Studio Hillier Brochure - Civic

Irving Convention Center

Introduction

Studio Hillier LLC is an interdisciplinary design firm in Princeton, NJ, co-founded in 2011 by partners Barbara A. Hillier, AIA, and J. Robert Hillier, LHD, FAIA, PP. For over thirty years, we have formed the backbone of a vibrant, growing full-service architectural studio with the depth of experience and design talent to take on a challenge of any scope.

We work collaboratively with experts in the region and elsewhere who bring excellence and robust knowledge of the latest building technologies, including prefabrication and environmental systems and the preservation of historic structures. Our success is reflected in the number of repeat clients who recognize our rigorous performance standards in meeting occupancy dates, managing the budget, and delivering high-quality design and professional services. With over three hundred and fifty design awards, our reputation for excellence is evidence of our commitment to our clients, place, sustainability, and the built environment.

Over the last two decades, a representation of completed project types includes hospitals, international corporate headquarters, public and private libraries, a US government courthouse, an urban convention center, independent day and boarding secondary schools, colleges and universities, art centers/museums, research buildings, and multi-family projects. Our work is a mosaic of places, cultures, customs, and economies in locations ranging from bucolic open spaces to urban neighborhoods to densely urban communities. Through these projects, we work tirelessly to achieve our clients’ expectations and create architecture that embodies the vision and spirit of their dreams.

Studio Hillier’s office is located in the heart of the historic Witherspoon Jackson neighborhood in Princeton, New Jersey, and operates out of a converted machine shop and warehouse. We serve clients throughout New Jersey, Philadelphia and New York, Connecticut, Washington, DC, Beijing, and Shanghai from our Princeton base. We are only one hour from 2 international airports. We have projects in 27 states and 32 countries.

The following projects have been completed during Bob and Barbara’s careers, selected from their personal scrapbook, which spans 55 years of Hillier architecture.

J. Robert Hillier, LHD, FAIA MANAGING PRINCIPAL

J. Robert Hillier (Bob) is one of the leading and most highly-respected architects in the United States. Best known for building one of the world’s largest and most successful architecture firms, Mr. Hillier is distinguished for his design, business acumen, and contributions to the profession as both a practitioner and educator.

Bob and the firm have been widely published in national and international journals, newspapers, and magazines. He has given over 200 lectures and participated in dozens of design juries. In 1992, Bob joined the core faculty of Princeton University’s School of Architecture, where he currently teaches two graduate seminars. He has served on the AIA National Fellowship Jury and as Chair of the Selection Committee for the Dean of Princeton’s School of Architecture. He is also a Trustee Emeritus at McCarter Theater.

More recently, Bob received an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from the New Jersey Institute of Technology and an Honorary MBA from Bryant University. Other honors include the Legacy Award from the Urban Land Institute, the New Jersey AIA’s Michael Graves Lifetime Achievement Award, and the President’s Medal for Lifetime Achievement from NJIT. In May 2019, the New Jersey Institute of Technology renamed its Architecture/Design school the J. Robert and Barbara A. Hillier College of Architecture and Design.

REGISTRATIONS

NJ #21AI00438500, CT, D.C., DE, FL, GA, KS, MD, MA, NH, NY, PA, RI, TX, VA, Washington D.C.

