HDR, a global architectural firm based in Omaha, Neb., has joined forces with CEI Architecture, a Vancouver, B.C.-based firm with about 70 employees.
The merger went into effect on July 26. As it has in other countries, such as Germany and Australia, in which it expanded through acquisitions and then combined its name with the acquired company’s, HDR now goes to market in Canada as HDR|CEI. The corporation is based in Omaha.
HDR has had a presence in Canada since 1996, when it started with a project office in Toronto. It expanded in Canada by acquiring Kingston, Ont.-based Mill & Ross Architects in August 2007, and G+G Partnership Architects, a healthcare design firm, in 2009. Those offices consolidated into one in Toronto, which currently has about 120 employees.
The CEI deal is HDR’s first foray into western Canada, according to a company spokesperson, who adds that HDR’s offices in Toronto, Kingston, Ottawa, and London, Ont., will continue to operate as before.
CEI, which was founded in 1996, focused its attention on western Canada, with offices in Edmonton and Calgary, Alberta, and in the British Columbia cities of Victoria and Penticton, according to Canadian Architect magazine.
Doug Wignall, AIA, HDR’s President, said the alliance brings together two firms with similar philosophies about design, business orientation, and customer service. Both firms have particular expertise in public-private partnerships in the healthcare sector.
“This common platform is essential to building a solid foundation for future growth,” said Wignall.
CEI’s Founding Partner, Bill Locking, is now a Senior Vice President with HDR|CEI. He believes this merger will help HDR expand into new sectors in Canada such as recreation, K-12 education, and commercial development.
Locking says news of the union has received overwhelmingly positive responses from key clients, who “understand that we will remain the same highly professional team.”
What is changing, he said, is the firm’s capability to deliver global research, benchmarking, and professional expertise.
HDR, founded in 1917, has more than 1,450 architecture employees working in offices that provide complete design, engineering, planning, and consulting services in the U.S., Canada, United Arab Emirates, Germany, Australia, and the People’s Republic of China.
All told, HDR has 10,000 employees in more than 225 locations around the world.
Related Stories
| Dec 18, 2014
In response to ultra-open and uber-collaborative office environments
Susan Cain’s bestselling 2012 book, "Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking" has made an impact on how we understand our current workforce, recognizing that at least one-third of the people we work with are introverts, writes SRG Partnership's Susan Gust.
| Dec 17, 2014
USGBC announces 2014 Best of Green Schools honorees
Houston's Monarch School was named the K-12 school of the year, and Western Michigan University was honored as the top higher-ed institution, based on environmental programs and education efforts.
| Dec 17, 2014
ULI report looks at growing appeal of micro unit apartments
New research from the Urban Land Institute suggests that micro units have staying power as a housing type that appeals to urban dwellers in high-cost markets who are willing to trade space for improved affordability and proximity to downtown neighborhoods.
| Dec 17, 2014
11 predictions for high-rise construction in 2015
In its annual forecast, the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat predicts that 2015 will be the "Year of the Woodscraper," and that New York’s troubled B2 modular high-rise project will get back on track.
| Dec 17, 2014
Demand softens, but outlook for Architecture Billings Index remains positive
The AIA's Architecture Billings Index for November was 50.9, down from a mark of 53.7 in October. Despite the drop, the ABI continued its seven-month run of positive scores (above 50).
Sponsored | | Dec 16, 2014
Quadcopters save project team $15K in warranty work
On a recent trip to see what technology Todd Wynne and the rest of the team at Rogers-O’Brien Construction have been tinkering with, I had a chance to experience firsthand which new hardware innovations will one day be applied in the AEC space.
| Dec 16, 2014
Architect Eli Attia sues Google over tall building technology
Attia and tech company Max Sound Corp. have brought a lawsuit against Google because of Flux, a Google X-developed startup launched in 2014. Flux creates software to design environmentally-friendly buildings in a cost-effective way.
| Dec 15, 2014
SHoP Architects plans to turn NY's Seaport District into pedestrianized, mixed-use area
The scheme includes a proposed 500-foot luxury residential tower that would jut out into the harbor, extending the Manhattan grid out into the waterfront.
| Dec 15, 2014
Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture launches fundraising campaign for independent incorporation
The Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation announced today that it approved a possible path toward independent incorporation of the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture by raising $2 million before the end of 2015.
| Dec 15, 2014
Studio Gang tapped for American Museum of Natural History expansion
Chicago-based Studio Gang Architects has been commissioned to design the $325 million Gilder Center for Science, Education and Innovation at the American Museum of Natural History in New York.
