NBBJ

Last updated

NBBJ
NBBJ logo.svg
Practice information
Founders
Founded1943
Location Boston, Columbus, Hong Kong, London, Los Angeles, New York, Portland, Pune, San Francisco, Seattle, Shanghai, Washington D.C.
Coordinates 47°37′12″N122°19′51″W / 47.620089°N 122.330758°W / 47.620089; -122.330758
Website
nbbj.com

NBBJ is an American global architecture, planning and design firm with offices in Boston, Columbus, London, Los Angeles, New York, Portland, Pune, San Francisco, Seattle and Shanghai.

Contents

The firm provides services in architecture, interiors, planning and urban design, experience design, healthcare and workplace consulting, landscape architecture, and lighting design. It works across a wide range of markets, including civic and cultural institutions, workplace and commercial environments, healthcare, education, science and research, sports, and urban planning.  

NBBJ has been recognized as one of TIME's 100 Most Influential Companies (2025), a five-time honoree on Fast Company 's Most Innovative Companies list, and named the fastest-growing architecture firm by Architectural Record . It has also been recognized as "Best in Business” by Modern Healthcare and as the “architecture firm of choice for tech companies” by Wired . [1] [2] [3]

The firm was an early signatory of the Architecture 2030 challenge, a global initiative to reduce fossil-fuel greenhouse gas emissions in the built environment. In 2025, NBBJ was ranked #1 among US architecture firms for collective Energy Use Intensity (EUI) reduction—a key metric measuring building energy efficiency—achieving nearly a 75% reduction across its portfolio. The firm also ranked among the top two firms by gross square footage of projects meeting EUI targets. [4]

NBBJ is also CarbonNeutral® certified by Natural Capital Partners and a signatory of the Amazon Climate Pledge. [5] [6]

History

NBBJ was founded in 1943 by Seattle architects Floyd Naramore, William J. Bain, Clifton Brady, and Perry Johanson, originally under the name Naramore, Bain, Brady & Johanson. Formed during World War II to undertake large-scale federal projects such as the Bremerton Naval Shipyard expansion, the partnership remained intact after the war and evolved into one of the Pacific Northwest’s largest architecture firms. [7]

In 1976, the firm merged with Columbus, Ohio-based Nitschke–Godwin–Bohm, formally becoming NBBJ and expanding its national reach. [8] [9]

In 2010, NBBJ merged with Cambridge-based urban design firm Chan Krieger Sieniewicz (CKS), enhancing its presence in the Northeast and adding to its urban design capabilities. [10]

In 2020, NBBJ expanded its expertise in immersive and experiential design through its acquisition of ESI Design, a New York-based studio known for integrating interactive media and technology into the built environment. [11]

Selected completed projects

Workplace

Commercial

Healthcare

Education

Experience Design

Science

Cultural and Civic

Sports/Expo

Urban Design

Selected designers

Designers at NBBJ include: Steve McConnell (appointed managing partner in 2014), [112] [113] Jonathan Ward (partner), [114] [115] [116] Joan Saba, [117] [118] Robert Mankin (appointed managing partner in 2023), [119] [120] [121] Ryan Mullenix (partner), [122] [123] [124] Jay Siebenmorgen (Design Partner), [125] Mindy Levine-Archer (Design Partner) [126] and Tim Johnson (partner). [127] [128]

Recognition

References

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