Long-established Vancouver-based architecture and urban design firm Hotson Bakker Boniface Haden Architects (HBBH) will join forces with long-established multi-disciplinary design firm Cohos Evamy integratedesignT on January 28, 2010, in a merger that will have impact at a national level.
The vision behind the amalgamation of these two firms is to build a national, professional practice based on collaborative, integrated design and the achievement of excellence. The newly formed entity, with studios in Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary and Toronto, will create a national presence with the ability to deliver design excellence across the country.
Recognizing the importance of cities to Canada’s future, HBBH Principal Norm Hotson noted, “We are excited with this unique national integrated design studio model. We believe it will strengthen our long-standing ability to serve and support current and future clients. We feel that together we have created a model unique in Canada, one which provides for a productive dialogue between Canadian cities.”
In coming together, HBBH, best known for innovative, mixed-use, urban designs such as the internationally recognized redevelopment of Vancouver’s Granville Island and Cohos Evamy, current designers for numerous high profile projects such as the Royal Alberta Museum in Edmonton, the Calgary International Airport expansion, and Toronto’s upcoming Bay Adelaide East office tower, will complement each other to better service clients and their communities.
“HBBH is an outstanding firm,” said Tom Sutherland, managing Principal of Cohos Evamy. “We are delighted to be joining forces with an organization that shares our commitment to excellence. With their urban design focus, HBBH will provide an important contribution to an integrated practice model that is designed to address the complexities of dynamic sustainable environments, whether at the scale of individual buildings or entire communities.”
As a combined firm, both HBBH and Cohos Evamy are looking forward to increased opportunities to make a positive contribution to the design of buildings and cities across Canada and beyond.