EDUCATION

MFA, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ

BA, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ

AFFILIATIONS

College of Fellows, American Institute of Architects

Core Faculty, Princeton University School of Architecture, 1992 to Present

Board of Advisors, Architectural Graphic Standards Publication

New Jersey Green Building Council, Founding Member

Selected Civic Clients

Atlantic City Criminal Courts

Bernardsville Public Library

Broad Street 2000

Chester City Hall

Dallas Public Library

Decatur House

DGS Farmshow

East Windsor Municipal Building

Enoch Pratt Southeast Anchor Library

Ferguson Library Harry Bennett Branch

Howard County Government Center

Hughes Justice Complex

Department of HUD

IRS

Irving Convention Center

James Street Historical District

Kansas City Tourism

Lincoln Cottage

Mercer County Boathouse

Mint Façade Improvement

Miyagase Dam Lakeside Park

Monroe Library

Montclair Public Library

MTA Metropolitan Transportation

National Center for Disability Services

New Castle Library

Newark Arena Historical District

Atlantic City, NJ

Bernardsville, NJ

Newark, NJ

Chester, PA

Dallas, TX

Washington, DC

Harrisburg, PA

East Windsor, NJ

Baltimore, MD

Stamford, CT

Howard County, MD

Trenton, NJ

Philadelphia, PA

Lanham, MD

Irving, TX

Newark, NJ

Kansas City, KS

Washington, DC

Mercer County, NJ

Newark, NJ

Kanagawa, Japan

Jamesburg, NJ

Montclair, NJ

New York, NY

Albertson, NY

New Castle, DE

Newark, NJ

Newark Downtown District

Newark Police Department

Newark Public Library

Newark Riverfront Matrix

NJ Coastal Communiversity

NJ Department of Health

NJ Division of Taxation

NJ Law Center

NJ Special Olympics

NJ State Aquarium

NJ State House Annex

Ocean County Library

Patrick Henry Building

Plaza Village

Princeton Public Library

Queens County Medical Examiner

Saint Louis Public Library

Texas Military Institute

Tinton Falls Municipal Center

US Court of Appeals

US Custom House

US Supreme Court Building

Virginia Capitol Building

West Windsor Redevelopment

West Windsor Town Center

Woodbridge Twp Municipal Complex

Woodlawn Library

Newark, NJ

Newark, NJ

Newark, NJ

Newark, NJ

Wall Township, NJ

Ewing, NJ

Trenton, NJ

New Brunswick, NJ

Princeton, NJ

Camden, NJ

Trenton, NJ

Toms River, NJ

Richmond, VA

East Orange, NJ

Princeton, NJ

Brooklyn, NY

St. Louis, MO

San Antonio, TX

Tinton Falls, NJ

Washington, D.C.

Philadelphia, PA

Washington, D.C.

Richmond, VA

West Windsor, NJ

West Windsor, NJ

Woodbridge, NJ

Wilmington, DE

Princeton Public Library

PRINCETON, NJ

58,000 SF

Designed in concert with the diverse community it serves, the 58,000-gross-square-foot Princeton Public Library has become, in the words of its director, “a community agora for the new millennium.”

At three stories, the building is both monumental in scale and openly welcoming. A large glass “porch” and playful glass staircase create a lively “see and be seen” theatricality along the main street, while quiet spaces and reading nooks are secluded throughout the building. Materials are attractively “merchandised” through custom displays, lighting, and graphics forming interior landscapes that invite browsing and inspire exploration for every user level. Children are uniquely given “pride of place” on the third floor, including a tower room, story center, and unique outdoor garden terrace.

Sprinkled throughout the building’s public spaces, which include a large community room, café, two working fireplaces, a technology center, and a variety of meeting and lounging spaces, the library exhibits breathtaking artwork by world-class artists commissioned for the building. The Princeton Public Library has become the heart of downtown Princeton, fulfilling the vision of civic leaders, city residents, architects, and the library staff.

AWARDS

International Interior Design Association, Philadelphia Chapter Bronze Award

Society of Environmental Graphic Design

Merit Award

Princeton Public Library Princeton, NJ

Irving Convention Center

IRVING, TX

275,000 SF

With few exceptions, the north Texas landscape is flat, hot, and braided by massive concrete highways. Caught in the vortex is Las Colinas, a 12,000-acre mixed-use development, where one enters their office though a darkened garage and glides from auto to elevator without so much as a whiff of grass cuttings. Sidewalks are scarce to nonexistent, proof that architecture has the irreducible capacity to cleave the human population from nature.

The convention center is a counter proposal to the culture of containment that has proliferated in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. Convention goers and meeting attendees discover the antidote in the nonprogrammed space that constructs a set of outdoor experiences in the form of ramps, stairs, and expansive roof terraces in plain air. The stramp (stair ramp) opens a dialogue of free and independent movement that we associate with civic space. These unprogrammed spaces invite the chance, spontaneous encounters where people are most likely to engage each other.

The project is LEED certified for its integration of sustainable principles and generative design.

