Читать книгу Voices of Design Leadership - Ken Sanders - Страница 37

Founded in 1935, Perkins&Will is the second largest design firm in the world with 25 offices spanning seven countries. The firm’s 2,200 design professionals provide services in architecture, interior design, branded environments, urban design, and landscape architecture, applying a design philosophy focused on human-centered design, health, and well-being, as well as sustainability and resilience. Social responsibility is also a key part of the firm’s culture, and each year Perkins&Will donates 1% of its design services to pro bono initiatives and projects.

From the firm’s public website, “We’re dedicated to creating environments where people live happier, healthier lives. To working collaboratively with our clients – engaging, listening, questioning – until, together, we exceed expectations. This is how we define design excellence.”

In 1986, Perkins&Will was acquired by Dar Al-Handasah, a privately owned international consulting firm headquartered in Beirut, Lebanon; it is now part of a global network of companies known as Dar Group. Some of Perkins&Will’s well-known sister firms include engineering firm T.Y. Lin International (infrastructure engineering), project Currie & Brown (energy), Penspen (project management), Integral Group (MEP and energy engineering), Landrum & Brown (aviation planning), Ross & Baruzzini (technology and security systems), and others. As of this writing, Dar Group has 297 offices in 60 countries and over 18,600 employees.

Phil Harrison has led Perkins&Will as CEO since 2006, overseeing the firm as it tripled in size, expanded into new geographies, and strengthened its commitments to design excellence and research. Some of the firm’s growth has been organic and some was achieved through acquisitions. Perkins&Will owns a number of firms it calls “partners,” which have retained their own brand identity. They include London-based Portland (branded experiences), Nelson/Nygaard (mobility), and Pierre-Yves Rochon (hospitality).

In addition to the work Phil discusses in his interview, the firm’s portfolio of award-winning projects includes Shanghai Natural History Museum in Shanghai, China; BMW Site Operations Center in Spartanburg, South Carolina; University of Ottawa STEM Complex in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; and Northwestern University Louis A. Simpson and Kimberly K. Querrey Biomedical Research Center in Chicago, Illinois.

I’ve personally known Phil Harrison for over a decade, primarily through our involvement in the Design Futures Council, where we both serve as Senior Fellows, as well as the AIA Large Firm Roundtable. He is an articulate, high-energy, and action-oriented leader. Born in Switzerland, Phil’s background in the arts – painting, sculpture, film, and philosophy – are paired with a strong aptitude for business strategy and organizational design.

Phil’s leadership impact at Perkins&Will since his arrival over twenty-five years ago is an excellent case study in how to strengthen and grow a global design firm. In his interview, he discusses the importance of servant leadership, the synergy of integrating good business and good design, the art of acquisitions, and the importance of work/life balance. Phil also shares several recent projects of which he is particularly proud, and that exemplify the firm’s environmental and human-centered design aspirations.