WSP, the international engineering design and environmental consulting firm, will double its size in the Houston market by combining its existing operations there with the office of ccrd, a national MEP engineering and commissioning firm based in Houston, which WSP acquired last November.
The combined office, with about 60 employees, will be managed by David Sinz, PE, a vice president and managing director of WSP’s Houston office. David Duthu, PE, who was managing director of ccrd’s Houston office, is now co-leader of WSP’s national Science + Technology practice.
Aside from bolstering its Houston operations, the ccrd acquisition expanded WSP’s presence into markets throughout the Southeast and south-central U.S., according to WSP’s executive vice president Steve Burrows. (Founded in 1980, ccrd has offices in Austin, Texas, Dallas, Denver, Houston, Miami, Nashville, Tenn., Orlando, Fla., Phoenix, Richmond, Va., Kansas City, Mo., and Washington, D.C.)
David Cooper, PE, president of WSP’s U.S. Property & Building sector and chief commercial officer for WSP|Parsons Brinckerhoff, called the combination in Houston “a natural step forward.” He says the acquisition so far “has been everything both firms hoped it would be.”
Montreal-based WSP Global has 500 offices in 39 countries. Last Fall, it agreed to pay Balfour Beatty US$1.24 billion in cash to buy Parsons Brinckerhoff, a deal that increased WSP’s workforce by 77% to 31,000.
The purchase price for ccrd was not disclosed.
Separately, WSP and ccrd had already been active players and competitors in Houston’s healthcare, science, and technology sectors, having worked on innumerable hospitals, government, energy, and research construction projects. They are also active in Houston’s hospitality, commercial, residential, and industrial sectors.
Related Stories
| Oct 16, 2014
Germany to commemorate Berlin Wall anniversary with 10-mile LED 'balloon' installation
The project, named Lichtgrenze (or Border of Light), makes for a colossal art installation dividing Berlin back to East and West. Eight thousand LED light-filled balloons, each 11 feet high, will line the path.
| Oct 16, 2014
Perkins+Will white paper examines alternatives to flame retardant building materials
The white paper includes a list of 193 flame retardants, including 29 discovered in building and household products, 50 found in the indoor environment, and 33 in human blood, milk, and tissues.
Sponsored | | Oct 16, 2014
Mill Brook Elementary School colors outside the lines with creative fire-rated framing solution
Among the building elements contributing to the success of the elementary school’s public learning areas is a fire-rated stairwell that supports the school’s vision for collaboration. HMFH Architects designed the stairwell to be bright and open, reflecting the playful energy of students. SPONSORED CONTENT
| Oct 15, 2014
Drones may soon assist code inspectors for construction in the UAE
The United Arab Emirates’ Ministry of Labour announced that they will start using drones to help inspectors record when construction sites are breaking laws.
| Oct 15, 2014
Harvard launches ‘design-centric’ center for green buildings and cities
The impetus behind Harvard's Center for Green Buildings and Cities is what the design school’s dean, Mohsen Mostafavi, describes as a “rapidly urbanizing global economy,” in which cities are building new structures “on a massive scale.”
| Oct 15, 2014
Final touches make 432 Park Avenue tower second tallest in New York City
Concrete has been poured for the final floors of the residential high-rise at 432 Park Avenue in New York City, making it the city’s second-tallest building and the tallest residential tower in the Western Hemisphere.
| Oct 14, 2014
Slash energy consumption in data centers with liquid-based ‘immersive-cooling’ technology
A new technology promises to push the limits of data center energy efficiency by using liquid instead of air to cool the servers.
Sponsored | | Oct 14, 2014
3 color trends drive new commercial exterior color collections
Collectively as a society, we help create color trends, which shape our businesses, recreational facilities, healthcare centers, and civic buildings. These iconic colors are now appearing in Valspar's new color collections. SPONSORED CONTENT
| Oct 14, 2014
Get inspired with the top 10 TED talks about cities
The TED talks, none of which are longer than 20 minutes, feature speakers such as architect Moshe Safdie, Rio de Janeiro Major Eduardo Paes, and animal behaviorist Amanda Burden.
| Oct 14, 2014
Proven 6-step approach to treating historic windows
This course provides step-by-step prescriptive advice to architects, engineers, and contractors on when it makes sense to repair or rehabilitate existing windows, and when they should advise their building owner clients to consider replacement.