NBBJ

NBBJ is an American architecture, planning, and design practice with roots in Seattle and an international portfolio spanning buildings, interiors, landscapes, urban districts, environmental graphics, and digitally enabled experiences. The firm was established in 1943 by Seattle architects Floyd Naramore, William J. Bain, Clifton Brady, and Perry Johanson. Its original name, Naramore, Bain, Brady & Johanson, reflected the founding partnership and was later shortened to the initials NBBJ. The practice began during the Second World War, when demand for large federal and industrial projects created opportunities for Seattle architects. Among its early assignments was work associated with the expansion of the Bremerton Naval Shipyard. The founding partnership continued after the war, and the firm developed into one of the Pacific Northwest's major architecture practices. A 1976 merger with Columbus, Ohio-based Nitschke–Godwin–Bohm expanded the firm's national reach and consolidated the NBBJ name. NBBJ works across architecture, interiors, planning, urban design, landscape architecture, lighting, environmental graphics, experience design, and consulting related to healthcare and workplaces. Its sector portfolio includes corporate and commercial environments, technology campuses, hospitals and clinics, laboratories, research institutions, schools and universities, public buildings, cultural facilities, sports venues, and large-scale urban plans. The firm has designed or contributed to projects for organizations including Amazon, Alibaba, Tencent, Microsoft, healthcare systems, universities, public agencies, and cultural institutions. Notable completed work includes the Amazon Spheres in Seattle, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation headquarters, the Shanghai Bund renovation, the University of Oxford Life and Mind Building, the Statue of Liberty Museum, and major healthcare facilities in the United States and abroad. Expansion has frequently occurred through combinations with complementary practices. In 2010, NBBJ merged with Cambridge-based urban-design firm Chan Krieger Sieniewicz, strengthening its presence in the northeastern United States and adding urban-design expertise. In 2020, it acquired ESI Design, a New York studio recognized for integrating interactive media, technology, and storytelling into physical environments. The transaction broadened NBBJ's experience-design capabilities and connected architectural work with digital and immersive communication. Sustainability is a prominent part of the firm's stated practice. NBBJ was an early signatory to the Architecture 2030 Challenge and reports measuring the energy performance of its work against the AIA 2030 Challenge. Reference material identifies a 2025 ranking in which NBBJ placed first among United States architecture firms for collective energy-use-intensity reduction, reporting an approximately 75 percent portfolio-wide reduction. The firm is also described as CarbonNeutral certified by Natural Capital Partners and a signatory of the Amazon Climate Pledge. NBBJ maintains offices in Boston, Columbus, Charlotte, London, Los Angeles, New York, Portland, Pune, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, and Shanghai. Its reputation combines large institutional and corporate delivery capacity with research-oriented design, healthcare specialization, workplace strategy, urban planning, and technology-enabled experiences. Recognition cited for the firm includes repeated Fast Company Most Innovative Architecture Firm honors, healthcare and interior-design awards, professional institute awards, and inclusion in TIME's 2025 list of the World's Most Influential Companies.

NBBJ was formed in Seattle in 1943 by Floyd Naramore, William J. Bain, Clifton Brady, and Perry Johanson. The original partnership operated under the expanded name Naramore, Bain, Brady & Johanson. Its early work was shaped by wartime federal demand, including large-scale assignments connected with the Bremerton Naval Shipyard. Unlike many temporary wartime practices, the partnership remained together after 1945 and continued to grow as the Pacific Northwest developed. During the postwar period, NBBJ broadened its work beyond federal and industrial commissions into commercial, institutional, educational, healthcare, and civic architecture. In 1976, it merged with Nitschke–Godwin–Bohm, an architecture firm based in Columbus, Ohio. The combination expanded NBBJ's geographic reach and helped establish the initials NBBJ as the firm's principal public identity. The practice subsequently developed into a multidisciplinary organization offering architecture, interiors, planning, urban design, environmental graphics, landscape architecture, lighting, and specialized consulting. Its commissions increasingly included complex hospitals, laboratories, technology campuses, corporate headquarters, universities, public buildings, sports facilities, and urban districts. The firm's work became particularly visible in Seattle and other Pacific Northwest cities while also extending across the United States and into international markets. In 2010, NBBJ merged with Chan Krieger Sieniewicz, commonly known as CKS, a Cambridge-based urban-design practice. This strengthened NBBJ's presence in the Northeast and added urban-planning and urban-design expertise. In 2020, NBBJ acquired ESI Design, a New York studio known for using interactive technology, media, and narrative design in physical settings. The acquisition allowed NBBJ to connect conventional architectural services with experiential and digitally mediated environments. Selected projects demonstrate the breadth of the firm, including the Amazon Spheres and other Amazon facilities in the Seattle and Arlington areas; the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation headquarters; Alibaba and Tencent campuses; major healthcare buildings for institutions such as Massachusetts General Hospital, NYU Langone Health, Seattle Children's, and Cleveland Clinic; university and research buildings in Oxford, Cambridge, Manchester, Stanford, and San Diego; and civic and cultural projects such as the Statue of Liberty Museum, courthouses, libraries, and Seattle public facilities. Environmental performance has become an increasingly explicit part of NBBJ's practice. The firm signed the Architecture 2030 Challenge and has reported project energy performance through the AIA 2030 framework. Reference material identifies NBBJ as the leading United States architecture firm in 2025 collective energy-use-intensity reduction, with a reported portfolio-wide reduction of roughly 75 percent. It is also described as CarbonNeutral certified by Natural Capital Partners and a signatory to the Amazon Climate Pledge. Today, NBBJ operates as a global practice with offices across the United States, the United Kingdom, China, India, and other international locations. Its current profile combines large-project delivery with research, workplace and healthcare strategy, sustainability, urban design, and experience design. Professional recognition cited for the firm includes multiple Fast Company innovation honors, AIA and healthcare-design awards, recognition from Modern Healthcare and Architectural Record, and inclusion in TIME's 2025 list of influential companies.

