UK headquartered Black & White Engineering, a global engineering design consultancy specialising in mission-critical buildings and infrastructure, has opened two offices in the United States as it establishes its North America operation.

The US expansion is the latest stage in a period of significant growth for Black & White Engineering.

The consultancy has grown from around 100 employees in 2020 to more than 1,300 today.

Virginia and Florida form the first phase of the US expansion, creating a local presence from which Black & White will support clients and projects across North America.

The new Virginia and Tampa locations take its global network to 34 locations with plans for an office opening in Texas already underway.

Black & White is already delivering in the US, providing multidisciplinary master planning and early-stage engineering services for hyperscale data centre campuses and AI factories, establishing the technical and spatial frameworks for phased delivery and long-term expansion.

“A landmark moment for our business”

Mick Cairns, Chairman and CEO at Black & White Engineering said: “Establishing Black & White Engineering in the United States is a landmark moment for our business.

“For 19 years, we have built our reputation, technical capability and culture across some of the world’s most important markets.

“North America is the final piece of the jigsaw in creating a truly global platform for our clients. The timing could not be more exciting.”

He continued: “AI and digital infrastructure investment are driving extraordinary levels of demand, scale and technical complexity, and that sits right at the heart of what Black & White Engineering does. 

“We are also arriving with momentum.

“We already have projects underway, strong local leadership in place, and the full backing of more than 1,300 colleagues across our One Global Team.

“This is the start of a very significant chapter for Black & White Engineering,” he concluded.  

US operation

The US operation is being led locally by Fergus Davidson, Area Director, Florida and Matthew James, Technical Director, Virginia.

Davidson is a chartered mechanical engineer with experience in mission-critical facilities dating back to 2006.

His background includes design and programme management for global data centre programmes, and he has previously grown and led multi-discipline data centre design teams.

In Virginia, Black & White Engineering is building its office in one of the most mature data centre markets in the world.

James joins as Technical Director, Virginia, with specialist experience in mechanical engineering for mission-critical data centres, particularly high-density compute and liquid-cooled systems.

Recruitment is central to the US growth strategy.

Black & White plans to grow its North America team to around 200 people by 2029, with hiring across technical engineering, electrical, mechanical, BIM and project/design management roles.

“A real opportunity”

Fergus Davidson, Area Director, Florida said: “The opportunity to grow the Black & White brand in the US was a major draw.

“The business has built a strong reputation across Europe, the Middle East and Asia, and there is a clear opportunity to bring that experience and technical expertise into North America.

“Tampa is a different market from Virginia. Part of the role here is attracting engineers into the data centre sector and giving them the backing to build specialist careers,” Davidson added.

“We want to create a team that can grow with client demand and help the market develop.

“For those joining us early, there is a real opportunity to help shape the team and the way we work in the US, while having the backing and technical expertise of more than 1,300 colleagues across the wider Black & White Engineering business.”

He concluded: “We want the North America team to have its own local relationships while remaining closely connected to the wider group.”

“The next generation”

James said: “Black & White Engineering’s specialist data centre expertise, US growth plans and reputation for technical delivery all stood out to me.

“My focus is on building a high-performing engineering team that will deliver innovative, technically rigorous solutions for the next generation of high-density data centres.”