Perkins+Will's Shanghai Natural History Museum and Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects' Malmö Live. Images by James and Connor Steinkamp; Adam Mørk
In one of the largest mergers ever to occur in the architecture world, world renowned Danish firm Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects has joined Perkins+Will in a strategic global partnership aimed at extending the firms’ international reach and reinforcing a commitment to sustainability and design excellence.
Founded in 1986, Schmidt Hammer Lassen has grown to become one of Scandinavia’s most prominent and reputable practices, completing projects such as the Dokk1 Library and ARoS Museum of Art in Aarhus, Denmark; the Halifax Central Library in Nova Scotia, Canada; and The Black Diamond, the extension to the Royal Library in Copenhagen. The firm had a particularly successful 2017, winning competitions for projects in locations as wide ranging as Shanghai, Melbourne, Copenhagen, and Detroit.
Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects' Dokk1 Library in Aarhus. Image by Adam Mørk
By joining Perkins+Will, one of the world’s largest architectural practices, SHL will inherit a 83-year legacy of design excellence and architectural research and innovation. Together, the united firms will be able to further strengthen their international presence through civic and cultural projects.
“Part of what makes this partnership so special is that Perkins+Will and Schmidt Hammer Lassen share a common set of values: design excellence, sustainability, innovation, and the highest level of client service,” explains Perkins+Will CEO Phil Harrison. “We also maintain the same design ethos, believing that exceptional architecture is always democratic and in the service of the greater good. We’re compatible at every level.”
Bjarne Hammer, founding partner of Schmidt Hammer Lassen, adds:
“Our firms share a clear mission: through architecture and design, we make a positive difference in the world and in the lives of others. We both believe strongly in the transformative, healing power of design to address some of the most pressing social and environmental issues of our time. And, we both thrive in a design culture that encourages collaboration.”
Schmidt Hammer Lassen CEO Bente Damgaard believes the merger will allow for a streamlined collaboration and design process, with all of the resources, talent and expertise needed to deliver high quality architecture to be located within a single network.
“We want to be known as a company that is both design-driven and client-focused, as a firm that produces extraordinary designs and delivers them with extraordinary efficiency. Merging with Perkins+Will enables us to maintain this critical part of our identity while having the support, technology, and reach of a much larger organization,” says Damgaard. “It’s a fantastic opportunity.”
See more of the two firms’ work at the links below:
Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects | Office | ArchDaily
New details have been revealed of the €40 million extension of ARoS Art Museum in Aarhus, Denmark. Designed by Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects in collaboration with artist James Turrell, the expansion project includes a new 1,400-square-meter (15,070-square-foot) underground gallery and two site-specific installations by Turrell that represent his largest museum project to date.
Perkins+Will | Office | ArchDaily
Perkins+Will designed a sports therapy and research centre for a new collaboration between the Dallas Cowboys and healthcare provider Baylor Scott & White. To sit within the Cowboy’s new 91-acre campus, the mixed-use medical facility will provide necessary care and training facilities to athletes of all levels, including the Dallas Cowboys themselves.
News via Perkins+Will