With the explosive growth in the Las Vegas Valley over the last decade, there is certainly no shortage in the demand for new schools and hospitals to serve Southern Nevada’s ever-expanding population base.
According to officials at HMC Architects, which opened an office in Las Vegas a little more than a year ago, the company specializes in such projects, and plans to play an important role in designing the much-needed infrastructure of Las Vegas in the immediate future. “We have experience all over the Southwest, and I’d like to bring some of that here,” said Randy Barnes, senior project manager and regional vice president of the company’s Las Vegas office.
The firm’s experience dates back to 1940, when Jay Dewey Harnish started the company as a one-man operation in Ontario, Calif. His goal was to provide designs for schools and hospitals that would accommodate the increasing population from the baby boom generation. Over the last 64 years, the company has flourished with unprecedented growth and success. It now boasts eight offices throughout California and two in Nevada, with more than 350 employees, including 100 licensed architects. It is one of the largest firms in California specializing in kindergarten through 12th-grade educational facilities.
“The firm has been predominantly focused on healthcare-type projects and educational facilities throughout its history,” said Jerry Eich, senior vice president of the Reno office and a senior partner in the firm.
The Reno office, which opened in 1996, established its roots after it designed the Washoe Health System master plan. It has since become the largest architectural firm in Northern Nevada, both in terms of revenue and number of employees. With a staff of 20, its annual billings exceed $3 million, which equates to about $35 million a year in construction costs.
One of HMC Architects’ other prominent projects is the Dini Townsend Hospital in Carson City for the Nevada Mental Health Institute. The hospital has six different structures and provides care for up to 80 patients. HMC is currently working on a new Catholic Church in Reno, as well as medical research laboratories for the University of Nevada, Reno.
“We kind of did it backwards, if you think of Las Vegas as the fastest-growing area,” Eich said of opening the Reno office before opening up a Las Vegas location. “Both Reno and Vegas have some good steady growth projections. What we specialize in is geared to growth – schools and hospitals – and as the community grows, the number and type of projects we handle will continue to grow.”
In the short time HMC has been in Las Vegas, it has quickly established itself in the architectural arena. With a staff of five, the Las Vegas office has done work for Lake Mead Hospital, as well as several modernization projects for the Clark County School District, and currently has bids in to design two new schools. “We would definitely like to do full schools for the school district,” Barnes commented.
In addition, Barnes said the company hopes to expand the Las Vegas office’s services to include hospitality structures. He said he has some projects on the horizon, but declined to disclose details. His other goals are in line with the company’s philosophy: to create a comfortable haven for employees where they can expand and grow in their careers. “It’s not all about profit,” Barnes said. “It’s about serving the community too, and part of serving the community is creating a great place for people to work.”