1. We are WSP
  2. What we do
  3. Property and Buildings
  4. Public Buildings
Our approachProjectsOur servicesPlatformsJoin our team

Public buildings have become the standard bearers for national and local aspirations on climate, energy and innovation in construction, often having to meet ambitious targets years ahead of the private sector.

We are proud to help our clients achieve these goals – delivering market-leading performance and efficiency, while demonstrating value for money when there are many competing pressures on funding.
 

 
Our-People-Tom-Smith

"Our multidisciplinary teams apply creativity, data-driven insights and technical excellence to deliver places where people want to be, and buildings that perform beautifully, inside and out, today and always."

Tom Smith
Global Director, Property and Buildings

 

How we support our clients

Whether they’re at the heart of their communities, or fulfilling essential civic functions in the background, public buildings must work hard year after year, providing long-term social, environmental and financial sustainability.

Durley Chine Environmental Hub, Bournemouth, England

What makes a place financially sustainable?

Our teams help clients to deliver more for limited budgets by tapping into a wealth of global expertise on building efficiently. We translate innovations in design and modern methods of construction into low-risk, implementable solutions to reduce upfront costs, extend the lives of existing assets, and ensure efficient operation and maintenance over the life of the building.

What makes a place net zero?

We help government owners and operators to plot an achievable path to net zero: applying science-based targets, and weighing up the pros, cons and costs of different solutions. Our sustainability experts are developing portfolio-wide decarbonization strategies and transition plans for individual facilities, as well as designing the next generation of all-electric, net-zero-ready buildings.

Modernization of the National Capital Region’s District Energy System, Ottawa, Canada

Viby cultural centre and library

Viby Cultural Centre and Library, Viby, Denmark

What makes a place great for people?

We never lose sight of social outcomes, and the communities that our buildings will serve. Our teams create inclusive facilities where everyone can feel comfortable and safe, drawing on a wealth of specialist expertise, from engineering healthy environments and incorporating biophilic principles, to designing for neurodiversity, to measuring and maximizing the social value of a development.

What makes a place fit for the future?

Through our global Future Ready innovation programme, our teams explore how projects will be impacted by trends ranging from demographic and social change, to advances in AI and machine learning, to energy price shocks, to more frequent extreme weather events and pandemics. We apply this thinking to all of our advice and designs, to create adaptable buildings that will continue to perform, whatever the future holds.

img-Heritage-Canadian-parliament

Centre Block Rehabilitation Project, Ottawa, Canada

Related government projects

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Digital platforms

Our digital platforms perform a critical role in underpinning our advice and services. These world-leading tools allow us to collaborate across design teams, as well as with clients and the communities they serve; ultimately delivering stronger designs and advice.

PRIME for Cities
GIS platform tracking land, real estate and infrastructure activity
PRIME for Cities is WSP’s proprietary web GIS platform that tracks land development, public infrastructure and urban growth policy, providing real-time visibility of relevant planning and development activity.
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