We are continually challenging today to reinvent tomorrow. We start with “what if” to push the limits of what is possible and use our deep technical expertise to turn ideas into reality. Our teams deliver major projects across Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) and beyond.
The stunning and record breaking Queensferry Crossing, the world’s longest three tower cable stayed bridge, forms the center-piece of Transport Scotland’s major upgrade to the strategic road corridor that connects Edinburgh to Fife and the north of Scotland. 23,000 miles of cabling, almost enough to wrap around the circumference of the Earth, connects the bridge deck to the towers.
Developed to dramatically improve journey reliability, the new and upgraded motorway associated with the Queensferry Crossing encompasses innovative technologies that seek to improve traffic flow, operational safety, air quality and accessibility within region through provision of an Intelligent Transport System. The Queensferry Crossing, encompassing wind shields to provide greater operational reliability, replaces the Forth Road Bridge as the principal road crossing of the Firth of Forth, the old bridge serving as a dedicated public transport corridor for use by buses, taxis, motorcycles, pedestrians and cyclists.
Jacobs, as lead partner in the Jacobs Arup Joint Venture, supported Transport Scotland from the earliest stage of development. Co-locating with the client to form an integrated Employer’s Delivery Team from the outset enabled delivery of the design and assessment process that led to the realisation of the “managed crossing scheme”. The team supported the development of the Parliamentary Bill that resulted in the Forth Crossing Act, providing the powers required to construct the project. It also managed procurement of the three main design and build construction contracts, and effective compliance monitoring activities during the construction phase which commenced in 2011 and resulted in the opening of the Queensferry Crossing in 2017.
Jacobs provided architectural, quantity surveying, structural and M&E services for the new, BREEAM Excellent-rated police station in Humberside, U.K.
Humberside Police Authority (HPA) selected Jacobs to provide architectural services and design and deliver a new Divisional Police Headquarters and Custody Facility on a brownfield site on the edge of the city. The project replaced an existing 1950s building and forms the cornerstone of an estates rationalization program that will enable HPA to shrink their overall estate by more than ten percent.
The 9,810-square-meter building is comprised of flexible office space arranged around a four-story central atrium that acts as a core circulation space throughout the building and also provides an entrance area and café facilities at the ground floor level. The building is BREEAM Excellent rated and includes solar and wind power generation, as well as a Bio-mass boiler.
The U.K. Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) is leading an ambitious mission to secure the nation’s energy supply, reduce costs, and achieve net zero. Central to this effort is the Carbon Capture, Usage and Storage (CCUS) program, designed to decarbonise industries, enable low-carbon energy generation, and scale up low-carbon hydrogen production.
As a key component in of one of the Government’s 5 missions, Make Great Britain a Clean Energy Superpower, the CCUS program carries significant strategic importance. DESNZ has agreed funding of just under £22 billion for CCUS projects over the next 25 years, with the first contracts for carbon capture already signed.
With support from PA Consulting, an innovation and transformation consultancy, Jacobs is delivering a comprehensive blend of program expertise. Jacobs leads on technical project management, strategy, change management, data, risk, and quality assurance. PA complements this by leveraging its deep knowledge in technology, design, and analytics to ensure the approach to carbon capture is bold, innovative, and practical.
Our initial focus has been on enhancing CCUS’s program management office (PMO) capabilities and improving its ability to assess and manage scheduling risks. These efforts are laying the groundwork for a resilient and effective program that meets DESNZ’s ambitious goals.
Together, Jacobs and PA form an integrated team dedicated to advancing one of the U.K. government’s most critical initiatives for achieving net zero. This partnership underscores our shared commitment to innovation, sustainability, and impactful delivery on a national scale.
Image: Balfour Beatty
Through a series of tunnels designed by Jacobs, the Hinkley Point C nuclear power station will keep its two reactors cool and operational by drawing in and flushing out enough water to fill 4,200 Olympic swimming pools every day.
EDF is building two U.K. European pressurised reactors at Hinkley Point C as part of a 3.2 GWe nuclear power station in Somerset that will meet approximately 7% of the U.K.’s electricity needs. This will provide low-carbon electricity for around six million homes, increasing energy security, creating thousands of jobs and bringing lasting benefits to the U.K. economy. As the U.K.’s first new nuclear power station for nearly 30 years, it is a critical program that will help the U.K. to meet its net-zero commitments and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
Hinkley Point C will keep itself cool by drawing in and flushing out enough water to fill 4,200 Olympic swimming pools every day. This requires 5.5 miles (8.8 kilometres) of tunnels extending from the power station nearly 100 feet (30 meters) underneath the Bristol Channel with six connections between the tunnels and heads on the channel bed. The Bristol Channel is notable as it has the second highest tidal range in the world.
Image courtesy of MSD Biotech
In support of its mission to manufacture breakthrough medicines in Ireland for patients around the world, MSD Biotech wanted to ramp up production capacity at its Dublin Drug Substance Facility for one of its key oncology treatments.
