Flad Architects

Flad Architects
Company type	Employee-owned
Industry	Architecture, Engineering, Interior design, Landscape architecture
Founded	January 1, 1927; 99 years ago in Madison, Wisconsin, United States
Founder	John J. Flad
Headquarters	Madison, United States
Area served	Nationwide (United States)
Products	Architecture, Interior design, Landscape architecture, Structural engineering, Strategic and master planning, Sustainable design solutions
Website	flad.com

Adapted from the English Wikipedia article Flad Architects, available under CC BY-SA 4.0Updated 25 July 2025

Flad Architects is a nationwide architecture firm based in Madison, Wisconsin, with additional offices located in Atlanta, Georgia; Gainesville and Tampa, Florida; Raleigh, North Carolina; San Francisco, California; Seattle, Washington; and New York, New York. The company offers a comprehensive range of services including architecture, interior design, landscape architecture, structural engineering, strategic and master planning, as well as sustainable design solutions. Its extensive portfolio encompasses sectors such as corporate, healthcare, higher education, science and technology, and federal government projects.

As a leader in the architectural industry, Flad is recognized as the foremost firm nationwide specializing in science and technology (S+T) laboratory architecture and architecture/engineering (AE) services, according to the 2022 Giants 400 Report by Building Design+Construction. The firm is also listed among the Top 50 Architectural and Engineering firms by Building Design + Construction and ranks 170th on Engineering News-Record’s Top 500 Design Firms list. Furthermore, Flad holds the 16th spot on ENR’s “Top 100 Green Firms,” underscoring its dedication to environmentally responsible design.

History

John J. Flad, the founder and Madison native, initially trained under local architects James O. Gordon and Robert Wright before gaining professional experience at Chicago-based firms between 1909 and 1914. After returning to Madison, he collaborated with Alvan E. Small and served as Wisconsin State Architect prior to founding Flad & Small. Early in his career, Flad also apprenticed with Frank Lloyd Wright. Among the firm’s initial projects were significant Madison landmarks such as the St. Bernard Catholic Church.

Flad & Moulton

Between 1926 and 1932, John J. Flad partnered with Frank S. Moulton (1891–1981) to establish Flad & Moulton. This partnership was responsible for several prominent projects including the South School (Reedsburg, Wisconsin), a Works Progress Administration initiative; the 1931 renovation of the Dowling Apartment Building in Dane County; the U.S. Post Office and Federal Courthouse (Madison, Wisconsin); and the Madison Catholic Association Clubhouse. Moulton also designed the 1932 Reedsburg Municipal Hospital and later played a key role in major University of Wisconsin campus developments such as the Memorial Union, University Hospital, and Student Nurses' Dormitory.

The firm’s work is represented on the National Register of Historic Places with listings including:

Dowling Apartment Building, Madison, WI (Flad & Moulton)
Grimm Book Bindery, Madison, WI (J Flad & Associates)
Contributions within Shorewood Historic District, Shorewood Hills, WI (John J. Flad)
Contributions within Waterloo Downtown Historic District, Waterloo, WI (John J. Flad & Son)

Flad & Associates

Initially concentrating on ecclesiastical and residential designs in Madison, Flad & Associates was responsible for St. Bernard's Church and the Erickson Home for the Madison Small Homes Bureau—projects highlighted by Architectural Forum in 1936. The firm also designed the Madison Catholic Association Clubhouse in 1938, which later became the Diocese of Madison Chancery Building.

Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, Flad expanded its regional presence by focusing on higher education and healthcare facilities across the Midwest. Significant projects from this period include Beloit Memorial Hospital and the Edward Burr Van Vleck Mathematics Building at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The firm also designed the Parker Pen Company Pavilion for the 1964 New York World’s Fair.

During the late 1970s and early 1980s, Flad deliberately extended its specialization beyond hospital laboratories to encompass global science and technology facilities such as corporate headquarters, data centers, training facilities, and research laboratories—the USDA Dairy Forage Science Center being its inaugural laboratory project.

