5 D.C.-Based Firms Ranked in Top 500 U.S. Design Firm List

Washington, D.C.-based firms Gensler, Page, Studios Architecture, WDG Architecture, and Shalom Baranes Associates were ranked in Engineering News-Record's (ENR) list of the top 500 design firms in the nation in 2015. ENR is a weekly magazine that claims to be "the bible of the construction industry" through its reporting and analysis on engineering and construction news. The latest "The 2015 Top 500 Design Firms" list was posted this past Monday, ranking the 500 largest U.S.-based publicly and privately held designs firms, each rank based on design-specific revenue. The organizations featured varied from geotechnical engineer firms to landscape architecture firms and more. Find out what other firms made the list here.

While based in Washington, D.C., Gensler works around the globe, working in 114 countries with almost 2,400 clients. The firm was founded in 1965 and is ranked as one of the top 25 largest U.S. law firms, one of the 43 biggest U.S. companies by market value, and one of the top 10 retailers in the U.S, according to the firm's fact sheet. The firm focuses on sustainable design and designed the first LEED-certified data center, the first LEED-certified car dealership in the U.S.

Some of the projects Gensler has worked on include the 632-meter Shanghai Tower in China, the five-story McCann New York headquarters, and the third phase of the extension to Kuwait's Avenues shopping district.

A few other recognitions that Gensler has won include being ranked in Glassdoor's "50 Best Places to Work-2016" list and winning the Leadership Award for Organizational Excellence from the U.S. Green Building Council.

This 400-plus person multidisciplinary architecture and engineering firm has offices all over the nation. Page's work varies far and wide from academic buildings, to civic and government buildings, to commercial buildings, and more.

Page's projects include the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley's Academic Performing Arts Complex and the United Airlines Data Center.

Past recognitions include AIA Austin's Design Award, Society of American Registered Architects' Honor Award, and Interior Design Magazine's Best of Year Merit Award for Healthcare.

Studios Architecture opened its Washington, D.C. office in 1985 and now houses over 250 staff members and 17 principals in its various offices all over the nation. The past projects from this international design practice include education, government, commercial, fitness, retail, and residential properties. The firm's past work has included carbon-neutral retrofits and LEED certified projects.

Studios Architecture led the interior renovation of the Pentagon and has assisted in consulting work for the U.S. General Services Administration. Other notable projects include designing Mashable's New York headquarters and San Francisco's multi-block, mid-rise urban complex, known as Foundry Square.

AIA Charlotte's Merit Award, AIA DC's Presidential Citation for Design & Wellbeing, and AIA San Francisco's Citation For Excellence in Architecture are only a few awards that Studios Architecture has won. Feel free to see the whole list here.

Founded in 1938, this Washington, D.C.-based firm has designed over 500 buildings and more than 20,000 residential units in the nation's capital. WDG Architecture also has an office based in Dallas, Texas.

Past projects include designs for The Wharf's Parcel Four, Pentagon Centre's Skyview mixed-use tower, and the 3 million-square-foot, four block Pike & Rose development located in Rockville, Maryland.

WDG Architecture has won the NAIOP NoVA Merit Award for Best Mix-Use Development, the Student Housing Business Innovator Award for Best Use of Sustainable Design, and the ENR Mid-Atlantic Best Project Award for Office/Retail/Mixed-Use.

Since 1981, Shalom Baranes Associates has accomplished, the firm's projects total more than $7 billion and 30 million-square-feet. The 130-firm Washington, D.C.-based firm has designed commercial, institutional, and governmental projects in both private and public sector groups.

Some of the firm's most notable projects include Shaw's two-block City Market at O, the modernization and restoration of the 19th century Main Treasury Building, and the three million-square-foot Burnham Place, which is one of the largest transit-oriented developments of the East Coast rail corridor.

This firm has received over 100 design awards. These include the AIA's Merit in Architecture Award and the AIA's Award of Excellence in Urban Design/Master Planning.
· The 2015 Top 500 Design Firms [Engineering News-Record]
· Gensler [Official Website]
· Page [Official Website]
· Studios Architecture [Official Website]
· WDG Architecture [Official Website]
· Shalom Baranes Associates [Official Website]