British Columbia’s largest architecture firms are raking in more in fees than they did five years ago despite decreasing the number of architects they employ, according to data on Business in Vancouver’s Biggest Architecture Firms in Metro Vancouver list (page 20).
Fees generated by the five largest architectural firms grew an average of 56.67% over the five-year period ending in 2017. The third-largest architecture firm in Metro Vancouver, Dialog, posted the largest fee increase: up 90% to more than $19 million in 2017 from more than $10 million in 2013.
Stantec Architecture Ltd. recorded the smallest growth in fees among the top five: 10% to more than $22 million in 2017 from more than $20 million 2013.
Stantec was also the only company in the top five to have fewer employees in 2018 than in 2014. Its staff numbers fell 5% to 147 in 2018 from 154 in 2014.
Despite the growth in architecture fees and increase in overall employment in B.C., the number of architects at the top five firms has declined an average of 0.3% in 2018 from 2014.
Perkins+Will Canada had the largest decline in architects over the past five years, falling 42.3% to 30 in 2018 from 52 in 2014. The number of architects employed by Perkins+Will hit a low of 22 in 2017 and rebounded by 36.4% in 2018.
HDR had a smaller decline in its number of architects: down 25% to 18 architects in 2018 from 24 in 2014. HDR did not have the same employment rebound as Perkins+Will. It employed the same number of architects in 2018 as it did in 2017.
