HMC Architects, an international planning and design firm, announced today Phoenix-based Substance Design Consortium has joined the firm. Founding principals Donna Barry and Jose Pombo will join HMC’s corporate leadership strengthening the firm’s capabilities to serve its clients in Arizona. Barry joins the firm as Design Principal; Pombo’s corporate title is Associate Principal, Sr. Project Manager. The new firm will be known as HMC+Substance Design and will operate from its existing studio in downtown Phoenix.
“Having started my career in Phoenix in 1983, this merger reflects a spirit of homecoming for me. One of my earliest mentors and friends in the industry includes the modernist architect Al Beadle.” says Randy Peterson, FAIA, LEED AP, NCARB, President and CEO of HMC Architects. “By joining forces with Substance Design, we are gaining the talent and resources of an emerging design firm who shares the same commitment to client service that we value so much at HMC. Donna brings a passion for design that is consistent with our firm’s culture. I look forward to her being a key leader in our continued growth in Arizona,” he adds.
Substance Design Consortium will merge with HMC’s existing Tempe, AZ., office, led by Principal-in-Charge Erik Hanson and Design Principal David De Valeria. Hanson will continue to manage the combined downtown Phoenix studio, which will benefit from the added resources of the firm’s 430+ employees located in 12 offices throughout California, Nevada, Arizona, and South America. “The new partnership is mutually beneficial,” says Hanson. “By combining our employees, we’re gaining new perspectives and a great energy that will inform our clients and projects moving forward.”
With the merger, Substance Design Consortium can offer clients planning, architecture, and interior design services in new markets, including healthcare, justice, corporate/commercial and civic design. Notable projects by Substance Design Consortium include the iconic Hayden Flour Mill in Tempe, Ariz., Phoenix Theatre Mainstage, and the Glendale Community College Public Safety Science facility.
“We are very excited by the opportunities this merger represents in terms of dramatically increasing the depth of talent, experience, and project delivery resources that we will now be able to offer to our clients,” says Barry. “We believe this will open possibilities to us that are increasingly reserved for larger local and national firms and we look forward to successfully competing head to head with the biggest and best in our market,” she adds.
Barry and Pombo founded Substance Design Consortium in 2007 and have focused their practice on creating high-performance architectural solutions that maximize program requirements while responding to the natural environment. Their concentration on public and community-based facilities complements HMC’s 71-year history of specialization in the healthcare, education, civic, and justice markets.
HMC+Substance Design is located at 1001 North 3rd Avenue, Suite 2; Phoenix, AZ, 85003.
Earlier this year, HMC Architects merged with San Francisco-based Beverly Prior Architects, forming HMC+Beverly Prior Architects.