Building on the deep expertise developed during the initial construction of the facility, Jacobs was uniquely positioned to deliver the upgrade and partnered with MSD Biotech to significantly increase capacity at the state-of-the-art facility in Swords, Co. Dublin.
As there could be no interruption to the facility’s operations during the construction phase, work had to be completed within pre-determined shut-down periods and to the highest safety and quality standards, despite a fast-tracked schedule. With the emergence of COVID-19, leveraging new techniques, safety measures and digital technology became paramount.
The design team was located remotely and deployed 3D modelling to deliver each aspect of the project. To minimize the number of people on-site, the project team used Holo Lens VR headsets to facilitate remote reviewing of project work, while the digitisation of close to 1,200 contractor turnover packs meant the project flowed seamlessly.
These solutions are now an integral part of our approach, ensuring projects are delivered safely and within accelerated timelines. And, thanks in part to our approach, upon completion, the Dublin Drug Substance Facility project achieved a best-in-class safety performance with no recordable instances during the 350,000 hours worked on site.
This project was shortlisted and won the Fit Out or Refurbishment Over €10m Category of the 2024 Irish Construction Excellence Awards.
To meet growing worldwide demand for biologic drugs, WuXi Biologics selected Dundalk, County Louth, Ireland to build a drug substance manufacturing facility.
The ‘facility of the future’ comprises a 26-hectare bio-manufacturing facility that incorporates leading-edge technology optimised for the flexible production of diverse drugs for WuXi Biologics’ global customer base. This extremely complex project required an efficient, fully integrated design delivery process that leveraged specialist expertise to deliver the facility within a fast-track schedule while maintaining exemplary quality and safety.
Jacobs was selected to provide construction management services to support the development of the facility. Construction started on the project started in April 2019 and was completed in July 2021, utilising an Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) model. Together, the IPD model and BeyondZero® approach enabled the project team to work seamlessly to deliver this innovative facility while achieving outstanding safety results, as well as gains in employee satisfaction, quality, productivity, efficiency, cost and schedule performance.
The facility is now in final stage qualification to deliver lifesaving drugs to patients. The project won the Industrial (over €10m) Category of the 2023 Irish Construction Excellence (ICE) Awards.
Image credit: Tideway
The Thames Tideway Tunnel will clean up one of London’s greatest natural assets, the iconic River Thames, protect it for generations to come and improve the quality of life for all Londoners.
At 25 kilometres-long and at its deepest 70-meters below ground, Thames Tideway Tunnel is the largest water infrastructure project ever undertaken in the U.K.
The tunnel runs from east to west London and will modernise the city’s 150-year-old sewer system, originally built for a population less than half its current size, reducing untreated discharges into the River Thames by tens of millions of tons per year.
The tunnel is now operational and has begun protection of the Thames. Data published in one day alone, when London saw heavy rainfall on September 23rd 2024, showed 589,000 cubic meters were captured by the London Tideway Tunnel with just the first connections activated.
Teams are now working to bring the system into full operation, with the project on track for completion in 2025. Once complete, the new super sewer will dramatically reduce sewage pollution, creating a cleaner, healthier River Thames and enabling the capital’s sewer system to continue to serve London for at least the next 100 years. The new system will have a capacity equivalent to 640 Olympic-sized swimming pools.
Jacobs has been the program manager for the Thames Tideway Tunnel since 2008, building on our record of delivering major urban wastewater treatment projects globally. The Thames Tideway Tunnel is the kind of highly complex program that Jacobs enjoys tackling; with multi-site delivery and significant challenges demanding innovation and better ways of working to achieve the best outcomes.
Over two decades, we’ve supported Crossrail to deliver the Elizabeth line, a complex and significant transport solution in London, U.K., that paves the way for social, environmental and economic opportunities of national significance that will last generations. The program delivery also creates an immense learning legacy that will benefit future major infrastructure development and their communities globally.
Delivered by Crossrail Ltd, the Elizabeth line is the most significant addition to London’s transport network in a generation. It's crucial to a low-carbon transport future, providing greater connectivity and supporting regeneration across the U.K.’s capital city.
One of the biggest railway infrastructure projects in Europe, this fully digitalised, 72-mile (118km) railway line will transform travel both east-west through London, interconnecting with the wider U.K.
Part of the Transport for London network, the Elizabeth line will increase connectivity for millions of people and enable an inclusive society through increased access to jobs and education. New, fully accessible stations transform the public realm, unlocking new development and housing opportunities.
We worked as a strategic partner, in an integrated team with our client Crossrail, overseeing several key contributions on this iconic mega project. Our people have provided over two decades of agile support, from our strategic consultants and economists in the conceptualisation stage, to our project teams on the mobilization and delivery phases.
Strategic Pipeline Alliance is the biggest drinking water grid program in the U.K. in a generation and one of the largest infrastructure programs in Europe. It relies on diverting water from the wettest areas in the north (Lincolnshire) to the driest areas in the south and the east by building over 310 kilometres (~192 miles) of interconnected pipelines.
