Building Design + Construction ranks Legat Architects in Top 10 Chicago-based and Top 100 U.S. Architecture Firms
[Chicago, IL] – Designers of the new Hamilton Elementary School in Moline, Illinois knew it had to be special. It was, after all, Moline-Coal Valley School District 40’s first new school in 50 years. Leaders wanted it to set the tone for a new wave of schools with student achievement at the core.
So the Legat Architects’ PreK-12 team did the unexpected: they tapped the expertise of coworkers who specialize in municipal and healthcare facilities. This summer, District 40 celebrated completion of Hamilton Elementary, which Superintendent Lanty McGuire called “. . . a testament to this community’s commitment to education and to the future of our children.”
This cross-pollination between building type experts is not uncommon at Legat. Recently, the firm ranked among Building Design + Construction magazine’s Top 100 U.S. Architecture Firms for the following building sectors: Green Building, Healthcare, Hotels, K12 (Number 3 Chicago-based, Top 25 U.S.), Municipal, Reconstruction, Transit (Number 2 Chicago-based, Top 15 U.S.), University (Top 10 Chicago-based). Overall, Legat ranked in the survey’s Top 10 Chicago-based Architecture Firms and Top 100 U.S. Architecture Firms, based on 2014 revenue.
President/CEO Patrick Brosnan said, “National leadership in multiple building types brings our clients the broad-based ideas and resources that lead to influential facilities. Repeatedly, I’ve seen clients emerge as visionaries after spending time with one of our practice leaders. Often, a viewpoint from a different practice informs the other to create innovations in the built environment.”
Unexpected Influences
Just how did municipal and healthcare experts contribute to Hamilton Elementary School? It started when the former drew from the award-winning Wilmette Public Works expansion to inspire the school’s light-filled lobby.
The district was also looking for an element that would emphasize its focus on student achievement and interaction. That’s when Legat’s Healthcare team introduced the grand stair at Erie HealthReach Waukegan Health Center. The Hamilton team used it as inspiration for the Hamilton Learning Stair, an extra-wide staircase that doubles as a student seating and presentation area.
Other examples of building owners benefiting from Legat’s cross-disciplinary collaborations include the following:
- Municipal and Higher Education sectors cooperated for facility maintenance buildings at two community college campus buildings.
- Healthcare and Higher Education sectors developed simulated hospital environments at college campuses.
- Higher Education and PreK-12 sectors frequently collaborate to create advanced laboratory environments in elementary and high schools.
The cross-pollination also extends to the firm’s commercial clientele. “Corporations are often asking me what they can do to make their spaces more appealing to the next generation of professionals,” said Alan F. Bombick, director of Legat’s corporate/commercial sector. “That’s when I draw from our educational portfolio and say, ‘Here’s what they want! We designed their high schools and colleges.’”
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