News and updates
Explore the latest announcements, press coverage and company updates showing the solutions we’re creating with clients, the positive difference we’re making in our communities and the value we’re delivering to shareholders.
Jacobs to lead clean energy planning for Maine port electrification project
Protecting the Thames Estuary: Modeling to provide a reliable evidence base to safeguard millions of residents and billions in assets
Jacobs CEO Bob Pragada discusses “growth engines” for business with CNBC’s Jim Cramer
Jacobs’ data center digital twin featured in NVIDIA GTC keynote
Jacobs recognized for advancing climate resilience and environmental innovation
How adaptive reuse is breathing new life into urban spaces
As land becomes more valuable, reuse of abandoned or derelict land—including former landfills—is becoming more widespread. Landfills provide unique reclamation opportunities, as long as special monitoring and design considerations are established and followed, and as long as the public is convinced that reuse will not pose any threats to health and safety. Adaptive reuse and redevelopment challenges include significant investments, technical complexities and regulatory requirements. Meeting these challenges requires both vision and commitment by corporate owners and public agencies. The first step in the process is creating a vision for the project and the site. The master planning process is the basis for establishing the site’s potential and developing the reuse vision. The planning process must be based on a strong understanding of the existing conditions and what can be reasonably accomplished. The public must be educated on the assessment processes and issues that will impact site reuse and design decisions. Landfill closure and planned reuse considerations include settlement, the need for methane control and collection, site drainage, long-term maintenance requirements, wetland replication/remediation, slope stabilization, site monitoring, risk assessment for public use of the site and, last but not least, project costs and potential funding. But what if we showed you how Jacobs and a public utility in the Commonwealth of Virginia came together to demonstrate how redeveloping a brownfield in an older city or suburban neighborhood can allow a community to remove blight and environmental contamination, create a catalyst for neighborhood revitalization, lessen development pressure at the urban edge
Stitching together a sustainable, people-centric built environment in Atlanta’s downtown
Carrying more than 437,000 vehicles per day, the I-85/75 Downtown Connector provides critical access into Atlanta’s core and serves as the main transportation artery in the city, the region and the State of Georgia. During the last half-century, the connector has caused negative impacts on the urban fabric and socioeconomics of Atlanta’s downtown neighborhoods. And that’s where The Stitch Vision Study comes in. Jacobs has been working with the Atlanta Downtown Improvement District and Central Atlanta Progress on a plan to create a 15-acre lid over the interstate that would create a ripple effect on more than 35 acres of downtown real estate. “The vision for the project is to literally connect the city back together again,” said Jacobs Division Vice President of Buildings and Infrastructure and Director of the Advance Planning Group Monte Wilson in a recent Atlanta Business Chronicle article ( available with subscription). “This is a project that leverages access to transit, re-purposes underutilized assets, catalyzes urban regeneration and creates a cohesive central business district as well as meaningful public open space.” Aiming to unlock economic development in the district leading to the reestablishment of a walkable, world-class destination leveraging a direct connection to downtown and midtown Atlanta, the freeway cap will also form a stronger connection to the historically underutilized Civic Center MARTA station – that could include an expansion into a multi-modal station for regional and local buses. This district of the Stitch would also be home to an expanded Emory Midtown Campus including three
Jacobs supports the (UK) Environment Agency's National Capital Program
DALLAS, April 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Jacobs (NYSE:JEC) has been appointed to provide professional services (Lot 1) of the Environment Agency's new Collaborative Delivery Framework (CDF) in two of the six regional delivery hubs across England, both the North West and the Thames & Anglian regions of England, which will drive a program of capital investment and improvement work for flood defense assets. The Environment Agency is investing $3.3 billion (£2.6 billion) in flood and coastal erosion risk management projects, beginning in 2015 through 2021, helping to protect 300,000 homes. The new CDF is part of the Agency's Next Generation Supplier Arrangements (NGSA) to improve efficiency and effectiveness in the delivery of capital projects through greater collaboration with delivery partners. The new way of working will modernize program, asset and incident management to achieve improvements in sustainability, value for money and outcomes delivered. "As the environment faces some of the toughest challenges of our time, we have an opportunity to build on our 25-year partnership with the Environment Agency and play a role in helping to protect communities for the future," said Jacobs Buildings and Infrastructure Europe Senior Vice President and General Manager Donald Morrison. "The new integrated delivery teams provide the opportunity for even greater collaboration with the Agency and other suppliers, enabling better ways to support the Agency's objectives to improve efficiency across a wide range of resiliency and environmental outcomes." "This ambitious new framework will help us to continue to deliver our £2.6 billion flood and coastal
