOK to Form Global Hospitality Leader".Interior Design Magazine.Archived fromthe originalon September 24, 2015.RetrievedJanuary 26,2014.
  12. ^Staff (June 23, 2008) "Uncertain Economy Pushes Design Firms To Diversify Their Portfolios"Engineering News-Record
  13. ^Lau, Wanda."Return to office: How it started and how it's going | The American Institute of Architects".www.aia.org.Retrieved2024-06-07.
  14. ^Byrne, Holly, ed. (2015-05-13)."HOK appoints new Dubai managing principal - Commercial Interior Design".Commercial Interior Design.Retrieved2024-05-21.
  15. ^"The Green Urban Office".Metropolis.2007-01-01.Retrieved2021-04-22.
  16. ^"HOK's Asia Practice Celebrates its 35th Anniversary « PRC Magazine (Pacific Rim Construction)".Retrieved2024-05-21.
  17. ^Kassabaum, Hellmuth, Obata & (2009).HOK.Images Publishing. p. 10.ISBN978-1-86470-318-4.{{cite book}}:CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  18. ^Newspaper, Architect's (2015-12-08)."HOK Toronto Office".The Architect’s Newspaper.Retrieved2024-05-21.
  19. ^MacLeamy, Patrick (2020-03-17).Designing a World-Class Architecture Firm: The People, Stories, and Strategies Behind HOK.John Wiley & Sons.ISBN978-1-119-68543-2.
  20. ^Callahan, Marjorie (2012)."Off-site facilities relevancy"(PDF).Offsite:154–155.
  21. ^Smith, Cara (29 August 2018)."How HOK grew its architecture practice in Houston".www.bizjournals.com.Retrieved2024-05-21.
  22. ^Aa, As (2015-01-18)."HOK acquired 360 Architecture and the New Stadium Atlanta – aasarchitecture".Retrieved2024-05-21.
  23. ^"HOK completes acquisition of 360 Architecture".PanStadia & Arena Management. January 14, 2015. Archived fromthe originalon January 1, 2020.RetrievedJanuary 15,2015.
  24. ^"HOK and USL launch stadium development initiative".Stadia.RetrievedMay 15,2015.
  25. ^"Executive Moves".Crain's New York Business.Crain Communications Inc.Retrieved21 November2023.
  26. ^Timpano, Andrea."HOK Appoints Co-CEOs".ARCHITECT.Retrieved21 November2023.
  27. ^Hill, John (12 April 2023)."Bill Hellmuth, 1953-2023".World Architects.
  28. ^"Bill Hellmuth named HOK's new CEO".Building Design + Construction.BDC Network. 20 April 2016.Retrieved21 November2023.
  29. ^MacLeamy, Patrick (2020-03-13).Designing a World-Class Architecture Firm: The People, Stories, and Strategies Behind HOK.John Wiley & Sons. pp. 239–240.ISBN978-1-119-68545-6.
  30. ^Staff (January 30, 2007)"BIM at HOK",AEC MagazineJanuary 30, 2007.
  31. ^Rosenwald, Michael S. (14 April 2023)."Bill Hellmuth, pioneer in sustainable architecture who led HOK, dies at 69".The Washington Post.
  32. ^"Tribute: Bill Hellmuth (1953–2023) | Architectural Record".www.architecturalrecord.com.Retrieved2024-05-29.
  33. ^HOK, Paul Woolford (2014-02-07)."Biomimicry for an Innovative Built Environment".Wired.ISSN1059-1028.Retrieved2024-05-29.
  34. ^Merchant, Brian (September 22, 2009)"HOK and Biomimicry Guild Forge Alliance for Bio-Inspired Design Excellence"Archived2011-10-25 at theWayback MachineTreeHugger
  35. ^Bertoldi, Paolo; Trenev, Gueorgui (2013)."Proceedings of the 7th International Conference on Energy Efficiency in Commercial Buildings IEECB'12"(PDF).International Conference on Energy Efficiency in Commercial Buildings.Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union: 59.ISBN978-92-79-28222-5– via JRC Publications Repository.{{cite journal}}:CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  36. ^Valentine, Bill (October 2010)"Net Zero: Two global design firms issue a call to action and lead by example"Archived2016-03-04 at theWayback Machine,Contract
  37. ^Sam, Lubell (2017-10-13)."Driving force: HOK pioneers the return of innovative stadium design in Atlanta".wallpaper.com.Retrieved2024-05-29.