SPA’s inaugural scheme first broke ground in June 2021 in Lincolnshire. Once complete, the new network will be longer than the M1 motorway, ensuring more than 600,000 Anglian Water customers receive a safe, reliable water supply for generations. However, this project covers more than just laying pipes: it relies on new ways of working to find the most innovative, affordable and environmentally friendly processes to make this network a reality, and to ensure social and environmental success in all the communities affected.
Major junction reconfiguration in Cork, Ireland to improve capacity, safety and travel times.
Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) aimed to significantly improve the existing junction layout for all users, including the junction safety, operation and capacity at this strategically important interface. Located in an intertidal area of conservation with considerable important flora and fauna, all works had to be undertaken while maintaining full operation of the junction and adjacent railway line.
Over 12 years, Jacobs has been TII’s trusted consultant to cover a range of complex challenges on the Dunkettle Interchange project. These have spanned across a range of delivery phases, each with their own unique requirements.
Working in partnership with Cork County Council and Cork City Council to deliver the Dunkettle Interchange Upgrade Scheme, TII’s mission is to deliver transport infrastructure and services, which contribute to the quality of life for the people of Ireland and support the country's economic growth.
Thames Estuary Asset Management (TEAM 2100) was set up by England’s Environment Agency to create a long-term approach to managing tidal flood defenses in London and the Thames Estuary, including the iconic Thames Barrier. Jacobs is managing the first 10 years of the program.
Working collaboratively as an integrated delivery team with the Environment Agency and Balfour Beatty, our job is to plan, inspect, refurbish and improve flood defenses along 330-kilometres of the River Thames and reduce the risk of tidal flooding to protect some 1.4 million people, over 4,000 different assets and over $396 billion (£321 billion) worth of property in London, Essex and Kent. This is part of the Thames Estuary 2100 Plan, which will adapt the riversides to rising sea levels over the next 100 years.
TEAM2100 advocates a programmatic approach to managing tidal flood defences, aspiring to reduce the overall costs by seeking to invest in the right places at the right time. This major program also aims to deliver greater value for public money through innovation, and greater collaboration and joint planning with the supply chain. The program has maintained its ISO55000 asset management accreditation, reflecting an international standard for asset management.
The Lower Thames Crossing, England’s single biggest roads investment project since the M25 was completed more than 30 years ago, is unprecedented in size and scale. The longest road tunnel in the U.K. and one of the largest diameter bored tunnels in the world, will give the opportunity to transform journeys across the south-east and beyond.
Driving economic growth
The Lower Thames Crossing will form a vital part of the U.K.'s transport infrastructure, and the areas it will serve are home to economic hubs, key U.K. ports and thriving communities. It will help businesses large and small to grow and bring people and communities closer to jobs, education and leisure opportunities.
The new road will almost double road capacity across the River Thames, east of London. The 70mph crossing and the new connecting road network will provide, quicker, safer and more reliable journeys locally, regionally and nationally.
A new flood alleviation scheme to protect residents and properties in Sidmouth, U.K. from future flooding doubles up as an amphitheater for the local community.
For many years Sidmouth, a town on the southwest coast of England, has suffered regular stormwater flooding, with overland flowpaths draining to a low point directly in the town centre, putting up to around 150 residential properties and businesses at risk. If a rare, major storm were to take place many local residential and commercial properties would be at risk of flooding.
Devon County Council brought Jacobs in to develop a flood management scheme that would overcome this and navigate the town’s drainage challenges including a dense town centre, narrow streets and historic buildings with shallow foundations.
But the team went further and were inspired to turn the flood defences into an amphitheater, providing a public space for local communities to visit. They also reinstated a wildflower meadow and planted 11 new trees. Now over 300 people at any one time can enjoy local events in a unique natural setting, so long as the weather stays dry!
The Transpennine Route Upgrade (TRU) is a large-scale railway infrastructure investment program between Manchester to York via Huddersfield and Leeds.
It will deliver faster, greener and more reliable journeys across the north of England, and it places people first in a pioneering community-needs approach that uses key social assessments throughout the program lifecycle to shape design and delivery for the greatest impact.
TRU will achieve far more than improving railway assets — it will enhance lives in a legacy of moving more essential goods by rail, attracting more people to use the train, helping communities prosper, creating jobs for local people and applying decarbonisation principles.
TRU is being delivered by more than nine organisations — including Jacobs — and is united in a common mission to deliver the greatest value to communities along the route. Between April 2019 and March 2024, the TRU social impact program generated $1.86 billion (£1.47B) in social value by delivering 264 apprenticeships, engaging more than 42,460 young people in STEAM (Science Technology, Engineering, Arts, Mathematics) delivery of 16,300+ days of work experience, contributing 11,000+ hours of volunteering, and $532 million (£420M) spent with local businesses and $277M (£219M) with Small Medium Enterprises (SMEs).
