Designing a World-Class Architecture Firm : The People, Stories, and Strategies Behind HOK

"Designing a World Class Architecture Firm: The People, Stories and Strategies Behind HOK offers exclusive insights into the revolutionary strategies behind one of the top ten largest architecture firms in the world. Written with dashes of memoir by the former CEO, Patrick MacLeamy, this book offers practicing architecture professionals in small to mid-sized firms and other design professionals such as interior designers and urban planners with detailed guidance for reinvigorating company culture, establishing financial metrics, attracting and retaining talent, diversifying services and firm expansion. This book is flavored with dozens of quirky stories from MacLeamy's time at the helm of HOK, and while it is not a design book - MacLeamy offers insights into many of HOK's most iconic projects, including: Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C., Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore, MD, and more"-- Provided by publisher Cover......Page 1 Title Page......Page 5 Contents......Page 9 Introduction......Page 15 Closer to Home......Page 19 Big Dreams......Page 21 Impressions of HOK......Page 22 My First Assignment......Page 23 Section 1: The Founders, 1955–1982......Page 25 Why St. Louis?......Page 27 Hellmuth & Hellmuth......Page 28 George Francis Hellmuth......Page 29 The Depression-Proof Firm......Page 30 Chapter 2: A New Kind of Architecture Firm......Page 33 Starting HYL/LHY......Page 34 Gyo Obata......Page 35 George Kassabaum......Page 37 Forming HOK......Page 39 HOK’s Early Years......Page 41 Marketing Innovation......Page 45 Design Innovation......Page 47 Production Innovation......Page 49 Start-to-Finish Innovation......Page 52 Staffing Innovation......Page 53 Ownership Innovation......Page 54 Mutual Respect......Page 57 Taking Care of Employees......Page 58 Family Atmosphere......Page 59 Storytelling......Page 60 The HOK Name......Page 61 St. Louis Office Fire......Page 62 Planting a Flag in San Francisco......Page 65 Launching in Washington, DC......Page 67 Landing in Dallas......Page 68 Going to Pittsburgh......Page 71 Settling in San Francisco......Page 72 Working in Alaska......Page 74 San Francisco Projects......Page 77 Becoming a Project Manager......Page 81 Managing Versus Leading......Page 82 Case Study: Moscone Center......Page 84 HOK as Matchmaker......Page 87 Naming Successors......Page 91 Adding HOK New York......Page 96 George Hellmuth Triumphs......Page 97 George Kassabaum Dies......Page 98 Section 2: The Obata Era, 1982–1993......Page 101 Building Buildings Again......Page 103 The New Marketing......Page 104 The HOK Matrix......Page 105 Growing Pains......Page 106 Signs of Trouble......Page 107 Bringing in the Pros......Page 108 Becoming Managing Principal......Page 111 Run Toward Trouble......Page 112 Collecting Money......Page 113 Working in the Middle East......Page 114 Lessons of Los Angeles......Page 117 Sports Design Specialty......Page 118 Team Member in Tampa......Page 120 Retail Design Specialty......Page 121 Opening in Hong Kong......Page 122 Launching in London......Page 123 Kajima Invests......Page 125 Traveling to Tokyo......Page 127 HOK Tokyo......Page 130 Sustainable Design......Page 131 Bob Stauder Resigns......Page 133 Bill Hellmuth Joins HOK......Page 134 Gyo Obata Consults......Page 136 Section 3: The Sincoff Era, 1993–2002......Page 139 The Sincoff Strategy......Page 141 Sharing the Strategy......Page 144 Offices Push Back......Page 148 Innovating in Silicon Valley......Page 151 Doubling Your Reach......Page 153 Overseas Adventures......Page 154 Joining the ExCom......Page 157 Computer-Aided Design......Page 159 Tech 2000......Page 160 Going Paperless......Page 163 buildingSMART......Page 164 CRS, Houston......Page 169 Eduardo Terrazas y Asociados, Mexico City......Page 171 Cecil Denny Highton, London......Page 172 Urbana Architects, Toronto......Page 173 Expansion in Europe......Page 174 HOK Dubai......Page 175 Charm School......Page 177 The 90-Day Rule......Page 179 The 10-Month Rule......Page 180 Simplified Accounting......Page 181 Expanding the Board......Page 182 George Hellmuth Dies......Page 185 Paul Watson Steps Aside......Page 186 Jerry Sincoff Retires......Page 187 The Kajima Crisis......Page 189 The HOK Sport Crisis......Page 190 Becoming CEO......Page 191 Section 4: The Macleamy Era, 2003–2016......Page 193 A Company in Crisis......Page 195 The Election......Page 197 The Pyramid Strategy......Page 198 Invigorating the ExCom......Page 203 Expanding the ExCom......Page 204 Naming a Design Successor......Page 205 Finding an Operations Leader......Page 206 Removing Office Leaders......Page 207 Empowering the Board of Directors......Page 209 Chapter 23: The Effort Curve......Page 210 The CURT Summons......Page 213 The Effort Curve......Page 214 The Effort Curve at HOK......Page 217 Case Study: KAUST......Page 218 The MacLeamy Curve......Page 220 Finding New Leaders......Page 221 The Fixer......Page 222 The Recruit......Page 224 Case Study: HOK New York......Page 225 Tweaking the Bonus Program......Page 226 Consolidating Accounting......Page 229 Fixing Advance Technology......Page 230 Streamlining Human Resources......Page 231 Visiting the Offices......Page 233 Explaining HOK Stock......Page 234 Posting Staff Photos......Page 236 Reviving Core Boards......Page 237 Celebrating 50 Years......Page 238 A Different Kind of Retreat......Page 239 Paying Off the Bank......Page 243 Buying Out Kajima......Page 245 Spinning Off HOK Sport......Page 246 Susan Williams Joins the OpsCom, ExCom......Page 249 General Counsel Promotion......Page 250 Human Resources Changes......Page 251 Bill Valentine Retires......Page 252 Carl Galioto Joins the ExCom......Page 253 Consolidating Offices......Page 254 Pressing Sustainable Design......Page 255 Case Study: Abu Dhabi National Oil Company......Page 256 HOK Product Design......Page 258 Expanding Again......Page 259 Back in the Game......Page 260 Finding the Next CEO......Page 262 My “Repurposing”......Page 264 The State of HOK......Page 265 Looking to the Future......Page 266 The Hellmuth Strategy......Page 267 Acknowledgments......Page 269 About the Author......Page 271 Index......Page 273 EULA......Page 288