AWARDS

AIA New Jersey

Merit Award

AIA New Jersey Honor Award

AIA Pennsylvania

Architectural Excellence Award

USGBC

LEED® Silver Certification

American Council of Engineering Companies

Engineering Excellence Awards - Silver Medal

American Institute of Steel

Construction Idea Awards - National Award

Winner, Projects Greater than $75 Million

Engineering News Record

Texas and Louisiana’s Best ProjectsGovernment/Public

National Council of Structural Engineers

Excellence in Structural Engineering Award

State of Texas

Accessibility Award

TEXO Association

Distinguished Building Award

PUBLICATIONS

Convene Magazine

“Outside the Box”

United States Supreme Court Building

WASHINGTON, DC 220,000 SF

Following a national search, the Office of the Architect of the Capitol selected Hillier to lead the modernization of this national historic landmark that houses the highest court in the land. Designed by Cass Gilbert and completed in 1935, the building required significant systems upgrades, security enhancements, and space utilization improvements.

Hillier completed a master plan identifying a series of projects and an overall modernization plan to be implemented over several years. As part of the overall plan, Hillier designed an off-site facility to address critical space needs and completed a data / comprehensive telecommunications project.

The project, subject to the strictest historic preservation review standards, is a model for best practices for the Office of the Architect of the Capitol. It utilizes the latest thinking in strategic planning, space planning, and performance-based code analysis to create state-of-the-art working environments for the 21st century. Hillier completed the multimillion-dollar project without interrupting the vital operations of the Supreme Court while extending the life of the building for another 50 years.

Virginia Capitol Building

RICHMOND, VA

27,000 SF

Hillier Architecture and other teams were selected to complete the renovation and underground expansion of the Capitol. This building, designed by Thomas Jefferson, still serves as the center of Legislative activities for the Commonwealth.

The design followed the highest standards of historic preservation, extending the life of the building and its support systems for approximately 30 more years. All work was planned in a manner that respects the historic structure’s integrity without losing valuable building fabric. This approach also allowed for future renovations and systems replacements without impacting the building’s historic architecture.

The 27,000-square-foot underground addition includes a visitor center to support the renovation of the Capitol and the future needs of Capitol Square.

AWARDS

AIA New Jersey Honor Award

AIA Pennsylvania Merit Award

AIA Virginia Honor Award

National Trust for Historic Preservation Honor Award

Building Design and Construction Gold Award - Reconstruction and Renovation

Mid-Atlantic Construction Magazine Project of the Year - Restoration Category

Virginia Capitol Building Richmond, VA

Firm History

1966

On April 1, J. Robert Hillier leases his first office at 44 Nassau Street in Princeton, NJ. Bob’s first job was replacing a bathroom vanity for a wealthy Princeton client.

1967

Bob designs a threestory office building, a dormitory for Fairleigh Dickinson University, and a private residence, all three of which win AIA design awards from the New Jersey Society of Architects.

1969

Twin Rivers is the first planned unit development (PUD) in New Jersey, with over 700 townhouses

1970

The business expands to 48 employees and moves to a building at the end of Princeton Airport’s runway that a plane had once crashed into.

1973

Now recognized as a professional corporation, J. Robert Hillier, Architects, P.A. moves into its own building known as the “Treehouse,” the first building in NJ approved to be designed and built in a flood plain.

1974

Our first international project, the American International School in Vienna, is completed. This is the first of 12 international secondary schools designed by Hillier.

1982

The Richard J. Hughes Justice Complex in Trenton, NJ, was one of the largest projects ever undertaken by the State of New Jersey at the time of its completion.

1984

Hillier opens an office in Tampa, FL, to design and support the development of Harbour Island and is named NJ’s Firm of the Year by the Business and Industry Association.

1985

On the tenth Hillier “Career Day,” Bob invites 100 aspiring architects to spend a day at the firm. 17 “Career Day” participants will eventually become Hillier employees.

1986

In need of more office space, The Hillier Group moves to a new headquarters at 500 Alexander Park and celebrates our 20th anniversary.

1987

The Hillier Group wins a national competition to design an addition to Arizona State University’s College of Architecture and Environmental Design.

1987

The Hillier Group is the country’s 7th largest architectural firm with a staff of 235, having executed over 2,000 projects for 700 clients.

1975

Engineering NewsRecord ranks Hillier at 308 of 500 top design firms in the U.S. based on revenue and size.

1976 Barbara Weinstein creates and leads the Interiors Studio.

J. Robert Hillier is elected to the AIA College of Fellows.

1977

The first passive solarheated municipal building in NJ, designed for East Windsor, is profiled by New York Times.

