Following solid revenue growth in 2013, the majority of U.S.-based engineering and engineering/architecture (EA) firms expect more of the same this year, according to BD+C’s 2014 Giants 300 report. Of the 68 engineering and EA firms that reported a forecast for 2014, 56 companies expect revenue to be higher, with the average growth rate at nearly double digits (9.1%). The same group saw revenue increase 16% on average in 2013.
As the green building movement shifts focus from the new construction sector to existing buildings, engineering firms are well positioned to capitalize on the influx of dollars heading into the reconstruction and retrofit markets. Firms, in turn, are adding services like commissioning (BECx, Cx, and RCx), energy retrofit design, energy auditing, energy modeling, and facilities management consulting in an effort to cater to this growing segment.
San Francisco-based Mazzetti is seeing growth from its recently launched facilities management consulting business, especially on the East Coast. The firm works directly with building owners and their facilities teams to assess how their facilities can operate more efficiently. Mazzetti also advises owners on the best ROI in terms of equipment replacement or repair.
TOP ENGINEERING FIRMS
2013 Engineering Revenue ($)
1 Fluor Corporation $585,150,000
2 Arup 136,464,506
3 Day & Zimmermann 130,576,072
4 WSP Group 124,400,000
5 Affiliated Engineers 104,121,000
6 KPFF Consulting Engineers 94,025,000
7 Syska Hennessy Group 93,902,508
8 Vanderweil Engineers 80,334,000
9 Simpson Gumpertz & Heger 71,640,000
10 AKF Group 67,487,000
SEE FULL LIST
TOP ENGINEERING/ARCHITECTURE FIRMS
2013 EA Revenue ($)
1 Jacobs $3,684,260,000
2 AECOM Technology Corp. 1,769,120,000
3 Parsons Brinckerhoff 316,350,284
4 URS Corp. 280,333,336
5 Burns & McDonnell 160,922,332
6 Thornton Tomasetti 145,038,225
7 SSOE Group 114,501,762
8 CRB 96,860,000
9 Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates 88,887,000
10 Dewberry 78,770,181
SEE FULL LIST
“We often grow this relationship into more of a capital planning consultant role,” says Walt Vernon, PE, LEED AP, EDAC, Principal and CEO of Mazzetti. “The results are that we have significantly grown our Nashville office, because we’ve increased our work. We’ve hired specialists in this area, which creates a new service line for us.”
Giants 300 coverage of Engineering Firms brought to you by Viega www.viega.us
For TLC Engineering for Architecture, increased emphasis on energy and water services, especially energy audits, is paying dividends. The firm has dedicated staff in each operating unit to focus on these services, with huge success, according to the firm’s CEO and Chairman, Debra A. Lupton, AIA, LEED AP BD+C.
Seeing a growth in demand for water design services, Magnusson Klemencic Associates developed its proprietary Strategic Water Planning tool (http://tinyurl.com/MKAwater) to aid in the assessment and optimization of a project’s global water supplies and demands. The tool takes into account the characteristics of a project—including the site, building type, size, and location—to provide a comprehensive, holistic, and accessible picture of water inputs and outputs, such as stormwater runoff, precipitation, wastewater, evaporation, potable water, and ground infiltration.
The firm has utilized the tool to develop net-zero-water design schemes for several projects, including the Sylvan Theatre at the base of the Washington Monument in Washington D.C.
BIM/VDC/IPD GROWTH
Advanced project modeling and team collaboration continue to play a vital role on engineering projects. More than three-quarters (76%) of the engineering firms that participated in the Giants 300 survey reported at least some design revenue from BIM/VDC-driven building projects. These firms report that, on average, 47% of their total design billings in 2013 were derived from BIM/VDC-driven projects.
Several firms reported innovations in this area:
HNTB has developed a BIM workflow that allows its aviation clients to quickly transfer both geometric and non-geometric data from a project’s BIM model directly into their facility management system, like Tivoli Maximo Asset Management. The process was employed most recently on the Denver International Airport’s Hotel and Transit Center Program. The facilities team plans to use the BIM data for ongoing operations and maintenance management, as well as feasibility studies and planning for future projects on the site.
The firm’s sports practice launched a fully parametric design tool that replaces its 2D bowl and sightline design program. The new tool allows for fast, dynamic design iteration in a 3D BIM environment.
Thornton Tomasetti, through its Core Studio computational modeling and R&D group, has developed dozens of breakthrough engineering design and analysis tools, including a cloud-based, rapid-iterative design program (see BIM Giants section, page 54), building performance analysis software, and a series of custom plug-ins for commercially available BIM/VDC/CAD tools. Custom plug-ins include a parameter explorer, a suite of automated drawing production tools, and programs that check and improve the accuracy and quality of BIM models. Core Studio also builds physical prototypes using its in-house 3D printer.
