HDR, Inc.

HDR Inc.

Type	Private Employee Owned Corporation
Industry	Architecture, Engineering, Consulting
Founded	Omaha, Nebraska United States (1917)
Headquarters	Omaha, Nebraska United States
Key people	George A. Little, Chairman and CEO
Number of employees	10,000[1]
Website	http://www.hdrinc.com/

HDR, Inc. is an architectural, engineering, and consulting firm based in Omaha, Nebraska, United States. HDR has worked on projects in all 50 U.S. states and in 60 countries, including notable projects such as the Hoover Dam Bypass, Fort Belvoir Community Hospital, and The Roslin Institute building. The firm employs nearly 10,000 professionals representing hundreds of disciplines in the architecture, energy, federal, water resources, environmental, mining, private land development, resource management, transportation, and water markets.

History

Founded in 1917 by Henning Henry (H.H.) Henningson, the Henningson Engineering Company got its start as a civil engineering firm in Omaha, where HDR's headquarters remain today. Willard Richardson and Charles W. "Chuck" Durham joined the firm in 1939 as interns. By the 1950s, Richardson and Durham had purchased shares in the firm, and it became known as Henningson, Durham and Richardson, Inc.

The company's first project was designing a power station for the city of Ogallala, Nebraska. Similar projects followed as the firm helped cities and towns throughout the Midwestern United States create the water, sewer, electric, and road systems that would help them emerge from frontier status.

Engineering services

Services provided by the engineering operating company are consistently ranked in the top of the Engineering News-Record Top 500 Design Firms rankings. HDR was ranked No. 9 overall in 2015.^[2] Key projects include serving as lead designer to Tappan Zee Constructors on the New NY Bridge (the Tappan Zee replacement bridge) ^[3] and incorporating stormwater into an urban park at the Fourth Ward Park in Atlanta.^[4]

Architecture services

HDR's architecture group is known for its award-winning designs of a full range of urban environments, campuses, and buildings for clients in the healthcare, civic, justice, science + technology, higher education, and corporate and commercial fields.

The group's role in large, high-profile projects has earned it the No. 5 ranking in the United States, according to Architectural Record's 2012 "Top 250 Design Firms" ranking.^[5] Other industry rankings:

• Modern Healthcare magazine has ranked HDR the No. 1 healthcare design firm in its annual Construction & Design Survey for ten consecutive years.^[6]
• Building Design magazine named HDR the 12th largest architecture firm in the world, the second largest North American design firm, and the world's No. 1 healthcare and science facility design firm in its 2013 "World Architecture 100" ranking ^[7]
• Building Design + Construction magazine ranked HDR No. 2 in its "Giants 300" ranking of architecture/engineering firms. The magazine also ranked HDR the No. 1 healthcare, science + technology, and military facility design firm ^[8]
• Healthcare Design magazine ranked HDR No. 1 for healthcare billings and healthcare contracts signed in its 2012 Corporate Rankings ^[9]

Sustainability

HDR was the first A/E firm to join the U.S. Green Building Council in 1994, and was actively involved in the development of the first Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating Tool. More recently, the firm received attention for its Sustainable Return on Investment (SROI) process, which helps clients evaluate their sustainable strategies today and into the future.^[10]

HDR also was one of the earliest firms to become involved with the Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure,^[11] which aims to do for infrastructure what the U.S. Green Building Council has done for buildings. HDR's project, the William Jack Hernandez Sport Fish Hatchery, was the first to receive an Envision rating from ISI.^[12]

In the early 1990s, HDR formally established a Sustainable Solutions Program tasked with integrating sustainability into all business practices. Today, the program has expanded to include all aspects of the A/E/C industry, including climatology, building design, mobility, natural resources, climate change, renewable energy, land-use planning, and economic and environmental modeling.

Recent acquisitions

In February 2011, HDR acquired Cooper Medical, an Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, based firm providing integrated design and construction services for healthcare facilities throughout the U.S.^[13] The new alliance, HDR Cooper Medical, will provide a full service design and construction delivery model to healthcare clients ranging from small outpatient clinics and specialty centers to large multi-specialty clinics, as well as critical access and community hospitals. Also in February 2011, HDR acquired Schiff Associates, a recognized leader in corrosion engineering headquartered in Claremont, California, with offices in Houston, Las Vegas, and San Diego. Schiff is now conducting business as HDR|Schiff.^[14]

In January 2011, HDR acquired HydroQual, Inc., which specializes in water resource management. Based in Mahwah, N.J., HydroQual has nine offices in New Jersey, New York, Massachusetts, Florida, Utah and Dubai. HydroQual is now conducting business as HDR|HydroQual.^[15] Also in January 2011, HDR acquired Amnis Engineering Ltd., based in Vancouver, British Columbia.^[16] The firm provides engineering and consulting services in British Columbia and a number of international locations for hydropower and water resources infrastructure.

In March 2013, HDR acquired TMK Architekten • Ingenieure, one of Germany's leading healthcare architecture firms.^[17] The merged company conducts business as HDR TMK and is the hub for HDR's healthcare and science + technology design programs in Europe. HDR TMK has offices in Berlin, Dortmund, Duesseldorf, Erfurt, Kiel, and Leipzig, Germany.

In April 2013, HDR acquired Salva Resources, a global provider of key technical and commercial services for mining exploration and investment in Brisbane, Australia.^[18]

In July 2013, HDR acquired the business and assets of Sharon Greene + Associates, a firm specializing in transportation economics and financial analysis with offices in California and Denver.^[19]

In November 2013, HDR acquired Rice Daubney Architects, an award-winning firm in Sydney, Australia.^[20] The merged company conducts business as HDR|Rice Daubney and is the hub for HDR's healthcare, defence, retail, and commercial work in Australia and HDR's retail and commercial work throughout the globe.^[21]

Other news

In 2014, HDR launched a refresh of its brand, including a new logo.^[22]

Awards

HDR won back to back Grand Conceptor Awards, the highest honor bestowed by the American Council of Engineering Companies, in 2010 and 2011. The 2011 award winner was the Hoover Dam Bypass. HDR was the project manager for this project.^[23][24] The Hoover Dam Bypass won several other industry awards. The 2010 winner was the Gills Onions Advanced Energy Recovery System in Oxnard, California, which uses onion waste to produce renewable energy.^[25]

Notable designs

• Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
• Hoover Dam Bypass, Arizona-Nevada
• Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication building at Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona
• Historic Fourth Ward Park, Atlanta, Georgia
• Holland Performing Arts Center, Omaha, Nebraska
• Johnnie B. Byrd, Sr. Alzheimer's Center & Research Institute, Tampa, Florida
• San Antonio River Walk, San Antonio, Texas
• The new Parkland Memorial Hospital, Dallas, Texas
• Bill Young Reservoir, Tampa, Florida
• Bridgepoint Health, Toronto, Ontario
• Fort Belvoir Community Hospital, Fort Belvoir, Virginia
• Tappan Zee Bridge Replacement, New York City
• Baxter Arena, Omaha, Nebraska

• 

  Coca Cola Place, North Sydney, Australia

• 

  Bridgepoint Active Healthcare, Toronto, Ontario

• 

  Walter Cronkite School of Journalism, Phoenix, Arizona

• 

  San Antonio River Walk, San Antonio, Texas

• 

  Hoover Dam Bypass, Arizona-Nevada

• 

  Historic Fourth Ward Park, Atlanta, Georgia

• 

  Fort Belvoir Community Hospital, Fort Belvoir, Virginia

References