Flad Architects

From 1926 until 1932, Flad partnered with Frank S. Moulton (1891-1981) to form Flad & Moulton.[5] The firm produced several surviving buildings including South School (Reedsburg, Wisconsin) at 420 Plum Street (a Works Progress Administration funded project),[8] the 1931 remodel of the Dowling Apartment Building (originally constructed in 1922) in Dane County, Wisconsin;[5][9] the U.S. Post Office and Federal Courthouse (Madison, Wisconsin) and the Madison Catholic Association Clubhouse. Moulton designed the Reedsburg Municipal Hospital built in 1932, and his later work included the University of Wisconsin Memorial Union, University Hospital, and Student Nurses' Dormitory all on the University of Wisconsin campus.[10]

National Register of Historic Places listed buildings by the firm (with attribution) include:

• Dowling Apartment Building, 445-447 W. Wilson St., Madison, WI (Flad and Moulton)
• Grimm Book Bindery, 454 W. Gilman St., Madison, WI (J Flad & Asso.)
• One or more works in Shorewood Historic District, roughly bounded by Lake Mendota Dr., Tallyho Ln., Shorewood Blvd., and the Blackhawk Country Club, Village of Shorewood Hills, WI, (John J. Flad)
• One or more works in Waterloo Downtown Historic District, jct. of Madison and Monroe Sts., Waterloo, WI (John J. Flad & Son)

Flad & Associates first designs were churches and residential homes throughout the Madison, Wisconsin area, and St. Bernard’s Church was the first church designed by the firm. Another prominent building Flad designed was the Erickson Home for the Madison Small Homes Bureau, which was recognized by Architectural Forum magazine in 1936. Flad designed the Madison Catholic Association Clubhouse constructed in 1938 at 15 East Wilson Street, later known as the Diocese of Madison Chancery Building.[11]

In the 1950s and 1960s Flad grew from a local practice to a regional practice and began specializing in higher education and healthcare projects throughout the Midwest. That specialization continues today on a more national scale. Early projects included Beloit Memorial Hospital in Beloit, Wisconsin, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Edward Burr Van Vleck Mathematics Building. Flad also designed the Parker Pen Company World’s Fair Pavilion for the 1964 New York World's Fair.

In the late 1970s and early 1980s, the firm made a conscious decision to expand their experience designing hospital labs into a more global science and technology lab specialization designing corporate offices, data centers, training centers, and science and technology laboratories. Flad’s first research laboratory project was the USDA Dairy Forage Science Center.

In 1985 Joe Flad, son of John Flad, sold the practice to five of his employees, transforming Flad & Associates into an employee-owned firm.

Flad became a member of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) in 1994 and played a role in the development of the original Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) version 1.0 Building Rating System in 1996-1998. In 1998, the firm participated in the LEED Pilot Program to beta test the new rating systems with its Pharmacia Life Sciences Building project. Pharmacia’s building became the first research facility to achieve LEED certification and was awarded a LEED Gold rating in 2001.[12]

In 2004, Flad expanded its science and technology design services to include advanced energy research to develop clean energy sources, enhanced technologies and improved fuel efficiency. Two of the firm’s energy research lab designs are Stony Brook University, Advanced Energy Research & Technology Center (AERTC) and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Integrated Biorefinery Research Facility.

In 2008 the firm changed its name from Flad & Associates to Flad Architects.