Professional services firm WSP Global has acquired data center engineering company kW Mission Critical Engineering for an undisclosed sum.

With 175 staff, kW MCE offers mechanical, electrical, plumbing, fire protection, controls, telecommunications, and security system design for mission critical buildings.

In the same week, WSP also acquired tk1sc, a 240-employee mechanical, electrical and plumbing engineering firm based in Irvine, California, that focuses on more general building types.

Consulting consolidation

DataBank Atlanta
– DataBank/kW MCE

“Welcoming kW Mission Critical Engineering and tk1sc into the WSP family further expands our building sector capabilities in the high growth data center, healthcare and science + technology markets in the United States while also significantly increasing our presence on the West Coast and providing us a platform to expand our data center capabilities in Europe and Asia,” Alexandre L’Heureux, WSP’s president and CEO, said.

“In line with our 2019-2021 Global Strategic Plan, these acquisitions solidify our already strong presence in these complex markets, which will now represent in excess of 65 percent of our Property and Buildings practice in the United States.”

kW MCE co-founders Chris Kurkjian and James Warren added: “Combining our mission critical expertise with WSP’s global footprint will allow us to continue our growth plan, offer opportunities to our employees, and better support the expansion goals of our partners and clients.”

Among the facilities kW MCE has had a hand in is DataBank’s 98,000 sq ft (9,000 sq m) data center in Atlanta’s Technology Square.

The data center has high performance computing on the first floor, and colocation on the second and third floors. It also has waste heat recovery, smart grid utility, and a uses a Tesla battery.