Jacobs to deliver construction phase services for Watercare's Central Interceptor project
DALLAS, April 23, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Jacobs (NYSE:JEC) has secured a variation with Watercare, New Zealand's largest water and wastewater utility, for the continuation of professional services during the construction phase of the Central Interceptor (CI) wastewater tunnel project in Auckland, New Zealand. Jacobs has been engaged as the professional engineering advisor for the CI project since 2014, delivering detailed design services. Jacobs role has been extended to include construction management and design support services for the construction phase of the CI project, expected to begin in mid-2019 and continue through 2025. "The appointment builds on our 20-year working relationship with Watercare," said Jacobs Buildings, Infrastructure and Advanced Facilities COO and President Bob Pragada. "Our appointment is testament to the way our team has worked with Watercare and our subconsultant partners to deliver value during previous stages, and our ability to assemble a global team with extensive experience in the construction of deep tunnel water conveyance systems." Designed to collect and convey sewage and combined sewage overflows, the CI tunnel will run approximately eight miles (13 kilometers) from Western Springs to the Māngere Wastewater Treatment Plant and is the largest ever wastewater project undertaken in New Zealand. The new tunnel is expected to reduce the volume of wet-weather overflows by 80 percent, contributing to the overall health improvement of Auckland city's waterways and receiving environment. "The Central Interceptor is the largest capital project Watercare have ever undertaken," said Watercare Executive Programme Director Shayne Cunis. "Jacobs' ability to mobilize a talented
A cheers to our new office location in Cream City
From squeaky fresh cheese curds to the Frozen Tundra of Lambeau Field, nothing complements all that the state of Wisconsin has to offer more than an ice-cold beer – and there’s perhaps no better nostalgic beer than a Schlitz. After all, it’s the “beer that made Milwaukee famous.” Once the largest producer of beer in the country, Joseph Schlitz Brewery – which closed in the early 1980s – employed 3,000 people at its peak. Today, more than 4,000 people work in the office park that stands in the brewery’s place and soon, Jacobs’ Milwaukee team of 200+ will join them. Our Milwaukee office is relocating to the 32-acre Schlitz Park, joining the likes of Time Warner and the Milwaukee Bucks later this month. Located just north of downtown and bordering the Milwaukee River, Schlitz Park is still home to several of the brewery’s original buildings, some dating to 1870. Among these buildings is the Bottlehouse where our new offices will reside. A few years ago, the two Schlitz Bottlehouse buildings were connected into a single building, upgrading 90,000- square-feet of office space – including the 14,650-square-foot second floor space now being renovated by our team. Housed in cream city brick and original timber, the Bottlehouse’s will offer an open-concept flexible space and include collaborative work areas and a breakroom with a garage door that can be opened to accommodate larger staff meetings and celebrations. The building also features The Link, a large, common conference area created when the two original
Jacobs ranked No. 1 on ENR's Top 500 Design Firms list
DALLAS, April 25, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Jacobs (NYSE:JEC) has been ranked No. 1 for the second consecutive year on Engineering News-Record (ENR)'s 2019 Top 500 Design Firms list. Widely considered the industry benchmark, the annual list ranks both publicly and privately held U.S. companies, based on revenue for design-specific services performed in the previous year. Dallas Fort Worth International (DFW) Airport’s Runway 17C/35C rehabilitation project. (Image courtesy of Dallas Fort Worth International Airport.) NEW Water’s Resource Recovery and Electrical Energy (R2E2) generation system. (Image courtesy of NEW Water.) King County’s Georgetown Wet Weather Treatment Station (WWTS) project rendering. "The number-one recognition on ENR's Top 500 Design Firms list speaks to Jacobs' leadership addressing unprecedented, disruptive shifts involving digitization, urbanization, the environment and climate change," said Jacobs Chair and CEO Steve Demetriou. "These are tremendous growth engines for Jacobs because we bring innovative solutions that advance progress on these issues and create a more connected and sustainable world." By combining diverse talents with deep client-application experience and digital intelligence, Jacobs analyzes complex problems from multiple perspectives to deliver more complete, higher value solutions for clients and communities around the world. Optimizing technology-enabled, sustainable solutions Dallas Fort Worth International (DFW) Airport partnered with Jacobs to find innovative solutions for its Runway 17C/35C rehabilitation project, the airport's busiest runway and first full runway refurbishment since it opened in 1974. Jacobs developed a sustainable design strategy incorporating DFW's goals to minimize overall time of runway closure while keeping future maintenance costs low. High-tech, weather-resistant
