Biography
"Architect Patrick MacLeamy, FAIA, is Chairman of buildingSMART International, former CEO of HOK and author of Designing a World-Class Architecture Firm: The People, Stories and Strategies Behind HOK.
Patrick practiced architecture for 50 years at HOK, one of the top 10 largest architecture/engineering firms in the world. He began there as a “junior designer” and worked his way up, serving as HOK’s CEO and Chairman from 2003-2017. As CEO, Patrick led HOK’s transformation from a firm that struggled to pay its bills and was close to breaking apart, to one that is consistently profitable, with a company culture where people help each other to succeed.
Since stepping down in a planned succession, Patrick has been writing a book about the history of HOK and lessons learned along the way that can benefit other architects and creative services professionals. In April, 2020, Wiley and Sons will publish the book, which shares a lifetime of architecture and leadership stories and lessons.
Patrick is also a founder and the chairman of buildingSMART International, an organization dedicated to developing global digital standards for data exchange in the building and infrastructure industries —standards sorely needed so software programs used by architects, engineers, contractors and owners can “talk” to each other, help catch mistakes and push the envelope of sustainable design.
Patrick is best known for what some call the “MacLeamy Curve”, one of the most commonly cited concepts for researchers touting the benefits of Building Information Modeling (BIM). It advocates assigning ample resources and using BIM to test designs early, because it’s cheaper to discover mistakes and make changes when the project is on a computer than when it is under construction.
A riveting speaker, celebrated for his incisive thought leadership and colorful storytelling, Patrick presents often around the world. Topics include the digital future, how to build a positive company culture and how to lead during crisis. Patrick spoke at the buildingSmart International Standards Summit in Beijing in 2019, addressed the Citi AEC Congress in Mexico City in 2018 and was the keynote speaker at Scandinavia’s largest conference devoted to OpenBIM in 2016. He has also testified before the U.S. Congress on the need for digital standards in the building industry."
