WSP USA Honored for Engineering Innovation and Environmental Impact

WSP USA, a leading engineering, environment and professional services consultancy, was recently recognized for its exceptional sustainability engineering, consulting and innovative design capabilities by Environmental Analyst, Environment + Energy Leader and Fast Company magazines.

“We’re extremely pleased to be recognized by these prestigious organizations as a leader in quality, innovative solutions that epitomize our Future Ready® initiative. These awards reflect the breadth and depth of our work across sectors from coast to coast,” said Lou Cornell, CEO of WSP USA. “But it’s so much more than a list of accolades. To us, these award-winning projects demonstrate the dedication and collaborative approach of our clients and our commitment to a more sustainable, resilient and prosperous world—a key pillar of our company’s strategic vision.”

In September, WSP USA was recognized as a finalist for two Fast Company Innovation by Design awards: In the Transportation category for the Mid-Coast Extension of the UC San Diego Blue Line Trolley, and in Urban Design for the overhaul of Moynihan Train Hall at Penn Station.

• Transportation: One of the largest transportation infrastructure projects in the San Diego region’s history, the San Diego Association of Governments’ Mid-Coast Extension of the UC San Diego Blue Line Trolley adds 11 miles of light rail to the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System. The extension creates a one-seat ride from the U.S./Mexico Border and communities south of downtown all the way north to University City approximately 30 miles away, enhancing travel to major regional activity centers and improving direct public access to jobs, schools, hospitals, and retail for residents, commuters and visitors alike. With benefits spanning economic growth, public health, reduced climate impacts and enhanced equity, this forward-looking large-scale effort exemplifies the critical role efficient transit is playing in Southern California.
• Urban Design: A visionary project, the Empire State Development’s (State of New York) Moynihan Train Hall is a $1.6 billion transformation of the landmark 108-year-old James A. Farley Post Office building into a world-class transit, retail and commercial hub that houses both Long Island Rail Road and Amtrak. At 255,000 square feet — larger than Grand Central Terminal’s main concourse — Moynihan Train Hall solves the existing station’s multiplicity of problems with efficient, accessible design. ADA-compliant elevators to all platforms expand access by 50 percent and digitally enabled public address systems serve the hearing-impaired. State-of-the-art security features and contemporary, digital experience transforms passenger travel.

Also in September, WSP earned two top honors from Environment Analyst, an international membership community for the environmental services space. The first award is for WSP’s Transformational Partnership with Denver Water, and the second for the Sustainability M&A of the Year for its acquisition of Golder.

• Transformational Partnership: WSP helped Denver Water protect its water systems by partnering to identify and incorporate climate-related risks and opportunities into every aspect of its operations, and to join forces with critical business functions to effectively mainstream strategies for climate risk identification, adaptation and resilience.
• Sustainability M&A of the Year: WSP acquired Golder in 2021, bringing together two highly respected, industry-leading and environmental, social and governance (ESG)‐driven firms with diverse and highly complementary skill sets. The integration significantly boosted WSP’s ESG presence and capabilities in key high‐performing industries, notably environmental, water, energy and resources, and in key geographies including the Americas, Australia and Europe. The Golder acquisition expanded WSP’s global team of Earth & Environment experts from 7,000 to 14,000.

In July, WSP was named a 2022 Environment + Energy Leader for its Groundwater Plume Analytics® tool.

• Groundwater Plume: The Groundwater Plume Analytics® tool tackles the widespread human and environmental health challenge of polluted groundwater by making it easier to visualize, predict and manage the movement of contaminants. The product identifies pollution sources and reduces operating costs up to 70 percent vs. traditional water sampling, remediation and management techniques.

“Our clients expect us to think long term, challenging our teams to advise and design for the future as well as today,” Cornell added. “Developing climate-resilient solutions is a business imperative.”

To learn more about WSP and its work, please visit https://www.wsp.com/en-us.

About WSP USA

WSP USA is the U.S. operating company of WSP, one of the world’s leading engineering and professional services firms. Dedicated to serving local communities, we are engineers, planners, technical experts, strategic advisors and construction management professionals. WSP USA designs lasting solutions in the buildings, transportation, energy, water and environment markets. With more than 15,500 employees in 200 offices across the U.S., we partner with our clients to help communities prosper. wsp.com