Sweco is joining forces with VK architects+enigeers, which owns the Luxembourg consultancy Betic Ingénieurs-Conseils. Photo: Sweco.be

Sweco is joining forces with VK architects+enigeers, which owns the Luxembourg consultancy Betic Ingénieurs-Conseils. Photo: Sweco.be

VK architects+engineers, which Betic Ingénieurs-Conseils joined in 2020, has been acquired by Sweco, one of the largest engineering and architecture firms in Europe.

Sweco has acquired the agency by means of a share purchase agreement. In 2020, the engineering consultancy Betic chose to join VK architects+engineers, meaning that it will now be able to access the expertise of this large international group in the future.

By joining forces, Sweco and VK architects+engineers intend to play a major role in tackling the energy transition, urbanisation and digitalisation. Sweco is known for its innovative and sustainable urban development approach, taking into account challenges related to climate change, mobility, social inclusion and economic development of cities.

“With Sweco, we will continue to be pioneers in the field of sustainable buildings and structures,” said Paul Corbeel, CEO of VK architects+engineers. “We have the best talent and in-depth expertise to achieve this. Our ambition to be a full life-cycle partner is in line with Sweco’s guiding principle of ‘sustainability by design’. We also see many similarities in terms of corporate culture, with initiatives that clearly make a difference in personal development, knowledge-sharing and open communication. In addition, the European dimension of the whole group, the cross-border opportunities and the decentralised way of working really appeal to us. We look forward to continuing to build a sustainable future with our concepts.”

Paperwork to be done soon

Completion of the transaction remains subject to regulatory approval by the Belgian competition authority, and is expected in the first half of 2023.

The transaction also involves the acquisition of all shares in the subsidiaries of VK architects+engineers. These include the design office Infranea (3D design, BIM services and VR simulations), the architectural and engineering office DENC (logistics, industrial and commercial real estate) and the engineering office One Simulations (CFD simulations) from the Netherlands, as well as the Belgian companies Van Looy Group (logistics projects) and Exilab (laboratories and clean rooms). Betic Ingénieurs-Conseils (various construction projects) and EKOplan (technical and water management engineering) from Luxembourg and AD Architects from the UK are also part of the transaction.

This article was originally published in . It has been translated and edited for Delano.