• 2025

  Recognition for influence and energy performance

  [2]NBBJ official websitenbbj.com

  Reference material cites NBBJ's inclusion in TIME's influential companies list and its leading United States architecture-firm ranking for AIA 2030 collective energy-use-intensity reduction.

• 2020

  Acquisition of ESI Design

  [1]NBBJen.wikipedia.org

  NBBJ acquires the New York experience-design studio, adding interactive and immersive design expertise.

• 2010

  Merger with Chan Krieger Sieniewicz

  [1]NBBJen.wikipedia.org

  NBBJ combines with the Cambridge urban-design practice, expanding its northeastern presence and planning capabilities.

• 1976

  Merger creates the NBBJ identity

  [1]NBBJen.wikipedia.org

  The firm merges with Columbus-based Nitschke–Godwin–Bohm and formally adopts the abbreviated NBBJ name.

• 1943

  Firm founded in Seattle

  [1]NBBJen.wikipedia.org

  Floyd Naramore, William J. Bain, Clifton Brady, and Perry Johanson establish the practice later known as NBBJ.

A research-oriented, multidisciplinary global design practice focused on complex institutional, corporate, healthcare, science, education, civic, and urban projects, with particular strength in technology-enabled workplaces, healthcare environments, and sustainable design.

• Built-environment design

  Architecture

  NBBJ designs corporate headquarters, healthcare facilities, laboratories, universities, schools, public buildings, cultural institutions, sports venues, and mixed-use developments. Its architectural work ranges from individual buildings to large campuses and urban districts, often integrating sustainability, operational planning, and user experience.

• Healthcare architecture

  Healthcare design and consulting

  The firm plans and designs hospitals, clinics, rehabilitation centers, children's facilities, research environments, and integrated health campuses. Its services may combine architecture, interiors, planning, workplace strategy, patient experience, and operational consulting.

• Workplace design

  Workplace and corporate environments

  NBBJ creates headquarters, offices, research workplaces, employee amenities, and technology-company campuses. Projects such as Amazon, Alibaba, Tencent, Samsung, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation illustrate its focus on organizational identity, collaboration, flexibility, and large-scale workplace planning.

• Urban planning

  Urban design and planning

  NBBJ develops master plans, campus plans, district frameworks, waterfront strategies, and sustainable urban-design studies. Examples cited include planning work for the Dallas Arts District, Shanghai Bund, university campuses, medical districts, and waterfront developments.

• Interactive and immersive design · 2020

  Experience design

  Through its expanded experience-design capabilities, NBBJ integrates interactive media, environmental graphics, digital content, and storytelling into physical places. Applications include visitor experiences, public tours, corporate environments, museums, transportation terminals, and healthcare settings.

• 2020

  Acquisition of ESI DesignM&A

  Background

  NBBJ wanted deeper capabilities in interactive media and experience-led environments.

  Action taken

  NBBJ acquired ESI Design, a New York experience-design studio.

  Aftermath

  The acquisition broadened NBBJ's ability to deliver immersive, technology-enabled experiences alongside architecture and interiors.

  Source

• 2010

  Merger with Chan Krieger SieniewiczM&A

  Background

  NBBJ aimed to strengthen its northeastern United States platform and urban-design offering.

  Action taken

  NBBJ merged with the Cambridge-based urban-design practice.

  Aftermath

  The combination added urban-design capacity and increased NBBJ's presence in the Northeast.

  Source

• 1976

  Merger with Nitschke–Godwin–BohmM&A

  Background

  NBBJ sought broader national scale while the Columbus-based practice brought an established Ohio presence.

  Action taken

  The firms combined and used the NBBJ name.

  Aftermath

  The merger expanded NBBJ beyond its Pacific Northwest origins and supported its national growth.

  Source

• 2025

  NBBJ recognized among TIME's 2025 Most Influential Companies[2]NBBJ official websitenbbj.com

  Other

  NBBJ was included in TIME's 2025 recognition of influential companies, reflecting attention to its work in architecture and design.

• 2025

  NBBJ reports major reduction in portfolio energy intensity[2]NBBJ official websitenbbj.com

  Other

  Reference material states that NBBJ ranked first among United States architecture firms for collective energy-use-intensity reduction under the AIA 2030 Challenge, reporting an approximately 75 percent reduction.

• 2020

  NBBJ acquires ESI Design[1]NBBJen.wikipedia.org

  M&A

  The acquisition expanded NBBJ's capabilities in immersive environments, interactive media, and experience design.

• 2010

  NBBJ merges with Chan Krieger Sieniewicz[1]NBBJen.wikipedia.org

  M&A

  The merger strengthened NBBJ's northeastern United States presence and expanded its urban-design capabilities.

1. 1NBBJen.wikipedia.org
2. 2NBBJ official websitenbbj.com
3. 3NBBJ has acquired ESI Design, an innovative experience design studioarchinect.com