November 15, 2017 Alumni-Led Firms Rank in Top 50
Firms led by alumni of the college have placed in the 2017 Top 50 list as ranked by Architect, the journal of the AIA. Firms are scrutinized in three categories: Design, Sustainability and Business, and ranked overall. Congratulations to these firms and the alumni who lead them:
Archimania, a firm located in Memphis, earned a No. 13 spot in Design and a No. 38 spot overall. Barry Yoakum, FAIA, (’78, BArch) is principal-in-charge of vision and collaboration.
El Dorado Architects, led by alumnus Josh Shelton (’95, BArch) and David Dowell, ranked No. 16 in the Design category. Shelton also serves as a member of the School of Architecture’s Board of Advocacy.
Gensler, a global design firm, was named No. 41 in Design, No. 23 in Sustainability, No. 47 in Business and No. 19 overall. Alumna Robin Klehr Avia, FIIDA, (’76, Interior Design) is regional managing principal and chair of the executive committee of the board of directors at Gensler. David Epstein, a member of the Dean’s Board of Advocacy and a principal at Gensler’s New York office, is a 1982 graduate of the School of Architecture. Robert Jernigan (’79 BArch) and Brent Mather (’94 BArch) also are leaders at Gensler’s Los Angeles and Denver locations, respectively.
Hastings Architecture Associates, headquartered in Nashville and founded by alumnus Jim Hastings (’71 BArch), placed No. 23 in Design, No. 21 in Sustainability and No. 29 in Business. David Bailey, principal, graduated in 1993 with a Bachelor of Architecture, and Heather Mathias, principal, is a 2003 graduate of the School of Interior Architecture. Mathias and Bailey also serve on the Dean’s Board of Advocacy.
Perkins+Will was ranked No. 35 in Design, No. 4 in Sustainability, No. 28 in Business and No. 3 overall. Congratulations to Don Reynolds (’91 BArch), managing principal, and Dede Woodring (’80 BArch), principal, both in the firm’s Atlanta office. Reynolds also is a member of the School of Architecture’s Board of Advocacy.
Additionally, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill was ranked No. 1 overall, the first firm ever to be named in the top spot twice after the firm was named No. 1 in 2010. This year, SOM also placed No. 6 in Design and No. 5 in Sustainability. The college currently partners with SOM in the UT-ORNL Governor’s Chair for Energy + Urbanism, led by partner in charge of SOM’s City Design Practice, Phil Enquist. Enquist also serves as a member of the Dean’s Board of Advocacy. Keith Boswell, SOM partner, is a 1980 graduate from our School of Architecture.
View the methodology used by Architect to compile the 2017 rankings.
Image from Architect magazine: www.architectmagazine.com
