RTKL Associates
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Architecture, Urban planning, Design |
| Founded | 1946 |
| Founder | Archibald C. Rogers, Francis T. Taliaferro |
| Defunct | 2015 |
| Fate | Merged with Callison to form CallisonRTKL |
| Headquarters | Baltimore , United States |
| Parent | Arcadis NV (from 2007) |
RTKL operated as an international firm specializing in architecture, urban planning, and design. Established in 1946 by Archibald C. Rogers and Francis T. Taliaferro within the basement of Rogers’ grandmother’s home in Annapolis, Maryland, it grew to become one of the world’s largest architectural practices before its acquisition by Arcadis NV in 2007. In October 2015, RTKL combined forces with Arcadis subsidiary Callison, resulting in the creation of CallisonRTKL, with its main office located in Baltimore.
The acronym RTKL represents the surnames of the founding partners: Rogers, Taliaferro, Kostritsky, and Lamb.
20th century
The origins of RTKL trace back to Archibald C. Rogers launching the company in his grandmother’s Annapolis basement, soon joined by Francis T. Taliaferro. By 1949, Charles E. Lamb became part of the team, earning national recognition for his award-winning design of the Anne Arundel County Girl Scouts Teepee Lodge.
The firm’s prominence increased when architect Pietro Belluschi appointed it as associate architect for Baltimore’s Church of the Redeemer in 1954, a project honored with an AIA Award of Merit and a special 25-Year Award from the AIA Baltimore Chapter. Lamb was elevated to partner status in 1956, prompting a rebranding to Rogers, Taliaferro and Lamb.
Urban design expert George Kostritsky joined in 1961, completing the founding quartet and leading to the abbreviation RTKL. That same year, RTKL was tasked with designing public areas for Baltimore’s Charles Center, a key urban renewal initiative. The success of this project secured additional commissions for downtown planning in cities such as Cincinnati, Hartford, and Charlotte. Over subsequent decades, the firm expanded both nationally and internationally through new branches and acquisitions.
21st century
In 2000, RTKL acquired Dallas-based FDS International, recognized among the top ten health care practices, followed by Miami-based Howard Snoweiss Design Group to strengthen its presence across Latin America and the Caribbean.
By 2007, RTKL had become a fully owned subsidiary of Arcadis NV, a global entity providing consulting, design, engineering, urban planning, architecture, and project management services related to infrastructure and buildings.
In August 2010, RTKL expanded further by acquiring Beijing-based AHS International, a specialist in healthcare and medical facility architecture.
According to Building Design rankings in 2011, RTKL led globally in retail architecture, ranked third in planning services worldwide, and placed fifth in urban design.
Projects
- Edward A. Garmatz United States Courthouse located in Baltimore (1976)
- Fifth Third Center situated in Cleveland
- Stratford Square Mall found in Bloomingdale, Illinois (1981)
- Chase Financial Plaza in Cleveland (1991)
- Fairfax County Government Center within Fairfax County, Virginia (1992)
- Katy Mills shopping center in Katy, Texas (1999)
- Mandarin Oriental Hotel based in Miami (2000)
- Redesign work on the damaged Pentagon following September 11 attacks in Arlington County, Virginia (2002)
- North East Mall located in Hurst, Texas (2001)
- Royal Pavilion situated in Aldershot, UK (2002)
- Shanghai Museum of Science and Technology based in Shanghai
- Chinese Museum of Film located in Beijing (2004)
- Principe Pio redevelopment project in Madrid (2004)
- The Heart Hospital Baylor Plano situated in Plano, Texas (2005)
- New Jiang Wan Cultural Center located in Shanghai (2005)
- Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History & Culture based in Baltimore (2005)
- Silver Cross Hospital Campus found in New Lenox, Illinois (2005)
- John Radcliffe Hospital situated in Oxford, England (2006)
- Westfield shopping center located in San Francisco (2006)
- Expansion of Community Hospital North in Indianapolis (2007)
- Naberezhnaya Tower based in Moscow (2007)
- Tokyo Bay Rehabilitation Hospital located in Tokyo (2007)
- L.A. Live entertainment complex situated in Los Angeles (2008)
- U.S. Capitol Visitor Center located in Washington, D.C. (2008)
- City Crossing development based in Shenzhen (2009)
- Headquarters for the American Society of Hematology situated in Washington, D.C. (2010)
- eBay Data Center located in Salt Lake City (2010)
- Mirdif City Centre shopping mall found in Dubai, UAE (2010)
- Headquarters for the U.S. FDA situated at White Oak, Maryland (2012)
- Shanghai Changzheng New Pudong Hospital located in Shanghai (2014)