Architecture Firm Aims For More International Business

January 24, 2012

News Release

INDIANAPOLIS (January 24, 2012) – RATIO Architects, Inc., with studios in Indianapolis, Champaign, IL and Raleigh, NC recently announced a strategic alliance with Chicago-based SMDP, LLC. The partnership will offer clients from both firms an expanded list of services, and allow both firms to pursue growth opportunities and continued stability in the new global economy. Additionally, the partnership achieves two key RATIO corporate goals: expanding into the international arena and establishing a Chicago presence.

SMDP is a Chicago-based design practice with a large portfolio of high-rise, mixed-use, corporate and civic projects in China, Korea and the United States. The firm’s two principals Scott Sarver, AIA, and Dae-Hong Minn have designed more than 200 million sq. ft. in more than 20 countries, and netted numerous industry awards for their work including the Association of Licensed Architects Gold Medal Award and Don Erickson Presidential Award for the Dongnam Distribution Center in Seoul, Korea, and the Association of Licensed Architects Design Excellence Award of Merit for 550 West Adams (USG Headquarters) in Chicago. Most recently, Sarver and Minn were former principals in a Chicago firm prior to establishing SMDP, LLC. As a part of the strategic alliance with RATIO, Sarver and Minn are now consulting principals to RATIO.

“We have actively searched for more than a year for a firm with strong international credentials so that we can leverage our design portfolio in new, expanding markets,” says RATIO Founding Principal and President William Browne, Jr., FAIA, LEED AP. “Not only have we found that in SMDP, but we are able to establish a Chicago presence as well. What drew us to Scott and Dae-Hong was our similar design sensibilities and cultures, which focuses on contextual storytelling and sustainable design to create outstanding living, working and learning spaces.”

The RATIO/SMDP studio will be located in offices in the River East section of Chicago at 401 E. Illinois Street, Suite 225. In addition, the RATIO/SMDP team was recently awarded a contract in Xian, China to create a scenic entertainment zone for four miles of waterfront park space located near the historic Han Dynasty cultural site.

“In a globally interconnected economy, architecture firms need to be nimble and offer a higher level of responsiveness to clients,” says Sarver. “Throughout its 30-year history, RATIO has evolved into a firm with the enthusiasm and vision needed to navigate through an ever-changing market. Our partnership with RATIO will enable us to increase our capacity to better serve clients and allow the firm to pursue a broader range of building commissions. Additionally, we’ll be able to bring an added perspective to our international high-rise, mixed-use, corporate and residential expertise overseas. We’re very excited to collaborate with RATIO’s team of talented professionals.”

About SMDP, LLC. SMDP is an innovative design studio comprised of dedicated professionals committed to providing solutions to contemporary architectural and urban issues. Respect for

-MORE-

context and the broader public realm are tenets of SMDP’s practice. Inspired by the cultural,
geographic and organizational diversity of its clientele, SMDP’s mission is to realize environments that are conducive to daily living, supportive of commercial enterprise and engaging to the human spirit.

SMDP’s professionals are currently designing large-scale, mixed-use residential developments in Korea, China and Chicago. Firm designers recently completed work on the Haeundae Doosan We've Zenith, the largest residential tower built in South Korea; the Bocom Commons in Suzhou, China; The Post Tower in Seoul, Korea; and the KINTEX Convention and Exhibition Center in Goyang, Korea.

For more information, visit www.smdpstudio.com.

About RATIO Architects, Inc. RATIO is an award winning design and planning firm founded in 1982 with studios in Indianapolis, Champaign, IL and Raleigh, NC. With projects completed in more than 20 states, RATIO has developed a national and diverse portfolio of work in the higher education, community, life science, workplace, cultural and lifestyle markets. RATIO brings a strong sustainable ethic to all its architecture, historic preservation, interior design, landscape architecture, urban design and planning, and graphic design services.

Recent work includes the sustainably-designed and pedestrian-friendly improvements to Indianapolis’ Georgia Street, an integral component to Super Bowl XLVI; the Chase Near Eastside Legacy Center; the NCAA Headquarters Expansion; the Indiana Convention Center Expansion; Duke University’s Research Drive Parking Garage and Wallace Wade Stadium Masterplan; and the Indiana University School of Medicine Eugene and Marilyn Glick Eye Institute.

For more information about RATIO, visit www.RATIOarchitects.com.

Source: RATIO Architects Inc.