Offers architects and creative services professionals exclusive insights and strategies for success from the former CEO of HOK.
Designing a World Class Architecture Firm: The People, Stories and Strategies Behind HOK tells the history of one of the largest design firms in the world and draws lessons from it that can help other architects, interior designers, urban planners and creative services professionals grow bigger or better. Former HOK CEO Patrick MacLeamy shares the revolutionary strategies HOK’s founders deployed to create a brand-new type of architecture firm. He pulls no punches, revealing the triple crisis that almost bankrupted HOK and describes how any firm can survive and thrive.
Designing a World Class Architecture Firm tells the inside story of many of HOK’s most iconic buildings, including the National Air and Space Museum, Moscone Convention Center, Oriole Park at Camden Yards, the Houston Galleria and the reimagined LaGuardia Airport. Each chapter conveys lessons learned from HOK’s successes - and failures - including:
- The importance of diversifying to depression-and-recession-proof your firm
- The benefit of organizing your firm around specialized leaders and project types
- The difference between leading and managing your people
- The value of simple financial metrics to ensure your firm’s health and profitability
- The “run toward trouble” strategy which prevents problems from ballooning
MacLeamy delivers his advice via inspirational stories such as how HOK survived when its home office in St. Louis went up in flames and humorous stories, like the time an HOK executive was mistaken for royalty on a trip to Saudi Arabia. In this tell-all guide, the driven architecture or design professional will find the tools needed to evolve or grow any firm.
Table of Contents
Introduction xiii
Coming to HOK xvii
Looking for My Place xvii
Closer to Home xvii
The Interview xix
Big Dreams xix
Impressions of HOK xx
My First Assignment xxi
Section One The Founders, 1955-1982 1
Chapter 1 The Problem with Traditional Firms 3
Why St. Louis? 3
Hellmuth & Hellmuth 4
George Francis Hellmuth 5
The Depression-Proof Firm 6
Chapter 2 A New Kind of Architecture Firm 9
Starting HYL/LHY 10
Gyo Obata 11
George Kassabaum 13
Forming HOK 15
HOK’s Early Years 17
Chapter 3 Innovate Early and Often 21
Marketing Innovation 21
Design Innovation 23
Production Innovation 25
Start-to-Finish Innovation 28
Core Boards Innovation 29
Staffing Innovation 29
Ownership Innovation 30
Chapter 4 Company Culture is Crucial 33
Mutual Respect 33
Considerate Communication 34
Taking Care of Employees 34
Family Atmosphere 35
Storytelling 36
The HOK Name 37
St. Louis Office Fire 38
Chapter 5 Growth: Project Offices 41
Planting a Flag in San Francisco 41
Launching in Washington, DC 43
Landing in Dallas 44
Chapter 6 Many Jobs, One Firm 47
Going to Pittsburgh 47
Settling in San Francisco 48
Working in Alaska 50
San Francisco Projects 53
Chapter 7 Managing Versus Leading 57
Becoming a Project Manager 57
Managing Versus Leading 58
Case Study: Moscone Center 60
HOK as Matchmaker 63
Chapter 8 Transitions: Succession Planning 67
Naming Successors 67
Adding HOK New York 72
George Hellmuth Triumphs 73
George Kassabaum Dies 74
Section Two The Obata Era, 1982-1993 77
Chapter 9 A Designer Leads the Firm 79
Building Buildings Again 79
Rise of Project Specialists 80
The New Marketing 80
The HOK Matrix 81
Growing Pains 82
Signs of Trouble 83
Bringing in the Pros 84
Chapter 10 Run Toward Trouble 87
Becoming Managing Principal 87
Run Toward Trouble 88
Collecting Money 89
Working in the Middle East 90
Chapter 11 Growth: Project Specialists 93
Lessons of Los Angeles 93
Sports Design Specialty 94
Team Member in Tampa 96
Retail Design Specialty 97
Opening in Hong Kong 98
Launching in London 99
Chapter 12 Selling Stock to Investors 101
Kajima Invests 101
Expanding in Europe and Asia 103
Traveling to Tokyo 103
HOK Tokyo 106
Sustainable Design 107
Chapter 13 Transitions: Hiring Family 109
Bob Stauder Resigns 109
Clark Davis Helms St. Louis 110
Bill Hellmuth Joins HOK 110
Gyo Obata Consults 112
Section Three The Sincoff Era, 1993-2002 115
Chapter 14 Get Bigger or Get Better? 117
The Sincoff Strategy 117
Sharing the Strategy 120
Offices Push Back 124
Chapter 15 A Firm-Wide Role 127
Innovating in Silicon Valley 127
Doubling Your Reach 129
Overseas Adventures 130
Joining the ExCom 133
Chapter 16 Embracing Technology 135
Computer-Aided Design 135
Tech 2000 136
Going Paperless 139
buildingSMART 140
Chapter 17 Growth: Buying Firms 145
CRS, Houston 145
Eduardo Terrazas y Asociados, Mexico City 147
HOK Chicago 148
Cecil Denny Highton, London 148
Urbana Architects, Toronto 149
Lobb Partnership, London 150
Expansion in Europe 150
HOK Dubai 151
Chapter 18 Enforcing Financial Metrics 153
Charm School 153
The 50 Percent Rule 155
The 90-Day Rule 155
The 10-Month Rule 156
Simplified Accounting 157
Expanding the Board 158
Chapter 19 Transitions: The Second Generation 161
King Graf Retires 161
George Hellmuth Dies 161
Paul Watson Steps Aside 162
Mahon and Pratzel Join the ExCom 163
Jerry Sincoff Retires 163
Chapter 20 Confronting Crisis 165
The Kajima Crisis 165
The Bank of America Crisis 166
The HOK Sport Crisis 166
Becoming CEO 167
Section Four The MacLeamy Era, 2003-2016 169
Chapter 21 Communicating Your Vision 171
A Company in Crisis 171
The Election 173
The Pyramid Strategy 174
Chapter 22 Empowering Firm Leadership 179
Invigorating the ExCom 179
Expanding the ExCom 180
Naming a Design Successor 181
Finding an Operations Leader 182
Removing Office Leaders 183
Empowering the Board of Directors 185
Positive Peer Pressure 186
Replacing Board Members 186
Chapter 23 The Effort Curve 189
The CURT Summons 189
The Effort Curve 190
Smart Effort Curve 192
The Effort Curve at HOK 193
Case Study: KAUST 194
The MacLeamy Curve 196
Chapter 24 Fixing Offices 197
Finding New Leaders 197
The Fixer 198
The Recruit 200
Case Study: HOK New York 201
Tweaking the Bonus Program 202
Chapter 25 Fixing Central Services 205
Consolidating Accounting 205
Fixing Advance Technology 206
Streamlining Human Resources 207
Chapter 26 Reclaiming Company Culture 209
Visiting the Offices 209
Explaining HOK Stock 210
Posting Staff Photos 212
Reviving Core Boards 213
Celebrating 50 Years 214
A Different Kind of Retreat 215
Chapter 27 Buying Your Freedom 219
Paying Off the Bank 219
Buying Out Kajima 221
Spinning Off HOK Sport 222
Chapter 28 Transitions: The Third Generation 225
Susan Williams Joins the OpsCom, ExCom 225
General Counsel Promotion 226
Human Resources Changes 227
Riccardo Mascia Heads Home 228
Bill Valentine Retires 228
Financial Team Changes 229
Carl Galioto Joins the ExCom 229
Consolidating Offices 230
Chapter 29 The Right to Dream 231
Pressing Sustainable Design 231
Case Study: Abu Dhabi National Oil Company 232
HOK Product Design 234
Expanding Again 235
Back in the Game 236
Finding the Next CEO 238
My “Repurposing” 240
Afterword: HOK Today 241
The State of HOK 241
Looking to the Future 242
The Hellmuth Strategy 243
Acknowledgments 245
About the Author 247
Index 249
