(SAN DIEGO, August 11, 2021) – DLR Group today announced the acquisition of San Diego based education design firm BakerNowicki Design Studio. The firm will operate as DLR Group|BakerNowicki to serve K-12 and higher education clients in the San Diego market and join with DLR Group K-12 studios in Los Angeles, Riverside, Sacramento, and San Francisco to serve the interests of education clients throughout California.

Formed in 2011 by architects Jon Baker, FAIA, and Richard Nowicki, AIA, BakerNowicki’s sole specialization is educational architecture working exclusively with K-12 and higher education clients. The firm’s award-winning designs are grounded in a collaborative approach to programming, planning, and design, as well as specific expertise in education funding in California.

“We founded our firm on four pillars to be collaborative, innovative, integrated, and sustainable,” said Baker. “From a relational, planning, design, and technology standpoint, our focus is on the work and our goal is to do great design. From a cultural standpoint, those themes line up seamlessly with DLR Group. The combined experience and expertise of our two firms provide a foundation to grow a powerhouse office in San Diego and the leading education design practice in California.”

Joining DLR Group enables BakerNowicki project teams to provide their clients a depth of inhouse design expertise including engineering, interiors, high performance design, landscape, science and technology, and a fully integrated array of specialized design services.

“Joining DLR Group presents a wonderful opportunity for our staff,” said Nowicki. “With the scale of a global firm, we are providing our people a greater diversity of career opportunities. We have enhanced geographic reach for their K-12 design, the potential to explore and experience new building types and work overseas, and the opportunity to pursue practice or a firm operations career in a larger firm.”

DLR Group is a 100% employee-owned firm, and BakerNowicki’s 28 design professionals will have the opportunity to purchase stock and invest in the future of DLR Group. The office will serve its K-12 clients in Southern California as DLR Group|BakerNowicki under the continued leadership of Baker and Nowicki.