Kirkwood takes center stage
As part of a multi-phase renovation and re-branding for the existing Kirkwood Community Center, the existing Reim Theatre is being relocated to a downtown location. The facility will serve to anchor a planned Arts & Entertainment district to complement a thriving restaurant and shopping strip along Kirkwood Road, the city’s ‘main street’, which also features a children’s museum, a farmers’ market and an historic train station. The Robert G. Reim Theatre is a renowned regional draw and already home to nationally renowned theatre company Stages, as well as the Kirkwood Theatre Guild. Both companies are responsible for superior quality productions and offer a fertile testing ground for new theatre, such as Stages’ production of ‘ Fun Home’, which went on to Broadway and was premiated in 2015 with five Tony awards. The $25 million facility totals 38,000 square feet and is comprised of a 525-seat, state-of-the-art, two-level, traditional proscenium theatre and performance support spaces; a 3,000-square-foot Black Box performance theatre; a 2,000-square-foot Events Space; and a two-story atrium lobby that will serve as the face of community events. The main theatre is designed as an intimate space with the inclusion of a balcony and stage extensions to ensure proximity to the stage for theatregoers. One of the most exciting features of the project is the Black Box, which can vary in size to create a flexible stage and varied audience interaction opportunities. The Black Box is intentionally a stripped-down, intimate performance space where more experimental performance and staging can be
How this community shifted its views to build for tomorrow
Robust infrastructure establishes the backbone of productive, economically strong communities as assets essential to commerce, trade, public safety and quality of life. But what if we told you that the average American spends 12+ vacation days stuck in traffic every year? Or that most American water systems have been in operation for 75 to 100 years – well past their intended lifespans? America’s future will be shaped by the infrastructure choices we make today – reinforces that infrastructure’s impacts carry far beyond our lifetimes. When it comes to designing investible infrastructure that addresses the big issues we face in the world – unprecedented urbanization, catastrophic climate threats and both human and natural resources constraints, there’s no partner more capable than us – after all, Engineering News-Record named us the No. 1 Firm on their Top 500 Design Firms list for the seventh consecutive year in 2024. Just consider the work we’ve done with NEW Water – the brand of Green Bay Metropolitan Sewer District – to upgrade its solids handling system and change how it values its resources for the future. Green Bay: building for tomorrow, starting now Water covers 70% of Earth, but freshwater accounts for just 3% of that number – and the Great Lakes, a series of interconnected freshwater lakes spanning more than 750 miles of North America, make up a little more than 20% of that surface freshwater. Located on the edge of the Great Lakes is the City of Green Bay, Wisconsin. Home to the
Jacobs wins Global Water Awards for innovative, sustainable water work
DALLAS, May 15, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Jacobs (NYSE:JEC) has been recognized for its innovative, technical and sustainable achievements in the international water sector. The Green Meadows Water Treatment Plant in southwest, Florida, and the Tuas Desalination Plant in Singapore, both of which were under the engineering supervision of Jacobs, received the coveted Global Water Awards for Water Project of the Year and Desalination Plant of the Year, respectively. Jacobs was also honored with a distinction award for Water Company of the Year. Established in 2006 by Global Water Intelligence (GWI), the awards recognize the most important achievements in the international water industry over the previous year, rewarding initiatives and companies that are moving the industry forward. "We are humbled to be given the Award of Distinction for 2019 Global Water Company of the Year and owe this recognition to our clients who place their trust in our teams, partnering with them in delivering their projects and solving challenges," said Jacobs Global Vice President and Global Water Director Peter Nicol. "We are honored for Jacobs to receive world-wide recognition for excellence in serving our clients and playing a role in their projects, Green Meadows and Tuas Desalination Plant, being recognized as the best water project and desalination plant of the year." Jacobs earned a distinction award for Water Company of the Year, the top award that recognizes the company that made the most significant contribution to the development of the international water sector in 2018. Several achievements that positioned Jacobs for
