Join COWI in North America

COWI in North America was originally formed through the acquisition of consultancies based in the USA and Canada. After operating separately for a number of years, the companies came together under the COWI brand in 2016.

You can read the full story of COWI in North America below. 

COWI's presence in North America can be dated back to 1926 when the US company Ben C. Gerwick was founded in California, specializing in heavy civil engineering.

In 1988, the company was acquired by COWI. 

COWI was founded in 1930 in Copenhagen, Denmark, by the 29-year-old engineer Christen Ostenfeld after he had worked abroad for six years. He established his business based on the philosophy of bringing academic knowledge into practical engineering that is measured on international standards.

During the 1930s and 1940s, Ostenfeld’s company became bridge experts, constructing ever larger and more complex structures. It also specialized in prestressed concrete. In 1946, Wriborg Jønson became an equal partner with Ostenfeld. In 1972, the company became foundation-owned and changed its name to COWI.

You can read the full story of COWI here

Ben C. Gerwick, Inc. played a foundational role in developing major naval infrastructure during World War II. The firm constructed the U.S. Navy’s Submarine and Destroyer Dry Docks at the Hunters Point Naval Dry Docks in San Francisco. In its commendation letter for the project, the Navy highlighted Gerwick’s “outstanding performance” in the construction of the drydocks.

From 1954 to 1958, Ben C. Gerwick, Inc. delivered pioneering contribution toward the successful construction of the Richmond–San Rafael Bridge, one of California’s most ambitious infrastructure projects. Gerwick engineered and constructed the bridge’s precast concrete piers using an in-the-wet foundation system that eliminated large cofferdams. This innovation became a West Coast standard, later applied on the San Mateo–Hayward and Columbia River crossings.

Jenny Engineering Corporation was founded in 1965 in New Jersey by Robert J. Jenny, specializing in tunnels and underground structures engineering. 

The company was acquired by COWI in 2012.

Water Tunnel No. 3 is the largest construction project in New York City’s history. The complete tunnel will be more than 60 miles (97 km) long. Construction started in 1970 with completion expected by 2032. Jenny Engineering provided geotechnical engineering and construction management services across Brooklyn, Queens, and Manhattan. The teams reviewed construction methods, oversaw drilling and testing, managed change orders, and supported the Expert Review Board.

Buckland and Taylor Ltd. was founded in in Vancouver in 1972, specializing in bridge design and engineering. The company was acquired by COWI in 1988.

Ocean & Coastal Consultants, Inc. was founded in Trumbull, Connecticut in 1983.

COWI acquired the company in 2007, to increase the focus on marine and coastal engineering projects in North America.

Completed in 1986, the Alex Fraser Bridge linked Richmond and New Westminster to North Delta within Greater Vancouver, British Columbia. At the time, it was the longest longest cable-stayed bridge in the world with its 465-metre main span. Buckland & Taylor developed the conceptual design, carried out the preliminary design of the precast deck and superstructure, and delivered the detailed design, including comprehensive earthquake and ship‑impact analyses. The erection‑monitoring system ensured precise construction, resulting in one of the most economical bridges of its kind worldwide and significantly enhancing regional mobility.

In 1988, COWI established a stronghold in the North American market by acquiring the US company Ben C. Gerwick (founded in 1926), which specialized in heavy civil engineering. In the following decades, COWI acquired a series of companies in the USA and Canada specializing in different engineering disciplines. 

Jenny Engineering Corporation designed the Fort Totten Station for the Washington Metro, which was completed in 1992. Innovative shotcrete and lattice girder techniques were used for the project. It was the first soft-ground NATM (new Austrian tunneling method) station and tunnels in the United States.

Opened in 1938, the Lions Gate Bridge is one of only two road links between downtown Vancouver and the North Shore, carrying around 70,000 vehicles every day. Buckland & Taylor led the design for the replacement of the entire suspended structure (deck, sidewalks, stiffening trusses and hangers) while keeping traffic flowing. The design delivered a full seismic upgrade, wider lanes and sidewalks, and safer operations for commuters and visitors.

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Ben C. Gerwick, Inc. served as engineer of record for the Braddock Dam, delivering the United States Army Corps’ first float-in, in-the-wet navigation dam. The team designed the precast dam segments, the cast and launch facility, and the full transport, positioning, and immersion procedures for two 11,000-ton shells. The method allowed work to proceed safely within tight river traffic and flood stage constraints.

Finley Engineering Group was founded in Tallahassee, Florida, in 2004. The company was acquired by COWI in 2022, thereby strengthening the expertise in North America within bridge and construction engineering.

Bittner-Shen Consulting was founded in Portland, 2008. The company was acquired by COWI in 2021 to bolster our capacity within marine construction. 

COWI (Ben C. Gerwick, Inc.) designed the flood barrier and foundations for the main sector gate at New Orleans’s Inner Harbor Navigation Canal (IHNC). This federally funded project protects the city from storm surges by controlling navigation and tidal flows.

Built near a critical vulnerability point at the confluence of the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway and Mississippi River Gulf outlet, the 2.7-kilometre barrier features static and gated sections that remain open for shipping but close during storms. Construction began in 2008 and opened for traffic in 2012, improving flood resilience following Hurricane Katrina’s devastating impacts.

In 2016, all our North American companies were rebranded and started operating as COWI.

The Franklin D. Roosevelt Drive is a critical north–south corridor along Manhattan’s East River. The New York City Department of Transportation's marine borer protection program covered 6,500 ft of waterfront structures across eight locations. COWI, supporting Parsons Brinckerhoff, performed underwater inspections and condition assessments to inform pile protection design, and later provided engineering services during construction and resident engineering inspection for this effort. The work helped extend the service life of roughly 15,000 timber piles supporting the roadway.