DLR Group acquires Boston-based Tsoi Kobus Design

Boston, MA DLR Group CEO Steven McKay said that Boston-based healthcare and life sciences planning and design firm Tsoi Kobus Design has joined DLR Group. Bringing Tsoi Kobus to DLR Group significantly elevates the firm’s design acumen and accelerates access to more sophisticated healthcare clients and design opportunities.

Tsoi Kobus is recognized as the leading designer of healthcare and advanced proton therapy facilities at academic, clinical, and research hospitals around the world. It also brings an award-winning portfolio of life sciences, higher education, and commercial design to complement DLR Group practices in those markets.

“As we evaluated firms specializing in healthcare and life sciences that could be a growth agent for DLR Group, Tsoi Kobus was at the top of that list,” said DLR Group CEO Steven McKay. “We have cultural alignment in design; in client service based on Principal level involvement in leading projects; and a collaborative, purposeful, and bold belief in the power of design to elevate the human experience.”

The merger ensures the 40-year design legacy and continuity of Tsoi Kobus for its employees and clients, providing the firm with an expanded global platform to influence the next generation of healthcare and life sciences design. The firm will operate as DLR Group | Tsoi Kobus Design in Boston, and the 50 Tsoi Kobus employees will have the opportunity to invest in DLR Group stock and become employee owners.

“I have invested my entire career in Tsoi Kobus, and it was time to activate a transition plan,” said Tsoi Kobus co-founder Rick Kobus. “The way DLR Group does business, and its commitment to design and collaborative culture mirrors ours. This is the ideal solution for the employees, clients, and partners of Tsoi Kobus Design. I am excited about the future and eager to collaborate with DLR Group leadership to grow the healthcare, higher education, and life sciences studios in the coming years. I will be active within these teams mentoring the next generation of designers dedicated to healthcare and life sciences design excellence.”

The cultures of DLR Group and Tsoi Kobus are a philosophical match with a commitment to deliver design excellence to clients through integrated design, as well as shared beliefs and approaches to sustainability, business operations, and career development.

The opportunity to be part of a 100% employee-owned firm was a deciding factor for Tsoi Kobus to join DLR Group.

 “As we collaborated with Steven McKay and others at DLR Group, it was clear that our firms share a commitment to a firm culture, career growth for designers, an integrated design practice, and sustainability,” said Kobus. “The opportunity for all our people to become owners within DLR Group’s 100% employee-owned culture is the ideal platform to ensure the design legacy of Tsoi Kobus into the future.”

By joining DLR Group and its national and global footprint, the reach and influence of Tsoi Kobus in medical planning, and healthcare, proton therapy, and life sciences design will significantly expand. The designers of Tsoi Kobus will impact and grow healthcare, life sciences, and higher education at DLR Group, and be able to pursue other design careers in building types or specialty disciplines.

In Boston, Tsoi Kobus provides DLR Group with an established location to serve its existing clients including Bucknell University, Columbia University, Marist College, SUNY, Swarthmore College, University of Pennsylvania, and Yale University; Boston Public Schools and Cambridge Public Schools; and a variety of commercial clients including Vista Equity Partners, the General Services Administration, and global technology firms.

“Working with Rick, George Takoudes, Anne Garrity, and the design studio at Tsoi Kobus, we will build a thriving, growing healthcare practice in DLR Group offices across the country,” said McKay. “Our intent is to grow DLR Group into a recognized leader in healthcare design.”

About DLR Group
DLR Group is an integrated design firm delivering architecture, engineering, interiors, planning, and building optimization for new construction, renovation, and adaptive reuse. Our promise is to elevate the human experience through design. This promise inspires sustainable design for a diverse group of public and private sector clients; local communities; and our planet. DLR Group is 100 percent employee owned and fully supports the initiatives and goals of the 2030 Challenge, and is an initial signatory to the China Accord and the AIA 2030 Commitment.

About Tsoi Kobus Design
Tsoi Kobus Design creates award-winning environments for science and technology, healthcare, higher education, and commercial development clients. Our design approach advances knowledge discovery and combines advanced technology with humane environments. We believe design excellence is measured by client success and the path to delivering solutions begins with listening and understanding our clients’ unique challenges, cultures, and missions.