Los Angeles architectural firm CO Architects on Tuesday announced a joint venture with New York City’s FXFOWLE to extend the geographic reach and expertise of each company.

The firms will maintain individual identities and operations while pursuing new projects together under the name CO/FXFOWLE, including participating in a new competition to design a building for a prestigious educational institution in New York City.

FXFOWLE’s strength in urban planning, infrastructure, commercial, cultural, and education projects complements CO Architects’ extensive experience in health care, science and technology and medical-education, the companies said.

CO’s clients have included Palomar Medical Center West, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, and Kaiser Permanente. FXFOWLE’s recent projects include the Museum of the Built Environment in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and Eleven Times Square in New York.

“FXFOWLE shares the same aspirations for design as CO Architects,” said Scott Kelsey, managing principal of CO Architects. “There is a consistent attitude toward what we are trying to accomplish in architecture in terms of design, craft, detailing, and sustainability.”