WSP | Parsons Brinckerhoff, a global engineering and professional services organization, has acquired Halvorson and Partners, a 40-person Chicago-based firm that provides structural engineering services for developers, private owners, and institutions worldwide.
Formed in 1996, Halvorson and Partners has completed structural designs for high-profile projects throughout the world. Its portfolio includes the Burj Mohammed Bin Rashid Tower in Abu Dhabi, which won the 2015 Best Tall Building Award for the Middle East and Africa from the CTBUH. Other prominent recent projects include: OneEleven, a 60-story luxury apartment tower in Chicago; Wolf Point West Tower, the first tower in a multi-phase $1 billion (USD) development along the Chicago River in Chicago; and Vantone Tower, a 600-foot-tall corporate headquarters in Tianjin, China.
Robert Halvorson, founding principal of Halvorson and Partners, led the firm’s designs for the recently completed Index Building in Dubai and the Central Market Towers in Abu Dhabi. He also developed the structural concepts for a number of super-tall towers which Halvorson and Partners has taken through schematic design and design development, including 1 Dubai, Russia Tower in Moscow, and Hanking Center in Shenzhen. Halvorson will remain with the firm and has been named an executive vice president, where he will continue to lead the Chicago office.
Aside from structural engineering services for tall and complex buildings, Halvorson and Partners offers technical expertise in such areas as adaptive reuse/tenant modification, forensic engineering, value engineering, building assessment, and peer review. Its clients include owners and developers of commercial office towers, residential buildings, hotels, and mixed-use complexes as well as educational and civic institutions.
Related Stories
| Dec 9, 2013
ULI: Real estate market in 2014 will be 'recovering from the recovery'
The U.S. commercial real estate market is gradually “recovering from the recovery” and will “gain momentum” in 2014, according to ULI CEO Patrick L. Phillips.
| Dec 9, 2013
Does technology help or hinder innovation?
Whether digital technology will help or hinder workplace insights remains a topic of ongoing debate. FastCo.Design features insights from business scholars on both sides of the issue.
| Dec 9, 2013
What is life cycle cost optioneering?
Life cycle cost optioneering is a way of assessing alternative design options, analyzing their long-term capital and operational costs to identify those with the lowest price tag, over the entire life cycle.
| Dec 6, 2013
French concert hall includes integrated musical elements [VIDEO]
La Métaphone, a concert hall in Ognies, France, is a 1,980-sm facility with the unique characteristic of being a structural musical instrument. The solar-powered building incorporates musical elements in its walls, which can be played by musicians inside or outside the facility.
| Dec 5, 2013
Exclusive BD+C survey shows reaction to Sandy Hook tragedy
More than 60% of AEC professionals surveyed by BD+C said their firms experienced heightened interest in security measures from school districts they worked with.
| Dec 5, 2013
Translating design intent from across the globe
I recently attended the Bentley User Conference in Vejle, Denmark. I attended the event primarily to get a sense for the challenges our Danish counterparts are experiencing in project delivery and digital communication. One story I heard was from a BIM manager with Henning Larsen Architects in Denmark, who told me about a project she’d recently completed overseas in the Middle East. She outlined two distinct challenges and offered some interesting solutions to those challenges.
| Dec 4, 2013
SmithGroupJJR opens office in Shanghai, China
SmithGroupJJR, the oldest architecture and engineering firm in the U.S., has opened an office in Shanghai, China. The firm will focus on several of China’s biggest growth markets: research and development, healthcare, continuing care/retirement communities, and higher education.
| Dec 4, 2013
First look: Dubai's winning bid for World Expo 2020 [slideshow]
Dubai has been chosen as the site of the 2020 World Expo. HOK led the design team that developed the master plan for the Expo, which is expected to draw more than 25 million visitors from October 2020 through April 2021.
| Dec 3, 2013
‘BIM for all’ platform pays off for contractor
Construction giant JE Dunn is saving millions in cost avoidances by implementing a custom, cloud-based BIM/VDC collaboration platform.
| Dec 3, 2013
Historic Daytona International Speedway undergoing $400 million facelift
The Daytona International Speedway is zooming ahead on the largest renovation in the Florida venue’s 54-year history. Improvements include five redesigned guest entrances, an extended grandstand with 101,000 new seats, and more than 60 new trackside suites for corporate entertaining.