DLR Group

DLR Group

Type	Employee-owned
Industry	Architecture, Engineering
Founded	1966
Products	architecture, engineering, planning, interior design
Revenue	$116 million (FY 2012)
Number of employees	600+
Website	www.dlrgroup.com

DLR Group is an integrated design firm providing architecture, engineering, planning, and interior design, and building optimization to clients from offices coast-to-coast and in China. Core areas of design expertise include Civic, Courts, Detention, Energy Services, Higher Education, Hospitality, K-12 Education, Retail, Sports, and Workplace.

In September 2012, Architect magazine, the official publication of the American Institute of Architects, ranked DLR Group as the #1 firm in the United States in its annual ARCHITECT 50 ranking of U.S. firms. The ARCHITECT 50 list is compiled by weighting three key components of practice: design excellence and pro bono, sustainability, and business.

DLR Group was founded in Omaha, Nebraska in 1966 as Dana Larson and Roubal and Associates. In 2016, DLR Group celebrates its 50 year anniversary. The founders were Irv Dana and Bill Larson, both architects, and engineer Jim Roubal. The firm has 23 offices in the United States and an offices in Dubai and Shanghai, China.

In February 2010, DLR Group merged Southern California-based design firm WWCOT into the firm. The transaction added DLR Group office locations in Los Angeles and Riverside, and the office in Shanghai. In July 2010, DLR Group announced the acquisition of Minneapolis-based design firm KKE Architects. KKE offices in Minneapolis, Las Vegas, Tucson, and Pasadena, Calif., were merged into DLR Group. In 2015, DLR Group merged with Washington, D.C.-based Sorg Architects, establishing a strong presence on the East Coast. In 2016, DLR Group acquired Westlake Reed Leskosky, based in Cleveland, bringing the firm's total number of employees above 1,000.

In its January 2012 rankings, United Kingdom based BD World Architecture ranked DLR Group's Education practice #1 in the world, its Criminal Justice practice #2, its Sports Stadia practice #4, and DLR Group Engineering #7 in the world. DLR Group also ranks as the 26th largest firm in America by revenue according to Architectural Record.