With so many architecture firms to choose from, it’s challenging for clients to identify the industry leaders that will be an ideal fit for their project needs. Fortunately, Architizer is able to provide guidance on the top design firms in New York based on more than a decade of data and industry knowledge.
How are these architecture Firms ranked?
The following ranking has been created according to key statistics that demonstrate each Firm’s level of architectural excellence. The following metrics have been accumulated to establish each architecture Firm’s ranking, in order of priority:
- The number of A+Awards finalists (2013 to 2022)
- The number of projects selected as “Featured Project” (2009 to 2022)
- The number of projects selected as “Project of the Day” (2009 to 2022)
- The number of projects uploaded to Architizer (2009 to 2022)
- The number of A+Awards won (2013 to 2022)
Each of these metrics is explained in more detail at the foot of this article. This ranking list will be updated annually, taking into account new achievements of New York architecture firms throughout the year.
Without further ado, here are the 2 best architecture firms in New York:
2. Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP ( SOM )
SOM has completed more than 10,000 architecture, interior design and planning projects in more than 50 countries. Currently, SOM employees represent more than 70 countries and speak more than 40 different languages.Company OverviewSkidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP (SOM) is one of the leading architecture, urban planning, interior design, and engineering firms in the world, with a 75-year reputation for design excellence and a portfolio that includes some of the most important architectural accomplishments of the 20th and 21st centuries. Since its inception, SOM has been a leader in the research and development of specialized t…echnologies, new processes and innovative ideas, many of which have had a palpable and lasting impact on the design profession and the physical environment.
Some of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP ( SOM )’s most prominent projects include:
- Grey Group Roof Deck, 200, 5th Avenue, Manhattan, New York, NY, United States
- St. Albans School – Marriott Hall, Washington, DC, United States
- St. Louis Arch Park, 11, North 4th Street, Saint Louis, MO, United States
- Infinity Tower, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
- Burj Khalifa, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
- United States Air Force Academy – Cadet Chapel, Colorado Springs, CO, United States
- Al Hamra Tower, Kuwait City, Kuwait
- Shanghai Huawei Technologies Corporate Campus, Shanghai, China
- Carmelo K. Anthony Basketball Training Center at Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY, United States
- John F. Kennedy International Airport – International Arrivals Building, Terminal 4, NY, United States
- King Abdullah Financial District Conference Center, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- Lever House, 390, Park Avenue, Manhattan, New York, NY, United States
- John Hancock Center
- Cathedral of Christ the Light, 2121, Harrison Street, Oakland, CA, United States
- Tianjin Global Financial Center, Tianjin, China
- Willis Tower (formerly Sears Tower), 233, South Wacker Drive, Chicago, IL, United States
- Washington Dulles International Airport – Main Terminal – Automated People Mover Station, Chantilly, VA, United States
- 7 World Trade Center (Lighting Design), New York, NY, United States
- The Park Hotel, Hyderabad, Hyderabad, India
- GSC Group Offices (Lighting Design), New York, NY, United States
- Sheikh Khalifa Medical City, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
- Atlantic Health Jets Training Facility, Florham Park, NJ, United States
- Cold Bending Glass
- Poly International Plaza, Beijing, China
- Northshore LIJ Hospital, New Hyde Park, NY, United States
- The BayArc, San Francisco, CA, United States
- The Ledge at Skydeck Chicago, 233, South Wacker Drive, Chicago, IL, United States
- Oakland Museum of California, Oakland, CA, United States
- Great Lakes Naval Training Station, North Chicago, IL, United States
- Denver Union Station, Denver, CO, United States
- Public Safety Answering Center II, Bronx, Bronx County, NY, United States
- Elgin Laundry Building, Elgin, IL, United States
- Test Project, Bengaluru, India
- The Drawing Room at the Arts Club of Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States
- Wild Mile, Chicago, IL, United States
- Roche Diagnostics Learning and Development Center, Indianapolis, IN, United States
- FBI Biometric Technology Center, Clarksburg, WV, United States
- Optimo Hat Company, Chicago, IL, United States
- Time Warner Center, New York, NY, United States
- O’Hare Global Terminal
- Kinematic Sculpture, Chicago, IL, United States
- C.H. Robinson Midwest Headquarters, Chicago, IL, United States
- JTI Headquarters, Geneva, Switzerland
- The Strand, American Conservatory Theater (A.C.T.), San Francisco, CA, United States
- Central Barangaroo, Sydney, Australia
- The Center for Character and Leadership Development, Colorado Springs, CO, United States
