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
| May 25, 2011
Register today for BD+C’s June 8th webinar on restoration and reconstruction projects
Based on new and award-winning building projects, this webinar presents our “expert faculty” to examine the key issues affecting project owners, designers and contractors in case studies ranging from gut renovations and adaptive reuses to restorations and retrofits.
| May 25, 2011
Hotel offers water beds on a grand scale
A semi-submerged resort hotel is the newest project from Giancarlo Zema, a Rome-based architect known for his organic maritime designs. The hotel spans one kilometer and has both land and sea portions.
| May 25, 2011
Smithsonian building $45 million green lab
Thanks to a $45 million federal appropriation to the Smithsonian Institution, the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center in Edgewater, Md., has broken ground on what is expected to be one of the most energy-efficient laboratories in the country. The 69,000-sf lab is targeting LEED Gold and is expected to use 37% less energy and emit 37% less carbon dioxide than a similar building.
| May 25, 2011
World’s tallest building now available in smaller size
Emaar Properties teamed up with LEGO to create a miniature version of the Burj Khalifa as part of the LEGO Architecture series. Currently, the LEGO Burj Khalifa is available only in Dubai, but come June 1, 2011, it will be available worldwide.
| May 25, 2011
Developers push Manhattan office construction
Manhattan developers are planning the city's biggest decade of office construction since the 1980s, betting on rising demand for modern space even with tenants unsigned and the availability of financing more limited. More than 25 million sf of projects are under construction or may be built in the next nine years.
| May 25, 2011
Olympic site spurs green building movement in UK
London's environmentally friendly 2012 Olympic venues are fuelling a green building movement in Britain.
| May 25, 2011
TOTO tests universal design at the AIA conference
If you could be 80 years old for 30 minutes—and have to readjust everything you think you know about your own mobility—would you do it?
| May 20, 2011
Hotels taking bath out of the bathroom
Bathtubs are disappearing from many hotels across the country as chains use the freed-up space to install ever more luxurious showers, according to a recent USAToday report. Of course, we reported on this move--and 6 other hospitality trends--back in 2006 in our special report "The Inn Things: Seven Radical New Trends in Hotel Design."
| May 19, 2011
BD+C’s "40 Under 40" winners for 2011
The 40 individuals profiled here are some of the brightest stars in the AEC universe—and they’re under the age of 40. These young architects, engineers, contractors, designers, and developers stood out among a group of 164 outstanding entrants in our sixth annual “40 Under 40” competition.