Architectural & Engineering Services Industry Profile

Companies in this industry plan and design residential and nonresidential buildings and structures as well as apply engineering principles to design and develop systems and structures. Major companies include AECOM, HDR, Jacobs, and KBR (all based in the US), as well as Fugro (The Netherlands), Nikken Sekkei (Japan), Wood PLC (the UK), and Worley (Australia).

Global construction output, a main driver for architectural and engineering services, is growing quickly and will reach $15.5 trillion by 2030, according to PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). Much of that growth will be concentrated in China, the US, and India, but small, export-oriented countries in Asia also are expected to see significant growth. Large architectural and engineering firms are increasingly looking for overseas projects to capitalize on growth in other countries.

The US architectural and engineering services industry includes about 115,000 establishments (single-location companies and units of multi-location companies) with combined annual revenue of about $310 billion.

COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE

Demand for architectural and engineering services is driven by residential and commercial construction activity, as well as corporate and government spending. Profitability depends on a company's ability to attract a constant flow of work through contracts, as well as the ability to accurately predict costs for projects. Small firms can effectively compete with larger ones by offering expertise in a particular field. Large firms are better equipped to design and manage large projects in diverse geographic areas. The US industry is ...