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NBBJ

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NBBJ
Practice information
Founders
Founded1943
LocationBoston, Charlotte, Columbus, Hong Kong, London, Los Angeles, New York, Portland, Pune, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, Shanghai
Coordinates47°37′12″N 122°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, Charlotte, London, Los Angeles, New York, Portland, Pune, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle and Shanghai.

The firm provides services in architecture, interiors, planning and urban design, environmental graphics, experience design, healthcare and workplace consulting, landscape architecture, and lighting design. The firm works across sectors including healthcare, commercial and workplace environments, science and research, education, civic and cultural institutions, and urban design.

NBBJ has been recognized as a TIME 100 Most Influential Companies (2025),[1] and a six-time recipient of the Fast Company Most Innovative Architecture Firm award.[2] NBBJ was also recognized as "Best in Business" by Modern Healthcare, named the fastest-growing architecture firm by Architectural Record, and designated by Wired as the "architecture firm of choice for tech companies."[3][4][5]

History

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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.[6]

In 1976, the firm merged with Columbus, Ohio-based Nitschke–Godwin–Bohm, formally becoming NBBJ and expanding its national reach.[7][8]

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.[9]

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.[10]

Sustainability and Climate Initiatives

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The firm was an early signatory of the Architecture challenge, a global initiative to reduce fossil-fuel greenhouse gas emissions in the built environment. In 2025, NBBJ was ranked #1 among leading US architecture firms in Energy Use Intensity (EUI) reduction as part of the AIA 2030 °Challenge, reporting a portfolio-wide reduction of approximately 75%. The firm also ranked among the top two firms by gross square footage of projects meeting EUI targets.[11]

NBBJ is also CarbonNeutral® certified by Natural Capital Partners and a signatory of the Amazon Climate Pledge.[12][13]

Research and Innovation

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NBBJ has developed research initiatives focused on the relationship between the built environment and human performance, including studies on climate, temperature, and cognitive function in partnership with neuroscientist Dr. John Medina. In addition, the firm has developed partnerships with The New York Academy of Sciences[14]  to study what scientists want in their lab buildings, Professor Dr. Raj Choudhury of the London School of Economics (previously with the Harvard Business School) to design workplaces in an era of disruption[15] and Professor Dr. Kevin Schulman of the Stanford’s Graduate School of Business to inform future hospital design in the age of artificial intelligence (AI).

Selected completed projects

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Workplace

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Commercial

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Healthcare

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Education

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  • American International University, Kuwait City, Kuwait[59]
  • City, University of London Main Entrance Transformation Project, London, United Kingdom[60]
  • Cleveland State University College of Education and Human Services, Cleveland, Ohio[61]
  • Cornell Tang Hall, Ithaca, New York[62]
  • Royce Institute, University of Manchester, United Kingdom[63]
  • Stanford University Li Ka Shing Center for Learning and Knowledge, Palo Alto, California[64]
  • UC San Diego Viterbi Family Vision Research Center, San Diego, California[65]
  • University of Cambridge Material Sciences and Metallurgy Building, Cambridge, United Kingdom[66]
  • University of Idaho, Integrated Research and Innovation Center, Moscow, Idaho[67]
  • University of Oxford, Life and Mind Building, Oxford, United Kingdom[68]
  • University of Southampton Life Sciences Building, Southampton, United Kingdom[69]
  • Webster Hall, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington[70]
  • Westmark, Encino, California[71]

Experience Design

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  • Delta LGA Terminal C Media Experience, New York, New York[72]
  • Loma Land at Loma Linda University Children's Hospital, Loma Linda, California[73]
  • eBay Main Street, California[74]
  • Statue of Liberty Museum, New York, New York[75]
  • WarnerMedia Headquarters, New York, New York[76]
  • White House Public Tour, Washington D.C.[77]

Science

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Cultural and Civic

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Sports/Expo

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Urban Design

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  • Dallas Arts District[103][104][105]
  • Downtown Boston Planning Study, Boston, Massachusetts[106]
  • Georgia Tech Comprehensive Campus Plan[107]
  • Louisiana State University Comprehensive and Strategic Master Plan, Baton Rouge, Louisiana[108]
  • Pittsburgh Waterfront Master Plan[109][110]
  • Shanghai Bund Renovation, Shanghai, China (2011)[111]
  • Tencent Shenzhen Headquarters Project, Shenzhen, China[112]
  • The Southwestern Medical District Master Plan[113]
  • University of Utah Physical Development Plan[114]
  • Wilburton Urban Design and Sustainable District Opportunity Assessment[115]
  • Imperia Ocean City, Hung Yen, Vietnam [115]

Selected designers

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Designers at NBBJ include: Steve McConnell (appointed managing partner in 2014),[116][117] Jonathan Ward (partner),[118][119][120] Joan Saba,[121][122] Robert Mankin (appointed managing partner in 2023),[123][124][125] Ryan Mullenix (partner),[126][127][128] Jay Siebenmorgen (Design Partner),[129] Mindy Levine-Archer (Design Partner)[130] and Tim Johnson (partner).[131][132]

Recognition

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References

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  1. ↑ "TIME100 Most Influential Companies 2025: NBBJ". TIME. June 26, 2025. Retrieved July 29, 2026.
  2. ↑ Berg, Nate (March 24, 2026). "The most innovative architecture companies of 2026". Fast Company. Archived from the original on March 24, 2026. Retrieved July 7, 2026.
  3. ↑ "The World's Most Innovative Companies 2018: Architecture Honorees". Fast Company. Retrieved July 1, 2022.
  4. ↑ "Top 300 U.S. Architecture Firms of 2020". architecturalrecord.com. Retrieved July 1, 2022.
  5. ↑ Wohlsen, Marcus. "Google and Amazon Hired These Architects to Invent the Future of Work". Wired. ISSN 1059-1028. Retrieved July 1, 2022.
  6. ↑ MacIntosh, Heather M. (November 2, 1998). "Bain, William James Sr. (1896-1985), Architect". HistoryLink. Retrieved November 24, 2016.
  7. ↑ The Johnson Partnership (October 2015). "Landmark Nomination Report: Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, Seattle Branch" (PDF). City of Seattle Landmarks Preservation Board. p. 17. Retrieved November 24, 2016.
  8. ↑ Kokmen, Leyla (February 12, 1996). "NBBJ's home run: Seattle architects build up sports specialty". The Seattle Times. p. E1. Retrieved November 24, 2016.
  9. ↑ Mckee, Bradford (March 15, 2010). "NBBJ and Chan Krieger Sieniewicz to Merge". Architect Magazine. Retrieved July 29, 2025.
  10. ↑ "NBBJ acquires immersive technology design studio ESI Design". Building Design+Construction. February 6, 2020. Retrieved July 29, 2025.