Urban Design Group - Organizational Background

Organizational Background

Urban Design Group was founded in 1975, by John M. Novack, Jr., after leaving his position as Design Director at C. F. Murphy Associates of Chicago. The organization has grown steadily since 1975, having designed several urban projects, including Rivercenter in San Antonio, Texas; One Tabor Center in Denver, Colorado; Disney's Wilderness Lodge in Orlando, Florida; and Carlson Center in Minnetonka, Minnesota.

Urban Design Group is managed with a studio approach. Each office functions as an independent studio within the larger firm. This allows the firm to offer small firm response time and close involvement with clients, while providing the resources and expertise of a larger firm.

The firm was formed within the context of place-making. With the design of the Tabor Center in Denver and Rivercenter in San Antonio, UDG was thrust into the later stages of American urban renewal, and responded with the revelation of a new kind of place.iii iv The resulting projects included both the development of new and unforgettable places in the urban core, as well as the startling idea that the inner city buildings that surround these spaces could be revitalized.v vi UDG has been recognized as an innovator of buildings that affect their contexts remarkably, leading to new and reinvigorated urban environments.

UDG is known for its generalist approach. Noted architect Sean W. Sculley observes, “This consortium of studios has no specialty, but rather seems capable of specializing (as did the versatile Ancients) in almost every type of architectural endeavor.”vii Design is contextual.viii Solutions rise from a design philosophy that puts responsiveness to the program, the setting, and the project’s context far above any preconceived idea of a particular design style.ixx

The firm has completed more than $4.5 billion work of projects worldwide. UDG’s work has also garnered national and international recognition and numerous design awards.