Buro Happold

Buro Happold is a global, multidisciplinary engineering consultancy renowned for its innovative and sustainable approach to the built environment. Founded in 1976 by Sir Edmund Happold, a former partner at Ove Arup & Partners, the firm has grown from a small practice in Bath, Somerset to an international organization with offices across Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and the Americas. It is celebrated for integrating creative design with technical rigor on projects ranging from cultural landmarks and educational institutions to urban masterplans and environmental strategies, consistently pushing the boundaries of sustainable engineering.

History

The firm was established in 1976 when Sir Edmund Happold left Ove Arup & Partners, bringing with him a philosophy of collaborative, holistic engineering. Early defining projects included the innovative tent structures for the Riyadh Diplomatic Club in Saudi Arabia and the groundbreaking Weald and Downland Living Museum grid shell, which cemented its reputation for structural ingenuity. Expansion began in the 1980s, with the opening of its first London office enabling work on major projects like the British Museum Great Court roof. International growth accelerated in the 1990s and 2000s, with key offices established in Los Angeles, New York City, Dubai, and Hong Kong, allowing the practice to contribute to globally significant developments such as the London Eye and the Masdar City initiative in Abu Dhabi.

Services and expertise

The consultancy offers a wide array of specialized engineering and consulting services, structured around integrated practices that work collaboratively. Core technical disciplines include structural, building services (MEP engineering), facades, and civil engineering, supported by deep expertise in sustainability, fire engineering, and lighting design. A hallmark of its approach is the development of advanced digital tools and computational design techniques for performance analysis and optimization. The firm also provides strategic advisory services in areas like urban planning, climate resilience, energy consulting, and asset management, helping clients like the University of Cambridge and the World Bank navigate complex environmental and infrastructural challenges.

Notable projects

Buro Happold's portfolio features an extensive list of iconic and transformative projects worldwide. In the cultural sector, key works include the elegant cable-net glass roof for the Great Court of the British Museum, the structural design for the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C., and the engineering for the Kunsthaus Zürich extension. Major stadium and event projects comprise the sustainable design for the London 2012 Olympic Stadium, the retractable roof and fabric canopy of the National Stadium in Tokyo, and infrastructure for Expo 2020 Dubai. Other landmark commissions involve the complex MEP and sustainability strategies for the Bloomberg London headquarters, the masterplanning and infrastructure for the King Abdullah Financial District in Riyadh, and the adaptive reuse engineering for the Tate Modern in London.

Awards and recognition

The firm has received widespread acclaim, winning hundreds of international awards for engineering excellence, innovation, and sustainability. It has been honored with multiple Queen's Award for Enterprise accolades, including for Sustainable Development and International Trade. Prestigious industry awards include the Royal Academy of Engineering's MacRobert Award, the highest UK honor for engineering innovation, which it won for its work on the Great Court of the British Museum. Numerous projects have received top honors from institutions like the American Institute of Architects, the Royal Institute of British Architects, and the Institution of Structural Engineers, including the Structural Awards. Its commitment to research was recognized with a Queen's Anniversary Prize for its research and education partnership with the University of Bath.

Structure and leadership

Buro Happold operates as a global partnership, with a network of over 25 offices managed through regional hubs. The firm is led by a senior partnership board and a Group Chief Executive, a role held since 2022 by Neil Squibbs. Its structure is designed to foster collaboration across its integrated practice areas, which include Cities, Buildings, and Specialist Consulting. The ownership model is a partnership, with equity held by practicing partners, ensuring leadership remains closely tied to project delivery. This model supports its ethos of employee ownership and has facilitated strategic collaborations with other design leaders, such as Foster + Partners, Zaha Hadid Architects, and Heatherwick Studio, on projects worldwide.