Populous, a global leader in sports and entertainment architecture, has announced its acquisition of Fentress Architects. The merge was something the two practices had discussed for some time. For the firmsโ leadershipโincluding Bruce Miller, global chair and CEO of Populous; and Curt Fentress, founder and principal of Fentress Architectsโnow felt like the right time, not to mention that the cultures and extensive portfolios of the two firms are similar in more ways than one. Fentress will now operate under the name Fentress Studios, a Populous Company.
The acquisition brings together Populous’s expertise in large-scale projects, including sports venues and experiential technology, with Fentress’s aviation expertise, extensive portfolio, and experience in designing airports such as Los Angeles International Airport. Key areas of collaboration include rethinking traditional airport design to create great passenger experiences, leveraging Fentress’s aviation expertise and Populous’s work in experiential technology, and tapping into new opportunities for designers on staff.
โWe both design buildings for the publicโvery large, complex buildings with long span structures and many of the same programmatic elements,โ Miller told AN. โAnd so we see a lot of parallels in our practices. Weโre not a general practice. Weโre a very specialized practice.โ
โOur culture fit really well with Populous culture and the way they practice architecture, and the way they handle clients and feel about their clients, is the same way we feel,โ added Fentress. โWe think thereโs a lot about the building types we do that also cross over and marry together really well.โ
In recent years, Fentress has seen strong growth in its aviation work, something Fentress attributed to government-backed funding for infrastructure projects, like airports. Combined, the firms are well-equipped to rethink traditional airport design, which has always promoted the safety, comfort, and ease of passengers.
โWe want to create a new way forward for aviation and transform the passenger experience to be great, not just minimizing pain points,โ Miller said. โWe want to make for a great passenger experience as we focused on in the sports and entertainment world.โ
With the acquisition still in its infancy, the two firms continue to work out how their collaboration will operate. From this, new opportunities will emerge for designers on staff and the strengths of each firm will most definitely come into play.
โI really like one of Curtโs sayings,โ Miller said. โThat weโre small but mighty. And Fentress does some of the largest projects in the world. Now together, weโre large and weโre mighty.โ
