Pfau Long Architecture Merges with Perkins+Will Bay Area Studio
The San Francisco-based practice of Perkins+Will made public yesterday its merger with Pfau Long Architecture. Perkins+Will has 25 offices worldwide, and is a Bay Area authority in architecture, interior design, and urban design. Perkins+Will, a multi-year Interior Design Giant, and Pfau Long Architecture, an Interior Design Best of Year honoree, are decorated firms in their own right but have much to gain through the business move.
“At the end of the day, this is all about combining our strengths to better serve our clients,” says Greg Johnson (at left), managing director of Perkins+Will’s San Francisco studio. “Peter and Dwight are both so well-known and respected in the Bay Area that, by partnering with them, we can reinforce our message that community means everything to us. After all, it’s our community we’re designing for.”
“Together, we can continue to deliver the highest quality designs to our clients, and continue to make our neighborhoods, towns, and cities better places to live—but with greater resources,” agrees Peter Pfau (at right), founding partner of Pfau Long Architecture.
While Perkins+Will will presumably gain from the community’s high regard for its new partner firm, Pfau Long Architecture will certainly benefit from Perkins+Will’s expansive network and considerable resources. Both firms prioritize sustainability and equitable design in their processes, which has proved to be critical as Bay Area communities are increasingly impacted by rapid real-estate development.
Pfau Long Architecture staff will relocate to the Perkins+Will studio in Rincon Hill, of which Pfau will become the design director. “After more than a decade of friendship, we’ve proven we’re a good match—and our staff already feels the same way,” said Dwight Long (at bottom left), founding parter of Pfau Long Architecture. “We’re excited to see what the future has in store for us.”
For the time being, the firms will continue to operate under their current identities, though this is subject to change at an unspecified point in the future.