In 1985, ownership transitioned when Joe Flad sold the company to five employees, converting it into an employee-owned enterprise.

Flad became a member of the U.S. Green Building Council in 1994 and played a role in shaping LEED version 1.0 from 1996 through 1998. The Pharmacia Life Sciences Building was notable for becoming the first research facility to achieve LEED certification with a Gold rating in 2001.

By 2004, Flad had ventured into designing advanced energy research facilities focused on clean energy initiatives and fuel efficiency technologies. Key projects include Stony Brook University's Advanced Energy Research & Technology Center (AERTC) and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory's Integrated Biorefinery Research Facility.

In 2008, reflecting its expanded service offerings and evolving business strategy, the company rebranded itself as Flad Architects.

Awards

The firm has been honored eight times in the Lab of the Year awards presented by R&D Magazine:

2011 Lab of the Year High Honors, University of California, Davis, Teaching and Research Winery along with the August A. Busch III Brewing and Food Science Laboratory; Davis, California
2008 Lab of the Year High Honors, Indiana University (Bloomington), Multidisciplinary Science Building - Simon Hall; Bloomington, Indiana
2002 Renovated Lab of the Year, Bayer Corporation, Building 36; West Haven, Connecticut
2001 Lab of the Year Special Mention for Lab Planning and Sustainability, Pharmacia Building Q; Skokie, Illinois
1999 Lab of the Year, Chiron Corporation Life Sciences Building; Emeryville, California
1996 Lab of the Year High Honors, Genentech Research Facility; South San Francisco, California
1989 Lab of the Year High Honors, Bausch & Lomb Optics Research Center; Rochester, New York
1982 Lab of the Year Special Mention, USDA Dairy Forage Research Laboratory; Madison, Wisconsin

Notable Projects

Academic Indiana University (Bloomington), Multidisciplinary Science Buildings - Simon Hall (MSB I) and MSB II; Bloomington, Indiana University of California, Davis Department of Viticulture and Enology including Viticulture & Enology Research and Teaching Winery as well as Anheuser Busch Brewing and Food Pilot Facility; Davis, California University of Connecticut, Lodewick Visitor's Center; Storrs, Connecticut University of Wisconsin-Madison, Biochemistry Buildings I & II, DC Smith Greenhouses, Vilas Communications Hall; Madison, Wisconsin Purdue University Discovery Park, Bindley Bioscience Center; West Lafayette, Indiana

Healthcare Genesis Health System’s Genesis Heart Institute; Davenport, Iowa Shands at the University of Florida Cancer Center; Gainesville, Florida SSM Health Care’s St. Mary's Hospital Satellite Emergency Center; Sun Prairie, Wisconsin Affinity Health System; Neenah, Wisconsin H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute; Tampa, Florida

Life Sciences Eli Lilly and Company facilities located in Indianapolis, Lafayette, Greenfield (Indiana), and Research Triangle Park (North Carolina) Amgen Helix Campus; Seattle, Washington Genentech Fill/Finish Facility and Science Process Center located in Hillsboro and South San Francisco, California Boehringer Ingelheim facility; Ridgefield, Connecticut ZymoGenetics headquarters; Seattle, Washington Bayer Corporation site; West Haven, Connecticut US Army Medical Research Institute of Chemical Defense at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland Johnson & Johnson Research Center One; Springhouse, Pennsylvania

Technology Kettle Foods Processing Plant; Beloit, Wisconsin Stony Brook University Advanced Energy Research & Technology Center; Stony Brook, New York Pacific Northwest National Laboratory Physical Sciences Facility; Richland, Washington

Workplace ACT Corporate Headquarters; Iowa City, Iowa Bayer Corporation Headquarters; West Haven, Connecticut American Family Insurance Headquarters; Madison, Wisconsin

External links