Top 9 Architecture Firms: Midwest US
Ranked by recency-weighted eligible project count, 2021–2026, firms headquartered in the Midwest US (US Census Bureau regions; Canada listed separately).
The 9 highest-scoring firms hold a numbered rank;
1 more firm with eligible
activity is listed below the table.
Score = 1.0 per eligible project completed this year or last, 0.75 for
2–3 years ago, 0.5 for 4–5 years ago, +0.1 per independently-sourced
project (capped at +0.5/firm). Eligible: status: completed
projects with year_completed in the trailing 5 years.
Ties broken by most recent status_verified date. See
About for the full methodology.
Counts reflect the work this index has recorded, not a census of any
firm's total output — coverage depth varies by firm — and a position
here implies no judgment of design quality.
| Rank | Score | Firm | HQ | Eligible projects |
| 1 | 8.0 | Populous |
Kansas City, MO |
Synovus Park (2025), BMO Centre Expansion (2024), New Paddock Experience (2024), Homefield Kansas City Showcase Center (2024), Osborne Legacy Complex (2024), Mark and Paula Hurd Welcome Center (2023), Sphere Interiors (2023), Fieldhouse of the Future Renovation (2022), GEODIS Park (2022), Climate Pledge Arena Signage & Environmental Graphics (2021), UBS Arena (2021) |
| 2 | 7.0 | DLR Group |
Omaha, NE |
Crossing Gallery and Education Center (2025), Memorial Hermann Football Operations Center (2025), Cleveland Museum of Natural History Transformation (2024), Greater Whittier LGBTQ+ Community Center (2024), Guy V. Lewis Development Facility Renovation (Phase II) (2024), Ford Nature Center Renovation (2023), Jacobson Gallery — Substance of Stars (Sky-Dome) (2022), Logan Memorial Educational Campus Brand Identity and Signage (2021), North Kansas City Schools Early Education Center (2021) |
| 3 | 4.4 | HGA |
Minneapolis, MN |
Jackson Hole History Museum (2024), Renovation (2024), John and Lile Gibbons Center for Arctic Studies (2023), Uprooted (2023), Burial Ground for Enslaved People Contemplative Site (2022), Thrivent Financial Headquarters Experience Center (2022) |
| 4 | 3.6 | Studio Gang |
Chicago, IL |
Mary Schmidt Campbell Center for Innovation & the Arts (2025), Richard Gilder Center for Science, Education, and Innovation (2023), Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts (2023), Tom Lee Park (2023) |
| 5 | 3.1 | SmithGroup |
Detroit, MI |
Body Odyssey (2024), Lillian & Albert Small Capital Jewish Museum (2023), Hopkins Bloomberg Center Donor Recognition & Wayfinding (2023), Edsel & Eleanor Ford House Visitor Center (2021) |
| 6 | 2.9 | HOK |
St. Louis, MO |
The Forge (2025), American Century Investments Headquarters Experience (2023), Renovation and Expansion (2022), Customer Experience Center (2021) |
| 7 | 2.8 | Skidmore, Owings & Merrill |
Chicago, IL |
High Line – Moynihan Connector (2023), Mulva Cultural Center (2023), Skydeck Chicago Renovation (2022), Ticketed Waiting Room (2021) |
| 8 | 2.3 | PGAV Destinations |
St. Louis, MO |
Jewels of the Sea: The Jellyfish Experience (2025), Pittsburgh Steelers Hall of Honor Museum (2022), Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind (2022) |
| 9 | 1.5 | HNTB Corporation |
Kansas City, MO |
Rock Chalk Renaissance (2025), Lower.com Field (2021) |
Also active in this category
Firms with eligible activity in the window that fall outside the ranked
table — fewer than 2 eligible projects, or a score below the top
9. Listed alphabetically, not ranked.