WASHINGTON — Design firm Bowie Gridley Architects (BGA) is joining DLR Group.

BGA specializes in master planning and design for K-12 independent school clients along the Atlantic Coast and throughout the Northeast. BGA also adds experience in performing arts, museum, preservation, higher education, and hospitality design to complement and strengthen DLR Group’s expertise in these core markets.

BGA was founded by Calvert S. Bowie, AIA, and William C. Gridley, FAIA. The firm’s award-winning portfolio of work, and its focused expertise in master planning and design of K-12 independent school campuses and learning spaces, are a natural complement to DLR Group’s globally leading K-12 Education practice.  

“BGA’s expertise in the independent school market is illustrated by its roster of long-term clients and the legacy of buildings they have designed that reflect the values and culture of those institutional clients,” said Davenport. “Adding the resources of BGA to our K-12 studio in Washington, D.C., creates a platform to grow the leading education design firm in the Atlantic Coast region and throughout the Northeast.”

“Our profession is changing,” said Calvert S. Bowie. “Integrated design is the future. By joining DLR Group we can now provide our clients with in-house engineering, interiors, high-performance design, acoustics, lighting, and the full suite of design resources available within a 1,200-person design firm. Our teams now have access to a depth of design specialties and expertise that will benefit every client.”

Robert Allen, AIA; Elise Robinson, AIA; and Richard Salopek, AIA, along with Bowie and Gridley will join DLR Group as principals and continue to lead the independent school design practice, which will operate as DLR Group | Bowie Gridley.

DLR Group is a 100% employee-owned firm and all BGA employees will have the opportunity to purchase stock in DLR Group during the firm’s annual stock exchange. This employee-ownership opportunity was a key factor in BGA’s decision as it provides a proven method for ownership transition to ensure the 40-year design legacy of Bowie Gridley.

“There is a natural alignment of the BGA and DLR Group cultures and values. The approach and feeling of a work family is rare today, and in that area, we are a match,” said Gridley. “This is a great opportunity for our people. They can provide our independent school clients with a full suite of integrated design services, and this gives each employee a springboard of opportunity to pursue a design, practice, or operational leadership position within a global firm.”

Signature BGA designs in the region include the Choate Rosemary Hall Student Center, Batchelder and Howe Halls at Loomis Chaffee School, King Abdullah Academy, Ballou High School, and Wakefield High School. DLR Group work in the area includes the restoration of the Smithsonian American Art Museum's Renwick Gallery, restoration of Maury Elementary School, Triumph Ward 8 Housing, and the Good Hope Neighborhood Recreation Center.

BGA and DLR Group will combine operations in a new Washington, D.C. location in the spring of 2022. For more information, visit www.dlrgroup.com.