New York-based Perkins Eastman and Ehrenkrantz Eckstut & Kuhn Architects, two international design and architecture firms have announced that they will be merging their practices, totaling nearly 600 employees.

EE&K specializes in the conceptualization and design of large-scale mixed-use urban projects and brings a 50-year record of innovative educational facility design, a distinguished portfolio of historic preservation and adaptive reuse as well as a growing practice in China and Vietnam. Perkins Eastman is one of the top architectural firms in the world and will bring added strength to EE&K�s core interests including campus planning and building design, according to Stan Eckstut, Chairman of EE&K. The firms will consolidate their New York, Washington DC and China practices.

�This merger will be transformative for both practices, and will create an international firm with expanded reach, enhanced capabilities, and value for our clients,� said Bradford Perkins, Chairman of Perkins Eastman.