Robins & Morton is carving out a niche in the emerging integrated project delivery (IPD) field. The construction and engineering giant has worked on four pure IPD projects with multi-party agreements—including the Alfond Center for Health at MaineGeneral Medical Center in Augusta, Maine, a BD+C 2014 Building Team Award winner—and completed 44 projects utilizing many of the elements and management practices of the IPD approach.
Read BD+C's full 2014 Giants 300 Report
Related Stories
| Nov 29, 2010
Data Centers: Keeping Energy, Security in Check
Power consumption for data centers doubled from 2000 and 2006, and it is anticipated to double again by 2011, making these mission-critical facilities the nation’s largest commercial user of electric power. Major technology companies, notably Hewlett-Packard, Cisco Systems, and International Business Machines, are investing heavily in new data centers. HP, which acquired technology services provider EDS in 2008, announced in June that it would be closing many of its older data centers and would be building new, more highly optimized centers around the world.
| Nov 29, 2010
New Design Concepts for Elementary and Secondary Schools
Hard hit by the economy, new construction in the K-12 sector has slowed considerably over the past year. Yet innovation has continued, along with renovations and expansions. Today, Building Teams are showing a keener focus on sustainable design, as well as ways to improve indoor environmental quality (IEQ), daylighting, and low-maintenance finishes such as flooring.
| Nov 29, 2010
Renovating for Sustainability
Motivated by the prospect of increased property values, reduced utility bills, and an interest in jumping on the sustainability bandwagon, a noted upturn in green building upgrades is helping designers and real estate developers stay busy while waiting for the economy to recover. In fact, many of the larger property management outfits have set up teams to undertake projects seeking LEED for Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance (LEED-EBOM, also referred to as LEED-EB), a certification by the U.S. Green Building Council.
| Nov 23, 2010
The George W. Bush Presidential Center, which will house the former president’s library
The George W. Bush Presidential Center, which will house the former president’s library and museum, plus the Bush Institute, is aiming for LEED Platinum. The 226,565-sf center, located at Southern Methodist University, in Dallas, was designed by architect Robert A.M. Stern and landscape architect Michael Van Valkenburgh.
| Nov 23, 2010
Honeywell's School Energy and Environment Survey: 68% of districts delayed or eliminated improvements because of economy
Results of Honeywell's second annual “School Energy and Environment Survey” reveal that almost 90% of school leaders see a direct link between the quality and performance of school facilities, and student achievement. However, districts face several obstacles when it comes to keeping their buildings up to date and well maintained. For example, 68% of school districts have either delayed or eliminated building improvements in response to the economic downturn.
| Nov 16, 2010
Architecture Billings Index: inquiries for new projects remain extremely high
The new projects inquiry index was 61.7, down slightly from a nearly three-year high mark of 62.3 in September, according to the Architecture Billings Index (ABI). However, the ABI dropped nearly two points in October; the October ABI score was 48.7, down from a reading of 50.4 the previous month. The ABI reflects the approximate nine to 12 month lag time between architecture billings and construction spending.
| Nov 16, 2010
Brazil Olympics spurring green construction
Brazil's green building industry will expand in the coming years, spurred by construction of low-impact venues being built for the 2016 Olympics. The International Olympic Committee requires arenas built for the 2016 games in Rio de Janeiro meet international standards for low-carbon emissions and energy efficiency. This has boosted local interest in developing real estate with lower environmental impact than existing buildings. The timing couldn’t be better: the Brazilian government is just beginning its long-term infrastructure expansion program.
| Nov 16, 2010
Green building market grows 50% in two years; Green Outlook 2011 report
The U.S. green building market is up 50% from 2008 to 2010—from $42 billion to $55 billion-$71 billion, according to McGraw-Hill Construction's Green Outlook 2011: Green Trends Driving Growth report. Today, a third of all new nonresidential construction is green; in five years, nonresidential green building activity is expected to triple, representing $120 billion to $145 billion in new construction.
| Nov 16, 2010
Calculating office building performance? Yep, there’s an app for that
123 Zero build is a free tool for calculating the performance of a market-ready carbon-neutral office building design. The app estimates the discounted payback for constructing a zero emissions office building in any U.S. location, including the investment needed for photovoltaics to offset annual carbon emissions, payback calculations, estimated first costs for a highly energy efficient building, photovoltaic costs, discount rates, and user-specified fuel escalation rates.