When Haskell was founded in 1965, architects couldn’t work in the same organization as construction staff. The American Institute of Architects frowned on it, and the State of Florida wouldn’t license it.
Founder Preston Haskell was not deterred. He was a strong believer that integrating the work of architects, engineers and constructors produced superior results. Haskell’s vision would become known as the Design-Build delivery method.
At first, Haskell worked around the system by contracting architectural services. Working around the system evolved into working to change it. In the late 1970s, the AIA bowed to pressure and removed its restrictions, and Florida became one of the first states to authorize the corporate practice of architecture and construction in a single entity. Haskell was unique when it quickly became an integrated project delivery organization with architects, engineers and contactors all under one roof.
Four decades later, Haskell employs more than 140 architects within a design practice of 600 employees that includes engineers and design-support professionals. Projects range from breweries to high school campuses to military installations. And while its commitment to Design-Build is as strong as ever, Haskell has diversified and is equally strong in providing standalone architectural and design services.
When it comes to fully integrated projects, Haskell has more depth of resources and in-house expertise than ever, and its entire team takes pride in the degree of interdisciplinary cooperation that takes place.
“We have an incredible array of resources available to us within the company,” Chief Architect and Vice President Alan Wilson said. “Generally, we can look within our own ranks to find the expertise we need for any engagement, and the architecture practice is bolstered by expertise amongst Haskell engineering and construction staff.
“But we’re also adaptable and have worked with a variety of outside consultants as well when an owner has a favored consultant or there's an expertise required for a project that we don't have in house, integrating them into the team. But for the most part, we have so much horsepower because of our deep, diverse practice that we have all the resources we need in-house.”
As an example, Frito Lay has worked with Haskell on more than 100 projects, including the design for the Frito Lay Distribution Center in Waipahu, Hawaii. Haskell's Dallas office works closely with the company in a relationship that has spanned some people’s entire careers.
Highlights of the Waipahu distribution center are typical of team efforts between Frito Lay and Haskell. The facility was designed with as much natural light in the buildings as possible, thanks to the beautiful surroundings. A parking deck was installed on the roof to limit the project’s footprint because of the high cost of island real estate. The design was awarded LEED Gold Certification, a very high standard for environmentally conscious, sustainable design.
Haskell has grown organically to see its architects also work outside the Design-Build mold. Haskell’s Design and Consulting Services Division makes its services accessible to a wide range of clients with offerings that include facility design, master planning, interior design, landscape design and conceptual design.
The Sea Walk Pavilion and Town Center Commons in Jacksonville Beach, Florida, demonstrates Haskell’s ability to produce outstanding results by utilizing all its design offerings. The redevelopment project included city planning and landscape design encompassing six blocks around the town’s center and was the catalyst for subsequent redevelopment and revitalization of the entire downtown area.
FreemanWhite, a Haskell Company acquired in 2014, is a well-established healthcare design firm that offers architecture, planning, interior design, engineering and strategic project development.
In a recent engagement, FreemanWhite designed additional facilities to complement the existing Elmhurst Memorial Hospital, in Elmhurst, Illinois. The Health Campus additions included two 100,000-square-foot office buildings and 259 patient rooms. This was all designed and built around the existing Center for Health. The design has received several awards for the building, as well as for the campus in its entirety. The project includes landscaping, water features and gardens that the patients and their families can walk through and enjoy.
Further, Haskell’s Benham subsidiary has a long history of offering fee-for-service delivery of architectural services across the education, federal and healthcare markets. The new Secured Admin/Operations Facility at Fort Belvoir, Virginia is a model of that team’s work. The U.S. Army Intelligence and Security Command’s new world headquarters was an addition to an existing facility, where operations could not be disrupted and design had to adhere to stringent government and security measures. Still, it met all mitigation needed for a conservation zone, took advantage of the environmentally rich surroundings to offer fantastic views for the facility’s occupants and achieved LEED Silver certification.
No matter the engagement, Haskell’s architects bring to each design opportunity an approach of embracing the client’s objectives as their own and a commitment to innovation and delivering the highest standard of service.
Haskell’s architectural teams are also mindful of sustainability, and the environmental effects of resources, ecology, materials, water and energy, while at the same time creating thoughtful, innovative design solutions that allow clients to best support their people, purpose and business aspirations.
Architecture as a discipline has grown and matured as Haskell itself has evolved over the decades. Since its early days as a design-builder, the company has become a more diverse, high-performing organization with a thriving architectural practice that can meet any design need, with no job too big or too small.
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