Global design firm Stantec has signed a letter of intent to acquire VOA Associates Incorporated (VOA), a 280-person Chicago-based architecture and planning firm. The acquisition is expected to close in late March 2016.
VOA is recognized for dynamic building designs serving major clients in the hospitality, commercial, healthcare, workplace, entertainment and cultural, and government sectors.
VOA further expands Stantec’s 3,800-person building design practice. In Chicago, VOA employs more than 140 people while Stantec has a 50-person office. Combined, they will form one of the largest design firms in Chicago.
Founded in Chicago, VOA has contributed to the cultural vibrancy of the Windy City for more than four decades. Their notable local projects include the Wabash “vertical campus” Building at Roosevelt University; waterfront reconstruction of Navy Pier, one of the city’s signature landmarks; and the corporate headquarters for Grant Thornton and Wintrust.
Other key projects include the flagship Virgin Hotel in New York City, scheduled to debut in 2018; the Hampton University Proton Therapy Institute in Virginia; and the sustainably-designed 661,000-sq.-ft. NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC.