Belt Collins and Architects Hawaii were the only two firms headquartered in Hawaii to be listed among the nation’s top architectural and engineering firms. The Top 500 Design Firms list is a ranking published annually by Engineering News-Record (ENR), a weekly publication covering the business and technical news of the global business and construction industry, and the recognized source of important information among owners, contractors and design and engineering professionals.

Honolulu-based Belt Collins, an international planning, engineering, landscape architecture, and environmental consulting firm, made the list for the ninth straight year, ranked at #176 (moving up from #232 in 2010). Architects Hawaii, also based in Honolulu, ranked #343 on this year’s list (up from #354 last year).

Belt Collins also ranked #44 in the Top 50 Designers in International Markets list, up from its ranking of #48 in 2010.  For the second time in four years AHL made the Zweig Letter’s Hot Firm List in 2010, ranking 147th among the country’s 150 fastest-growing U.S. architecture, engineering and environmental consulting firms.

The ENR Top 500 Design Firms list comprises the largest U.S.-based design firms, both publicly and privately held, based on revenue. According to the report, the construction industry is witnessing the first signs in over three years that the market is recovering from the deep industry recession-with the most successful firms, including those on the Top 500 list, constantly innovating and evolving in response to challenging market conditions. Belt Collins reported revenues of $57.5 million in 2010 (up 30 percent from 2009), with $46.4 million of that derived from outside of the U.S. Architects Hawaii’s 2010 revenues are listed at $28.4 million, a decrease of 2 percent from 2009 revenues.

About Belt Collins

Founded in Honolulu in 1953, Belt Collins is an international planning, design and consulting firm focused on providing value to its clients’ land-based assets and sustainable development. The firm employs over 500 multidisciplinary professional and support staff practicing from ten offices in eight countries and territories. In addition to its U.S. offices in Honolulu, Seattle, and Boulder, Belt Collins has offices in Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Singapore, Bangkok, Bali, Guam, and Manila. Belt Collins consistently ranks as one of the top 200 international design firms and top 500 U.S.-based design firms, according to Engineering News-Record. Services include civil and sanitary engineering, entitlements and land planning, interpretive planning, landscape architecture, environmental consulting, GIS, and communications and graphic design. Acknowledged internationally as a leading design and consulting firm, Belt Collins is best known for its extensive work in planned resorts, residential development and community design, serving the private sector, local governments, and the military both in Hawaii and internationally. Visit the firm’s award-winning web site at www.beltcollins.com.

About Architects Hawaii Ltd.

One of Hawaii’s largest and oldest architectural firms, Architects Hawaii Ltd. is a multi-disciplinary architectural firm with international experience in architecture, planning, and interior design. Based in Honolulu, the firm has developed a worldwide reputation over the past 65 years as one of the most versatile and progressive design firms in the Pacific Region. Architect Hawaii’s more than 80 staff members offer a full range of architectural services to clients throughout the Islands, the Pacific Rim, Asia, and United States. Visit www.ahldesign.com for more information.