Offers architects and creative services professionals exclusive insights and strategies for success from the former CEO of HOK.

Designing a World Class Architecture Firm: The People, Stories and Strategies Behind HOK tells the history of one of the largest design firms in the world and draws lessons from it that can help other architects, interior designers, urban planners and creative services professionals grow bigger or better. Former HOK CEO Patrick MacLeamy shares the revolutionary strategies HOK’s founders deployed to create a brand-new type of architecture firm. He pulls no punches, revealing the triple crisis that almost bankrupted HOK and describes how any firm can survive and thrive.

Designing a World Class Architecture Firm tells the inside story of many of HOK’s most iconic buildings, including the National Air and Space Museum, Moscone Convention Center, Oriole Park at Camden Yards, the Houston Galleria and the reimagined LaGuardia Airport. Each chapter conveys lessons learned from HOK’s successes --and failures-- including:

• The importance of diversifying to depression-and-recession-proof your firm
• The benefit of organizing your firm around specialized leaders and project types
• The difference between leading and managing your people
• The value of simple financial metrics to ensure your firm’s health and profitability
• The “run toward trouble” strategy which prevents problems from ballooning

MacLeamy delivers his advice via inspirational stories such as how HOK survived when its home office in St. Louis went up in flames and humorous stories, like the time an HOK executive was mistaken for royalty on a trip to Saudi Arabia.  In this tell-all guide, the driven architecture or design professional will find the tools needed to evolve or grow any firm.

O ffers architects and creative services professionals exclusive insights and strategies for success from the former CEO of HOK. Designing a World Class Architecture Firm: The People, Stories and Strategies Behind HOK tells the history of one of the largest design firms in the world and draws lessons from it that can help other architects, interior designers, urban planners and creative services professionals grow bigger or better. Former HOK CEO Patrick MacLeamy shares the revolutionary strategies HOK's founders deployed to create a brand-new type of architecture firm. He pulls no punches, revealing the triple crisis that almost bankrupted HOK and describes how any firm can survive and thrive. Designing a World Class Architecture Firm tells the inside story of many of HOK's most iconic buildings, including the National Air and Space Museum, Moscone Convention Center, Oriole Park at Camden Yards, the Houston Galleria and the reimagined LaGuardia Airport. Each chapter conveys lessons learned from HOK's successes —and failures— including: The importance of diversifying to depression-and-recession-proof your firm The benefit of organizing your firm around specialized leaders and project types The difference between leading and managing your people The value of simple financial metrics to ensure your firm's health and profitability The "run toward trouble" strategy which prevents problems from ballooning MacLeamy delivers his advice via inspirational stories such as how HOK survived when its home office in St. Louis went up in flames and humorous stories, like the time an HOK executive was mistaken for royalty on a trip to Saudi Arabia. In this tell-all guide, the driven architecture or design professional will find the tools needed to evolve or grow any firm.