1978

Beneficial Management, Inc., commissions a new 500,000 SF corporate headquarters in Peapack, NJ. This pioneering headquarters would lead to further commissions for corporate campuses from some of the world’s largest corporations.

1980

The firm hires its 100th employee and becomes The Hillier Group, Architects/Planners, P.A.

1981

Now the 9th largest architectural firm in the nation, the firm moves into the building known as the “Solar Wedge.”

1988

Under the leadership of Design and Managing Principal Barbara Hillier, a full-service regional office opens in Philadelphia.

1989

Inc. Magazine names

J. Robert Hillier as New Jersey’s “Entrepreneur of the Year” and Hillier publishes “Ten Ways of Looking at a Building: A Guide to the Rights of Clients.”

1990

With technological advancements, the firm launches its first website and implements CAD across all offices.

1993

The Hillier Group acquires GSGSB Architects, Engineers, Planners of Clarks Summit, PA expanding our market to new areas, such as data centers.

1993

Architectural Record profiles Hillier’s design for the AT&T Corporate Campus in Bridgewater, NJ, an early example of green architecture.

1994 Star City Sydney Harbour MixedUse Development revitalizes the historic Pyrmont Bay waterfront in Sydney, Australia. We aquire The Eggers Group and form the New York office.

Firm History

1995

The result of an initiative to consolidate research operations, the new 1 million SF SmithKlineBeecham Research Center is one of England’s largest capital projects.

1996

The Cogeneration Plant at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York wins accolades and recognition including a profile in the Wall Street Journal.

1997

At the Duke University Center for Human Genomics, an international leader in the study of inherited disorders, futuristic laboratories provide ideal spaces for scientists dedicated to genetic discovery.

Architectural Record features Hillier as one of the best-managed firms in the U.S. A new Hillier website is launched.

1999

Looking to reclaim its position as Newark’s Crown Jewel, the outdated National Newark Building is cleaned and transformed, inside and out.

2000

We complete the design for Turkiye Is Bankasi Headquarters in Istanbul.

2006

Hillier Architecture is named AIA New Jersey Architectural Firm of the Year

2007

J. Robert Hillier receives the Michael Graves Lifetime Achievement Award from AIA-NJ.

2008

The Becton Dickinson Corporate Campus Employee Services Center wins the American Architecture Award from the Chicago Anthenaeum.

2009

We complete the University Medical Center at Princeton in collaboration with HOK and Bob personally designs its new chapel.

2012

Bob and Barbara establish Studio Hillier in downtown Princeton, renewing their focus on smaller scale, local and community projects.

2013

Hillier designs and develops Copperwood, a 153-unit residential development for senior citizens in Princeton.

2000

The revolutionary Niagara Falls High School is featured in the New York Times.

2001

We complete the 5 million SF Sprint Headquarters Campus in Overland Park, KS.

2002

GlaxoSmithKline Global Headquarters in London, UK symbolizes the company’s forward position as one of the world’s leading pharmaceutical companies.

2004

Hillier opens an office in Shanghai and launches an award-winning website that is people-centric, not just project-focused.

2004

The Solebury School

Abbe Science Center receives the AIA PA Silver Medal, the state’s most prestigious award representing the highest level of achievement in design.

2005 Engineering NewsRecord ranks Hillier 5th of the top 100 “pure” architecture firms in the U.S. and the firm wins 14 design awards.

2014

The work of Hillier Architecture, our legacy firm, is featured at the US Pavilion of the Venice Biennale.

2016

J. Robert Hillier celebrates 50 years of architectural practice. A new dormitory for Iona College opens to rave reviews from students.

2017

New townhouses for the Institute for Advanced Study provide a natural extension of the Institute’s existing campus while allowing a significant expansion of preserved land for Princeton Battlefield State Park.

2018

Studio Hillier is named Design Architect for Port St. George, a net zero-carbon resort in the Bahamas.

2019

NJIT renames its architecture and design school the J. Robert and Barbara

A. Hillier College of Architecture and Design.

2020

Today, Studio Hillier is building on our legacy of success and client satisfaction while integrating the latest building technologies, environmental systems, and preservation techniques.

Photo Credits

Princeton Public Library

Photos Courtesy of Julian Edgren

Irving Convention Center

Photos Courtesy of Tex Jernigan

United States Supreme Court Building

Photos Courtesy of Studio Hillier

Virginia Capitol Building

Photos Courtesy of: Tom Crane Photography