How Edinburgh is putting people at the heart of its city design
Edinburgh is one of the fastest growing cities in the U.K. and by 2040, will have a population of almost 600,000. Throughout its history, Edinburgh has been a city of innovation, heritage and change. The last 30 years have been no different. In the early 1980s it was a city with population in decline, facing a changing economy and significant social health challenges. In 2018, it’s a hugely successful city with tourism rates growing year on year and a heritage value sought after the world over. Edinburgh is also one of the fastest growing cities in the U.K. However, it’s clear that the quality of public realm in Edinburgh’s city center needs to match its potential as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. With this vibrancy and growth come challenges. Whether it’s in increased inequality and pockets of severe deprivation, or greater pressure on city infrastructure and the environment, the city recognizes it needs to be agile in the face of change. The way people travel, shop, socialize, work and play are changing, reflecting global trends and new technologies – and most importantly the vision for a better quality of life for all. City growth will provide new jobs, homes and amenities but it must be carefully balanced to provide a high quality of life, access to services and opportunities for all residents, particularly communities living with inequality. Congestion and associated air pollution and health conditions, exacerbated by inactive lifestyles, are directly related to the kinds of places we create and
Leveraging cross-sector knowledge to inform Australia’s pursuit of a large-scale hydrogen economy
With its potential to decarbonise a broad spectrum of industries, hydrogen as an alternative energy storage solution is currently receiving renewed attention, including from the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) and Australia’s Chief Scientist. This resurgence is largely due to improvements in hydrogen production technologies and the declining cost of renewable energy, meaning that large-scale zero-emissions hydrogen production may be more viable now than ever before. With excellent renewable energy resources and proximity to large potential export markets in Asia, Australia is well positioned to become a leader in this emerging industry. However, despite the recent focus on hydrogen, industry conversations have largely neglected one critical issue; under the current electrolysis-based supply chain model, production may not be sustainable in the context of Australia’s climate and existing energy landscape. To be sustainable, this supply chain model requires both readily available renewable energy generation and a consistent supply of drinking water. Both requirements could be an impediment to sustainable hydrogen production in Australia. While renewable energy developments are increasing across the country, the country’s electricity grid is still largely dominated by coal-fired generation and the ability to use grid-purchased electricity generated from renewable sources for hydrogen production is limited. Moreover, in a country already facing increasing fears over future water security, the creation of a new industry that relies on drinking water could further exacerbate supply risks. To put this in perspective, if we looked to decarbonise some of Australia’s domestic industries by replacing the 39 million tonnes of
Dynamic delivery: simulating Melbourne’s water future
Melbourne is on track to surpass Sydney as Australia’s largest city within the next decade, adding nearly 120,000 new residents in 2018 – some 327 people per day. As this population growth increases demand on water resources and systems, Melbourne Water – a Victorian Government authority – is tasked with managing and protecting Melbourne’s major water resources. Among the improvements being studied and proposed is an upgrade at one of the utility’s two large water treatment plants, Winneke Water Treatment Plant (WTP) to install an ultraviolet (UV) disinfection system. Originally constructed in 1980, Winneke WTP now treats more than 40% of Melbourne’s total drinking water, sourcing water from Sugarloaf Reservoir. Sugarloaf Reservoir is unique because, unlike most other reservoirs that draw water from protected catchments, it’s fed from a local aqueduct and river. Because Sugarloaf is fed from open catchments, its water is treated to manage pathogen risk. To continue treating its water to the highest standards, Melbourne Water has completed early design of a UV disinfection system in anticipation of future of Health Based Targets – and they partnered with Jacobs to develop and design the system. Winneke WTP treats approximately 350 million liters of water every day for distribution to millions of homes and business throughout Melbourne. To make sure there’s always enough drinking water to meet demand, the plant varies its production flow rate throughout the day. Previously, the achieved filtrate flows would swing around the targeted flow rate, without closely following the setpoints. As a result