Schmidt Hammer Lassen Joins Perkins+Will
John Hill
24. January 2018
Halifax Central Library (Photo: Adam Mørk)
Global architectural firm Perkins+Will announced that it has joined Schmidt Hammer Lassen – the Danish firm founded in 1986 by Morten Schmidt, Bjarne Hammer and John Lassen – in "a strategic partnership."
Schmidt Hammer Lassen is known for buildings in Denmark and other Scandinavian countries, such as Copenhagen's Royal Library and Malmö Live in Sweden, but recently the 150-person firm has been working on a number of construction projects and master plans in China, Eastern Europe and North America. The partnership will enable the firm to continue its growth beyond Scandinavia while giving Perkins+Will a stronger cultural and civic practice and reinforce the caliber of its design portfolio.
Perkins+Will was established in 1935 and now boasts more than 2,000 employees in over 20 locations. Last year, P+W merged with Denver's Sink Combs Dethlefs to create its 24th international design studio. The P+W website indicates their "family of partner companies includes retail strategy and design consultancy Portland; sustainable transportation planning consultancy Nelson\Nygaard; healthcare technology planning firm Genesis Planning; and luxury hospitality design firm Pierre-Yves Rochon(PYR)."
The Royal Library Photo © Adam Mørk
Perkins+Will CEO Phil Harrison said in a statement:
Bjarne Hammer, founding partner of Schmidt Hammer Lassen, also said: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. 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.
As reported at Architect magazine, "As part of the deal, technically an acquisition, [CEO Bente] Damgaard and all Schmidt Hammer Lassen’s founding and practice partners will continue to lead the Denmark studio, which will retain the Schmidt Hammer Lassen name."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.