  38. ^Leardi, Lindsey (2017-11-23)."HOK's Mercedes-Benz Stadium Will Be the First LEED Platinum-Certified Pro Sports Stadium in the US".ArchDaily.Retrieved2024-05-29.
  39. ^updated, Ellie Stathaki last (2022-10-22)."Toronto office by HOK is designed as a post-covid workspace".wallpaper.com.Retrieved2024-05-21.
  40. ^Badore, Margaret (June 20, 2013)"Genius of Biome Report: A Biomimicry Primer",TreeHugger
  41. ^Staff (May 1, 2014)"HOK Tall Buildings",ORO Editions
  42. ^"UNION STATION, CENTRE GIVE ST. LOUIS A SHOT IN THE ARCH".Chicago Tribune.15 September 1985.Retrieved2022-04-04.
  43. ^cmorris (2016-08-15)."Independence Temple | Zahner — Innovation and Collaboration to Achieve the Incredible".Retrieved2022-04-04.
  44. ^"Gallery of Trading" Should "for" Could ": Opening up Debate on the Obama Library Design - 2".ArchDaily.Retrieved2022-04-04.
  45. ^abc"Who are the architects?".barcaacademy.fcbarcelona.com.Retrieved2022-04-04.
  46. ^"Logan Airport Becomes Home to World's First LEED-Certified Terminal".Facilitiesnet.Retrieved2022-04-04.
  47. ^"HOK Sport".www.architectmagazine.com.Retrieved2022-04-04.
  48. ^"HOK Completes Acquisition of 360 Architecture".www.businesswire.com.2015-01-13.Retrieved2022-04-04.
  49. ^team, Code8."Carnival House".HILSON MORAN.Retrieved2022-04-04.{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  50. ^"Metlife Stadium".www.architectmagazine.com.Retrieved2022-04-04.
  51. ^"The Dalí Museum / HOK".ArchDaily.2011-01-13.Retrieved2022-04-04.
  52. ^"Keangnam Hanoi Landmark Tower - The Skyscraper Center".www.skyscrapercenter.com.Retrieved2022-04-04.
  53. ^"Baku Flame Towers / HOK".ArchDaily.2014-08-21.Retrieved2022-04-04.
  54. ^"BBC New Broadcasting House / HOK & MacCormac Jamieson Prichard + Sheppard Robson".ArchDaily.2013-06-25.Retrieved2022-04-04.
  55. ^"Porsche North America Experience Center and Headquarters / HOK".ArchDaily.2016-05-23.Retrieved2022-04-04.
  56. ^Brown, Steve (November 6, 2013)."Perot Buys Downtown Dallas Corner, Hints at Grand Plans".Dallas Morning News.
  57. ^"LaGuardia Airport's new Terminal B officially opens in New York City".ABC7 New York.2020-06-13.Retrieved2024-03-13.
  58. ^"The Chicago Athenaeum".www.chi-athenaeum.org.Retrieved2024-05-21.
  59. ^"hok.com: Orlando Magic and AdventHealth Open New Training Center and Clinic".hok.com.HOK. August 31, 2023.RetrievedDecember 20,2023.
  60. ^"St. Louis' new soccer stadium feels like part of the city".Fast Company.Retrieved16 April2024.
  61. ^"Toronto office by HOK is designed as a post-covid workspace".Wallpaper*.22 October 2022.Retrieved16 April2024.
  62. ^"HOK and ERRE Reveal Design of New Arena in Valencia, Spain".HOK.November 8, 2019.Retrieved2024-02-11.
  63. ^"NYCFC Selects Hok and Turner Construction Company to Design and Build New York City's First-Ever Soccer-Specific Stadium".New York City FC.April 14, 2023.RetrievedApril 29,2023.
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