- Al Ahmadi Cultural Center, Ahmadi, Kuwait
- P.S. 62 The Kathleen Grimm School for Leadership and Sustainability, Staten Island, New York, NY, United States
- All Aboard Florida’s Brightline
- Chicago Public Library, West Loop Branch, Chicago, IL, United States
- Alárò City, Lagos, Nigeria
- Penske Media Corporation
- 350 Mission, San Francisco, CA, United States
- Greenland Group Suzhou Center, Wujiang, China
- Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport Terminal 2, Mumbai, India
- One World Trade Center, New York, NY, United States
- Cayan Tower, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
- Pearl River Tower, Guangzhou, China
- Chicago Public Library, Chinatown Branch, Chicago, IL, United States
- JTI Headquarters, Geneva, Switzerland
- Netsch House
- Billie Jean King Main Library
- The Stratford
- Cornell Tech Campus Framework Plan, New York, NY, United States
- New United States Courthouse – Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States
- Hangzhou Wangchao Center
- United States Consulate General , Guangzhou, China
- Manhattan Loft Gardens, London, United Kingdom
- Restoration of Historic Chicago Skyway Canopy, Chicago, IL, United States
- BBVA Bancomer Centro Operativo, Mexico
- John Jay College of Criminal Justice CUNY, New York, NY, United States
- One George Street, Singapore
- International Gem Tower, New York, NY, United States
- Dallas City Performance Hall, Dallas, TX, United States
- United States Embassy Beijing, Beijing, China
- Train Hall Project, New York, New York, United States
- Oakland Coliseum, Oakland, CA, United States
- AMIE 1.0, Oak Ridge, TN, United States
- University of Connecticut – Innovation Partnership Building, Mansfield, CT, United States
- U.S. Census Bureau Headquarters, Suitland-Silver Hill, MD, United States
- The Zuellig Building, Manila, Philippines
- The Christ Hospital Joint and Spine Center, Cincinnati, OH, United States
- King Abdul Aziz International Airport, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
- Jiangxi Nanchang Greenland Zifeng Tower, Nanchang, China
- Pertamina Energy Tower, Jakarta, Republic of Indonesia
- Liansheng Financial Center
- Bank of Beijing Science and Technology Research and Development Center, Beijing, China
- Rathbone Market Phase 1 ‘Vermilion’, London, United Kingdom
- San Bernardino Justice Center, San Bernardino, CA, United States
- Jinao Tower, Nanjing, China
- China Merchants Tower & Woods Park Master Plan, Shenzhen, China
- University Center, The New School, New York, NY, United States
- University of California, San Diego, Medical Education and Telemedicine Building, La Jolla, CA, United States
- 510 Fifth Avenue Renovation and Adaptive Reuse, New York City, NY, United States
- New York City School, New York, New York, United States
The following statistics helped Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP ( SOM ) achieve 2nd place in the 2 Best Architecture Firms in New York:
| A+Awards Winner | 152 |
| A+Awards Finalist | 381 |
| Featured Projects | 1237 |
| Total Projects | 102 |
1. BIG – Bjarke Ingels Group
BIG is a Copenhagen, London and New York based group of architects, designers and thinkers operating within the fields of architecture, urbanism, research and development. BIG has created a reputation for completing buildings that are programmatically and technically innovative as they are cost and resource conscious. In our architectural production we demonstrate a high sensitivity to the particular demands of contexts and mixed use programs. By practicing ’programmatic alchemy’, BIG often mixes conventional ingredients such as living, leisure, working, parking and shopping into new forms of symbiotic architecture. The Mountain which was completed in 2008, counts as one of the first realized examples of this practice.
Some of BIG – Bjarke Ingels Group’s most prominent projects include:
- VIA 57 West, 601, West 57th Street, Manhattan, New York, NY, United States
- ISLAMIC CULTURAL CENTER and MUSEUM OF TOLERANCE, Tirana, Albania
- 8 House, 61, Richard Mortensens Vej, København S, Kastrup, Denmark
- Maritime Youth House, 13, Amager Strandvej, København S, København, Denmark
- DANISH PAVILION
- Cross # Towers, Seoul, South Korea
- Psychiatric Hospital Helsingor, 145, Esrumvej, Helsingør, Denmark
- Vilhelmsro Primary School, Vilhelmsro, Fredensborg, Denmark
- Maison de l’Économie Créative et de la Culture en Aquitaine, Bordeaux, France
- Stockholmsporten, E18, Stockholm, Sweden
- Tallinn Town Hall, Tallinn, Estonia
- Vancouver House, Vancouver, Canada
- VM Houses, 57, Ørestads Boulevard, København S, København, Denmark
- St. Louis Arch Park, 11, North 4th Street, Saint Louis, MO, United States
- SUPERKILEN, Mimersgade, København N, København, Denmark
- Amagerforbrændingen Waste to Energy Plant, 31, Kraftværksvej, København S, København, Denmark
- E2 (ECOLOGY + ECONOMY), Kouvola, Finland
- Faroe Island Education Center
- GREENLAND NATIONAL GALLERY, Nuuk, Greenland
- The Mountain, 55, Ørestads Boulevard, København S, København, Denmark
- Copenhagen Harbor Bath, Islands Brygge, Amager Vest, København, Denmark
