San Diego-based Carrier Johnson + CULTURE, an architectural, brand communication, and interior and urban design firm, announced a merger with prominent architectural and urban planning firm Fehlman LaBarre.

Over the past 25 years, both firms have demonstrated leadership in mixed-use and sustainable innovation. The newly shaped Carrier Johnson + CULTURE will continue to merge the relationship between structures and public space, weaving the cultural experience into urban planning.

“The future of modern cities centers on architectural creativity, art and social expression,” says Gordon Carrier, design principal of Carrier Johnson + CULTURE. “At a time when scarcity of resources and changing lifestyles are spawning a reinvestment in the urban core, our focus remains on a genuine approach to creating design which supports each client’s unique brand characteristics, thereby developing projects that further differentiate the client in a competitive global marketplace.”

The firms and have produced such hallmark projects as the Al Reem Island Master Plan in Abu Dhabi, the energy-efficient and sustainable Sony Corporate Headquarters in Rancho Bernardo and the Thomas Jefferson School of Law in downtown San Diego.

“Over the years, Fehlman LaBarre has had the opportunity to design a wide-variety of complex projects throughout the western United States such as retail environments, entertainment complexes and urban mixed living,” says principal of San Diego-based Fehlman and LaBarre, Michael LaBarre. “The scope of our design and planning experiences embraces modern, environmentally-responsible and urban-oriented communities that promote the use of existing public transportation.”

“This combined firm will build on the intellectual capital that both are both firms are individually known for through new and innovative approaches to architectural design and urban planning,” says Julie Meier Wright, president and CEO of the San Diego Regional Economic Development Corp. “This unique process in architectural planning and urban design helps corporations, non-profits and government agencies to attract and retain businesses in the region.”