Press Releases September 9, 2024

D.C.-Based Interiors Practice HYL Joins Global Design Firm Perkins&Will

Merger rooted in the firms’ shared values of material health and well-being, diversity and inclusion, and excellence in design

WASHINGTON, D.C.—HYL, an award-winning, woman-owned interior architecture and workplace strategy practice with built projects across the U.S., merged this month with the world’s second-largest architecture and design firm, Perkins&Will. The union reflects the firms’ shared commitment to designing high-performance, healthy workplaces that enhance people’s lives, and—more broadly—to promoting diversity in the design profession.

“This is an exciting time with so much opportunity ahead of us,” says Damon Sheppard, managing director of Perkins&Will’s Washington, D.C. studio. “Together, we’ll scale up our interior design practice to do even more inspiring work locally and nationally, and continue to provide outstanding service to more clients across more market sectors. We’re looking forward to welcoming the HYL team and working together to make a positive impact through great design.”

a two-story atrium with a walkway
Confidential Law Firm
New York City
Photo: Garrett Rowland
a two-story atrium with a view over a river
Crowell & Moring
New York City
Photo: Eric Laignel
two people talk in a hallway overlooking a circular courtyard
William & Connolly
Washington, D.C.
Photo: Garrett Rowland
a person walks by a wood-clad stairwell
Caryle
Washington, D.C.
Photo: Garrett Rowland

Founded in 2014 by CEO Catherine Heath, HYL has built a reputation for excellence in corporate office design and workplace strategy, particularly for law firms. Its portfolio includes the law office of Williams & Connolly in Washington, D.C. and the New York office of global investment firm Carlyle, among a spate of other projects across the U.S.

“We have been looking for a way to scale up our studio to serve our clients nationally and internationally. Joining Perkins&Will is a strategic move that will allow us to focus our time on design excellence and client service while also expanding our capabilities through complementary services. We love that Perkins&Will is a mission-based organization, and we’re aligned on values,” says Heath, who will take on the role of Northeast regional practice leader for workplace at Perkins&Will, focusing on building strategic relationships with law firms and corporate clients. “We’re excited to help grow Perkins&Will’s interiors practice and look forward to collaborating with colleagues across the country while expanding opportunities for growth for our team.”

HYL’s D.C.-based team will move into the Perkins&Will studio at 1222 22nd Street NW next year. The highly sustainable workplace, designed by Perkins&Will, reduces embodied carbon by 56% compared to a typical office space. Other standout projects by the D.C. studio include the headquarters of the U.S. Green Building Council, the first project to earn triple Platinum certifications from LEED, WELL, and TRUE; the headquarters of Greenpeace; the Whitman-Walker Health Center and Max Robinson Center; the law office of Nixon Peabody; and the D.C. Southwest Library.

Three HYL staff members will join Perkins&Will’s New York studio, and two will join Perkins&Will’s Seattle studio.

The coming-together of Perkins&Will and HYL is good for everyone involved. I’m confident that when we put our creative minds together as one team, we will do amazing things.

Phil Harrison, Perkins&Will CEO

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About Perkins&Will 

Perkins&Will, an interdisciplinary, research-based architecture and design firm, was founded in 1935 on the belief that design has the power to transform lives. The firm is committed to creating a better, beautiful, more equitable world through Living Design, an approach that integrates environmental, social, and design considerations to advance ecological health and well-being. Architizer named Perkins&Will the world’s “Best Sustainable Firm” in 2023, and Metropolis named it “Firm of the Year” in 2022 for its industry leadership in advancing climate action and social justice. Fast Company named Perkins&Will one of the World’s Most Innovative Companies in Architecture three times, and in 2021, it added the firm to its list of Brands That Matter—making Perkins&Will the first architecture practice in the world to earn the distinction.

With an international team of more than 2,400 professionals, Perkins&Will has over 30 studios worldwide, providing integrated services in architecture, interior design, branded environments, urban design, and landscape architecture. Partners include Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects; Portland; Nelson\Nygaard; and Pierre-Yves Rochon (PYR).

About HYL 

HYL is a full-service interior architecture and workplace strategy firm founded in 2014 to focus on corporate and law firm office spaces and related facilities, such as cafeterias, fitness centers, galleries, and conference centers. HYL also handles re-positioning projects for existing buildings, such as lobby and amenities space upgrades, as well as speculative office suites. Principals Catherine Heath, Antony Yen, Rob Grabarz, and Whitney Loke have been working together on award winning interiors projects in the D.C. metro area, nationally, and internationally since 2004.

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