HOK streamlines global design proposals with Bluescape

At-a-Glance

• Industry: Architecture, engineering & construction
• Used for: Proposal development, design reviews, client presentations
• Outcomes: Reduced meeting cycles, accelerated decision making, $630 savings per project

About HOK

HOK is one of the world’s leading design, architecture, engineering, and planning firms, with 1,700 professionals collaborating across 27 offices on three continents. Founded in 1955 and headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri, HOK delivers integrated services spanning architecture, interiors, landscape, planning, and sustainability. HOK pushes the boundaries in hybrid workplace design, resilient infrastructure, and high-performance environments. 

The challenge

Creating proposals for multi-million-dollar projects involved a slow, repetitive workflow. Teams would meet to discuss updates, capture notes on laptops, and revise massive PDFs offline. Each cycle required new review meetings, delaying progress and frustrating stakeholders. As design changes mounted, version control became nearly impossible.

HOK needed a way to eliminate redundant meetings, capture revisions in real time, and bring global stakeholders into the same visual environment, without endless PDFs and disjointed follow-ups.

The solution

HOK adopted Bluescape to modernize its proposal development and design review process. With Bluescape’s persistent workspaces, large-scale drawings, renderings, and project files could be reviewed, marked up, and updated instantly—whether teams were in the same room or across continents.

Now, instead of repeating the same meeting multiple times, teams and clients collaborate in one shared workspace. Revisions are visible in real time, feedback is captured directly on the content, and decisions are accelerated.

“Since PDF files are generally the final product of the design process, being able to display and manipulate them in Bluescape expedites decision-making. It makes for more productive working sessions and provides cost savings in the form of shorter meetings,” said a Project Manager at HOK.

Results

By eliminating redundant meeting cycles, Bluescape saved HOK an estimated $630,000 per project. Stakeholders now review proposals, drawings, and system designs simultaneously from anywhere in the world. Revisions are captured in the moment, creating immediate alignment and reducing errors.

The platform also elevated client engagement. Instead of static presentations, HOK delivers dynamic sessions where everyone contributes and decisions move forward faster. The result: stronger communication, accelerated timelines, and greater confidence from clients and partners.

Bluescape benefits at HOK

• Reduced proposal development from weeks of meetings to streamlined sessions
• Eliminated version control issues with a centralized visual workspace
• Enabled real-time markups and decisions across global offices
• Improved client presentations with interactive, visual reviews
• Delivered measurable ROI, saving $630K per project
  
  

Why it matters

With Bluescape, HOK reimagined its proposal and design review process. What once took weeks of repetitive meetings is now completed in a fraction of the time, with greater accuracy, better communication, and substantial cost savings.

Bluescape doesn’t just digitize proposals — it transforms how global design firms win work and deliver results.