- SJAKKET YOUTH CENTER, 4, Skaffervej, København NV, København, Denmark
- DANISH MARITIME PAVILION
- YES IS MORE
- Times Square Redesign, Manhattan, New York, NY, United States
- SHENZHEN ENERGY MANSION, Shenzhen, China
- THE BATTERY, Njalsgade, København S, København, Denmark
- WEST 57th @ LOUISIANA MUSEUM, 315, West 57th Street, Manhattan, New York, NY, United States
- BIG Monograph
- Transitlager, Sankt Alban, Basel, Switzerland
- LOOP CITY
- Paris Parc, 1, Rue des Fossés Saint-Bernard, Paris, France
- Kimball Art Center Park City, 638, Park Avenue, Park City, UT, United States
- URBAN FUTURE AT DESIGN MIAMI 2011
- Koutalaki Ski Village, Kalajoki, Finland
- Copenhagen Harbor Bath Extension
- Musée national des Beaux-Arts du Québec, La Cité-Limoilou, Quebec City, Canada
- TIRPITZ, Blåvand, Denmark
- Vancouver House, Vancouver, Canada
- NYPD 40th Precinct, New York, New York, United States
- Aalborg City, Aalborg, Denmark
- ULOBA Headquarters, Drammen, Norway
- Confidential Client, New York, New York, United States
- Isenberg School of Management, Amherst, Massachusetts, United States
- High-Rise in Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany
- Amager Bakke, a new waste-to-energy incineration plant designed by BIG Architects, Copenhagen, Denmark
- 2 World Trade Center, New York, NY, United States
- Panda House, Copenhagen, Denmark
- East 126th Street, New York, New York, United States
- Wilson School, Arlington, Virginia, United States
- KING, Toronto, Canada
- The Dryline, New York, NY, United States
- The Spiral, Manhattan, New York, NY, United States
- Västerås Travel Center, Västerås, Sweden
- Hyperloop One Dubai, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
- The XI, New York, NY, United States
- 670 Mesquit – Los Angeles Arts District, Los Angeles, CA, United States
- Grove at Grand Bay, Miami, FL, United States
- Rebuild by Design
- Gammel Hellerup Gymnasium Multi-Purpose Hall, Hellerup, Denmark
- Danish National Maritime Museum, Helsingør, Denmark
- 2016 Serpentine Pavilion, London, United Kingdom
- La Maison Des Fondateurs, Jura-Nord vaudois, VD, Switzerland
- LEGO House, Billund, Denmark
- noma, Copenhagen, Denmark
- 79&Park, Stockholm, Sweden
- WeGrow, New York, NY, United States
- 1200 Intrepid, Philadelphia, PA, United States
- Hualien Residences, Hualien County, Taiwan
- TELUS SKY, Calgary, Canada
The following statistics helped BIG - Bjarke Ingels Group achieve 1st place in the 2 Best Architecture Firms in New York:
| A+Awards Winner | 230 |
| A+Awards Finalist | 50 |
| Featured Projects | 932 |
| Total Projects | 74 |
Other Architecture Firms to Consider
Several other renowned architecture Firms can be found just outside the Top 2, each of which is worth considering for their experience in delivering high quality, large-scale projects across typologies. They include: L’Observatoire International
Why Should I Trust Architizer’s Ranking?
With more than 30,000 architecture firms and over 130,000 projects within its database, Architizer is proud to host the world’s largest online community of architects and building product manufacturers. Its celebrated A+Awards program is also the largest celebration of architecture and building products, with more than 400 jurors and hundreds of thousands of public votes helping to recognize the world’s best architecture each year.
Architizer also powers firm directories for a number of AIA (American Institute of Architects) Chapters nationwide, including the official directory of architecture firms for AIA New York.
An example of a project page on Architizer with Project Award Badges highlighted
A Guide to Project Awards
The blue “”+”” badge denotes that a project has won a prestigious A+Award as described above. Hovering over the badge reveals details of the award, including award category, year, and whether the project won the jury or popular choice award.
The orange Project of the Day and yellow Featured Project badges are awarded by Architizer’s Editorial team, and are selected based on a number of factors. The following factors increase a project’s likelihood of being featured or awarded Project of the Day status:
- Project completed within the last 3 years
- A well written, concise project description of at least 3 paragraphs
- Architectural design with a high level of both functional and aesthetic value
- High quality, in focus photographs
- At least 8 photographs of both the interior and exterior of the building
- Inclusion of architectural drawings and renderings
- Inclusion of construction photographs
There are 7 Projects of the Day each week and a further 31 Featured Projects. Each Project of the Day is published on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram Stories, while each Featured Project is published on Facebook. Each Project of the Day also features in Architizer’s Weekly Projects Newsletter and shared with 170,000 subscribers.
We’re constantly look for the world’s best architects to join our community. If you would like to understand more about this ranking list and learn how your Firm can achieve a presence on it, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at editorial@architizer.com.
