Orcutt | Winslow, a Phoenix-based design firm, signed an agreement to acquire Helman Hurley Charvat Peacock (HHCP) Architects, an international master planning/architectural firm in Orlando, Fla., to expand its offerings and better serve its clients across new complementary markets. Bringing together more than 100 years of architectural practice, the experiential-focused collaboration strategy will mark a new opportunity to create some unique design offerings and “new” competition in an ever-changing playing field. Both firms consider this a merger of talent, aligned with their values of authenticity, and will maintain a firm size that emphasizes agility and personal attention at a global level.
In a world that is constantly yearning for new ways to innovate and collaborate, the firms are responding with an intentional approach that will benefit emerging client expectations through cross-pollination of markets. HHCP brings a wide array of offerings in its portfolio encompassing 36 countries, with worldwide recognizable projects in Orlando and as far as Southeast Asia and the MENA region. HHCP will be known as “HHCP | an Orcutt | Winslow Company” and benefits the marriage with its presence in the entertainment and hospitality markets across the U.S. and abroad, adding a front row seat in experiential innovation to Orcutt | Winslow’s current award-winning healthcare, senior living, and education spaces.
“This merger will encourage a very direct focus on elevating guest experiences within a new ‘collab’ that will challenge the expectations of tomorrow in workspace, healthcare, education and our daily lives,” Orcutt | Winslow Partner Neil Terry said. “Current and future generations seek authentic and transformational experiences in everything they encounter — as architects, that’s what we live to give.”
As a result of joining forces, the company and its clients benefit from expanded resources and a broader workforce as it breaks into new market sectors with cross-pollination expertise between project types. As a company, Orcutt | Winslow offers an increased capacity of integrated interior design and planning; greater geographical connections closer to clients; ability to leverage global design influences; broader networking opportunities; and focus on guest experiences across all markets.
Consumer preferences toward experiential purchases over material ones is not a new concept, but it relates to the unique perspective HHCP | an Orcutt | Winslow Company has for its clients and their projects. In fact, authenticity has been a strong core value for both firms as they place an emphasis on people seeking authentic human experiences within the environments they create, rather than just considering architecture as a commodity.
“We want to be a living lab that translates what’s happening in the world around us into spaces that are often thought to be more institutional. This has been an ongoing trend for several decades, with a spike in a movement towards disruption. We will see some fresh, new ideas come from places that we didn’t expect,” said Daily Wright, Principal, Interior Design Leader at Orcutt | Winslow.
The firm will also level up recruitment expectations within the current labor shortage and workforce generational divide, by serving as an incubator of future leaders in the industry. With 52 percent of Orcutt | Winslow’s team falling under the Millennial or Generation Z categories, transitioning presidents Michael Chatham and Gregory Dungan from HHCP have embraced mentorship as a primary role in their mission within the new firm structure. Additionally, the company overall gains a deepened and diversified bench of over 50 tenured employees of 5-30 years, promoting a full range of thought leadership to best suit the individual perspectives of each client.
“Collaborating with a firm with shared values is a top priority for us because we pride ourselves on remaining mid-sized. We need to be agile, yet competitive with the large architectural companies and mega firms,” said Chatham at HHCP. “In fact, HHCP has been regarded as a ‘best kept secret’ as a boutique firm that is able to win large scale projects. At the end of the day, what really matters to us is continuing to help clients make decisions quickly and find the innovation in their own applications. We believe Orcutt | Winslow shares these same beliefs, and we will bring some great new talent and leadership into the mix.”
Another exciting service offering adopted from HHCP is the construction litigation support group, known as CASE (Construction Analysis, Support and Evaluation). This team assists attorneys, owners, design professionals, contractors, risk insurers, and sureties engaged in dispute resolution efforts to find, develop, and win their cases. The CASE division will offer expertise to all Orcutt | Winslow offices, with the opportunity to expand nationally.
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