Architosh Staff (info@architosh.com)

27 Feb 2001

Q: How many architecture firms use Macs?

A: A great many!

This is one of the most common questions we get. And our answer is always the same: many, many, many firms! And! some of the best firms as well.

How Many Firms?

In 1999 the AIA ran a survey on their Web site which put Mac use as high as 33% of all AIA firms. This figure happened to reinforce platform percentages in the Boston area reflected in CAD VAR values and experience.

Recently a 2000 AIA firm survey had Mac use at only 16% in the Boston area. Admittedly, the firm survey had a small percentage of participants compared to the overall AIA membership in the Boston area, which may explain the descrepancy

Architosh currently estimates Macintosh use among AIA firms as 16-20% nationally. This means that non-AIA member firms are not considered and the percentage of those firms using Macintosh may be substantially higher, up another 15% or more. We have guessed this last value from our own correspondence with Mac-based architects who are not members of the AIA as well as our own AIWUG membership.

Who Are Some of the Mac-based Architecture Firms?

Macintosh-based architecture firms span the globe and their are high concentrations of Mac use in architecture in particular countries. Italy, the Netherlands, Japan, Germany and the United Kingdom appear to us to be utilizing Macs more than in the United States.

Some of these firms are members of our AIWUG membership list. AIWUG has grown to over 235 member firms in AEC and includes a number of high-profile, award-winning architecture firms. Noted firms include:

Bohlin Cywinski Jackson - (well published, Rizzoli monograph, etc.)

Koning Eizenberg Architecture - (well published, Rizzoli monograph, etc.)

Koetter Kim & Associates - (well published, Rizzoli monographs, books, etc.)

Studios Architecture - (well published, extensive international practice)

And these are just a few. We have more joining the AIWUG list every month and there are other firms not on the list that we know about like Zaha Hadid, who happens to be the first architect to be an AppleMaster.

Closing Thoughts

The Macintosh has a much larger market share in architecture than it does in the overall computer market, testifying to its power and durability as a popular computer platform for architecture. Not only are there an abundance of top-tier CAD and AEC products for Macs, but some of the best architecture firms in the world are producing worldclass, award-winning designs on Macs.