HOK has acquired ROSSETTI, a Detroit-based architecture firm recognised nationally for its sports venue design and renovation work. The merger strengthens HOK’s position as one of the world’s leading sports, recreation and entertainment design practices.

The combined firm will operate as HOK + ROSSETTI during the integration. ROSSETTI’s team, led by Matt Rossetti, FAIA, LEED AP, will continue to operate from Detroit—a market where HOK has long sought a physical presence and where ROSSETTI has been a fixture for 57 years.

ROSSETTI’s portfolio includes the Formula 1 Crypto.com Miami Grand Prix, the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center and Detroit’s Ford Field, with a significant reimagination of USTA’s Arthur Ashe Stadium and Cosm Detroit currently underway. The firm also brings deep experience in professional training and performance facilities, arenas and sports-anchored mixed-use districts—areas that complement and extend HOK’s existing sports, recreation and entertainment capabilities.

“HOK has built a strong global sports practice over time. This partnership accelerates that trajectory with a firm whose expertise, culture and client relationships are exceptionally aligned with our own,” said HOK Co-CEO Eli Hoisington, AIA, LEED AP. “This strengthens every dimension of our Sports + Recreation + Entertainment practice while establishing a home in Detroit, a market we believe in deeply. We’re excited to welcome ROSSETTI’s people and give them a global platform for the work they’ve always done best.”

Rossetti, who becomes a director of HOK’s Sports + Recreation + Entertainment practice, said the move provides his team with the resources and reach to compete at a new level. “We built this firm on a commitment to design excellence and personal client service, and those values are shared completely by HOK,” he said. “Our clients will still work with the same people who know their projects and goals. The difference is that now those people have the backing of a global network with extraordinary depth across disciplines and markets. This is the right partnership at the right time.”

The combined HOK + ROSSETTI Sports + Recreation + Entertainment practice will be led by directors Nate Appleman, Shannon Bartch, Amy Chase, John Rhodes, Matt Rossetti and Rashed Singaby. The Detroit studio will serve as a key hub for the practice while also strengthening HOK’s ability to serve clients throughout the Upper Midwest. HOK has already made its mark in Detroit, having designed Little Caesars Arena and the forthcoming home of Detroit FC. This acquisition is a natural next step in the firm’s commitment to the market.