Skip Main Links
dining space with white tables and chairs, wood panel ceiling, and white round bulb pendant lighting
firm news

Healthcare Design Firm WMBA Joins Â黨ÐÇ¿Õmv in Charlotte

(Charlotte, N.C., August 25, 2021) – Â黨ÐÇ¿Õmv CEO Griff Davenport today announced the acquisition of Charlotte-based healthcare design firm Wright McGraw Beyer Architects. Â黨ÐÇ¿Õmv established its Charlotte office in 2016 and provides K-12 Education, Higher Education, Performing Arts, Sports, and Â黨ÐÇ¿Õmvplace design for public and private clients in the region. WMBA and Â黨ÐÇ¿Õmv will merge operations to create a 45-person Charlotte office.

dining space with white tables and chairs, wood panel ceiling, and white round bulb pendant lighting
Octapharma AG North American Headquarters in Charlotte, NC. Photo courtesy of WMBA.

Founded in 1996, WMBA practices solely in healthcare, specializing in the planning, design, and interiors for acute care facilities, ambulatory surgery centers, behavioral health, bio-medical centers, and medical office buildings for health systems across the Southeast. In Charlotte, WMBA has delivered multiple projects for both Atrium Health and Novant Health.

Founders , NCARB, and AIA, will join Â黨ÐÇ¿Õmv as Principals, along with Studio Director , AIA, and Director of Interior Design NCIDQ and continue to lead the office’s healthcare design practice, which will operate as Â黨ÐÇ¿Õmv | WMBA.

The staff of WMBA will relocate to Â黨ÐÇ¿Õmv’s office in the Refinery Building at 1213 West Morehead Street in the 3rd Ward’s Wesley Heights neighborhood before year end.

The Charlotte office will provide clients an array of integrated design services including planning; architecture; structural, electrical, and mechanical engineering; and interior design. WMBA clients will also have access to a depth of design expertise – laboratory planning, clean room design, acoustics, lighting, high performance design, and more, as part of Â黨ÐÇ¿Õmv.

Exterior view from parking lot of a warm brick building in classic form and green-tinted windows
Atrium Health Carbarrus Bedtower in Concord, NC. Photo courtesy of WMBA.

“We firmly believe the expertise of WMBA, coupled with Â黨ÐÇ¿Õmv’s Healthcare studio and the depth of design services within Â黨ÐÇ¿Õmv makes us more competitive for the large-scale projects we want to pursue,†said McGraw. “We are getting scale with the resources that Â黨ÐÇ¿Õmv brings to the table. We are no longer a boutique, 28-person firm. We are Â黨ÐÇ¿Õmv with a great depth of expertise and resources behind us to enhance services for our healthcare clients.â€

Â黨ÐÇ¿Õmv is a 100% employee-owned firm and all WMBA employees will have the opportunity to purchase stock in Â黨ÐÇ¿Õmv during the firm’s annual stock exchange. This employee-ownership opportunity was a key factor in WMBA’s decision as it provides a proven method for ownership transition to ensure the firm’s legacy of healthcare design.

“I firmly believe we are joining an organization that is like-minded in many ways. We align on a commitment to design, in project delivery, and how you manage projects. Most importantly, we have seen how Â黨ÐÇ¿Õmv empowers its employee-owners. The investment of Â黨ÐÇ¿Õmv people to their work, and their commitment to each other really made a huge impression on us. We also respect the commitment that’s being made to grow healthcare at Â黨ÐÇ¿Õmv and the opportunity to partner and collaborate with Â黨ÐÇ¿Õmv’s existing Healthcare team to grow something special within the firm,†said Beyer.

WMBA’s work in the Charlotte area includes the , and . Â黨ÐÇ¿Õmv work in Charlotte includes Jerry Richardson Stadium at UNC Charlotte, restoration of the 1927 Carolina Theater at Belk Place, the Charlotte office of Octagon, and the current renovation of the Durham Bulls Athletic Park.

Â黨ÐÇ¿Õmv Senior Principal and Brand Communications Manager andy ernsting
For media queries, please contact: Andy Ernsting, Brand Communications Leader

Firm News

The Latest

Press

In the Media

Contact Us

Contact Us

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.