Davis Brody Bond LLP

Founded in 1952, Davis Brody Bond LLP is a high-end architecture firm serving clients across a range of industry sectors with a comprehensive approach to design that has earned the company over 200 design awards over its 60-plus years in the business.

Based in New York City, Davis Brody Bond has developed a niche in designing projects for museums, academic and corporate research facilities and high-density high-rise urban residential developments. With offices in New York City, Washington, D.C., and Sau Paulo, Brazil, Davis Brody Bond truly is a worldwide leader in architectural design with projects spanning five continents.

Davis Brody Bond’s expansive portfolio of past projects includes some of the most notable developments in recent memory such as the National September 11 Memorial and Museum at World Trade Center as well as The Smithsonian Institute’s National Museum of African American History and Culture and an expansion of the Embassy of South Africa in Washington, D.C.

The firm recently moved into a new office in New York City that overlooks Hudson Bay, giving visitors to the new city an unparalleled view of the city’s famous skyline. “We’ve got the best view of any architectural practice in NYC,” says Steven Davis, a second-generation partner at Davis Brody Bond.

Specialists in iconic design

With a roster of high-profile projects to its name, new work has been steadily rolling in at Davis Brody Bond thanks to the firm’s stellar reputation. In New York the firm is currently working on a large-scale housing project along the East River, as well as the American Museum of Natural History and a major new development at New York University.

The NYU project, known as 181 Mercer Street, will include new state-of-the-art classrooms, several theater spaces with professional lighting and stage design capabilities as well as recital and music practice rooms. A mixed-used development, 181 Mercer Street also features fitness facilities with a pool, basketball courts, and student dormitories.

Davis Brody Bond has kicked off several major efforts in the Chicago market in recent years. The firm submitted the winning bid for the Chicago City Wide Lighting Framework competition, a city-led effort that seeks to improve visitor and resident’s everyday experience with the introduction of light installations, multi-media platforms and enhanced street lighting. “It’s going to optimize tourist opportunities for city of Chicago from dusk to dawn,” says Davis.

The company also recently unveiled plans for the ambitious Chicago SkyLine project, a system of urban gondolas that would span the Windy City, connecting Navy Pier, the Chicago Lakefront and Riverwalk to downtown. Envisioned as a marquee attraction in league with Paris’ Eiffel Tower or New York’s Statue of Liberty, the SkyLine is seen as a way boost tourism in the city while driving more visitors to established attractions such as the Navy Pier and Riverwalk.

The $250 million, privately financed project envisioned by two members of Chicago’s not-for-profit convention and tourism bureau, Choose Chicago, could carry 3,000 passengers an hour and attract an estimated 1.4 million visitors a year.  “I think it’s the most exciting project we’ve worked on recently,” says Davis.

Technology driving collaboration

As Davis Brody Bond continues to evolve with the times, Davis is looking to integrate emerging technology into almost every aspect of the business. Technologies such as videoconferencing allow Davis Brody Bond to increase collaboration with clients across the globe, giving the firm the ability to deliver consistent, quality work regardless of how far flung the project might be. “I don’t think design is conducted better virtually than in person, but we don’t always have the luxury of being in the same room,” says Davis.

Collaboration is key at Davis Brody Bond. An open-office plan helps facilitate communication between coworkers and improve productivity. “People are less able to hide, if you’re in a cubicle environment you can really stay off the radar to a certain extent, but if it’s completely open, everyone is on the radar,” he says. “As a result collaboration is up and everyone depends on each other.”

This sort of teamwork is essential at a creative company like Davis Brody Bond where the team either succeeds together or fails together. “It’s a little like a jazz ensemble who’s jamming to a certain extent. You don’t know what’s coming next and there is room for spontaneous ideas that can surface and can be considered,” says Davis.

“At the same time, if somebody really screws up, everybody is affected. So I think there is a kind of ensemble to it in the office where people are working together and appreciate the opportunity to be a part of the team.”

As the firm continues to grow it’s looking to build on its reputation for high-end, iconic work in the U.S. market. “We are focusing on home territory,” says Davis.

Davis Brody Bond LLP will continue to serve clients worldwide from its headquarters in New York City as a high-end architecture firm specializing in the design of ambitious, high-profile projects.