Beca’s roots reach back to the end of World War One, when Arthur Gray, a returning serviceman, commenced professional engineering practice in Auckland. Since then, records show a steady progression of growth, fuelled mainly by two visionary thinkers in the 50s, 60s and 70s: George Beca and Sir Ron Carter.
Pioneering design and innovative solutions quickly became the Beca trademark. For example, the new pavilion that was designed in the 1950s for Auckland’s Ellerslie race course was one of the world's first structures to use tubular steel cantilever space frames anchored to a central core.
In the early sixties George Beca began promoting engineers as principal advisors. Ultimately, that changed Beca’s profile from a structural and civil engineering company to a multi-disciplinary consultancy. During the 70s and 80s Beca focussed on expanding its international markets opening offices in Australia and South East Asia.
Beca around the World
Beca first opened an office in Australia over 40 years ago and the business now has five offices with over 400 employees. Their key sectors are food and beverage, cold storage, industrial, water and wastewater industries with a growing profile in the land transport, buildings, airports, project management and planning sectors.
In 1977, the Beca Singapore office opened to support the evolving Buildings sector. Singapore is now the headquarters of Beca's Asia hub with over 400 employees in five countries providing project management and engineering consultancy services to commercial building developers and industrial clients.
International Recognition
In the last five years, Beca projects and people have won numerous awards around the world.
In 2009 and 2011, Beca won the Supreme Award at the New Zealand Engineering Excellence Awards for the new aircraft hangar maintenance docks at Christchurch International Airport and Tauranga Harbour Link projects respectively. The Adelaide Airport Runway and Taxiway Overlay Project won the 2011 National and South Australian Awards by the Australian Institute of Project Management. In Singapore, Executive Director Tan Kiat Leong was awarded Green Engineer of the Year by the Building and Construction Authority and Singapore Green Building Council.
As a group, we have also been well recognised in recent years. Beca was named New Zealand’s Most Reputable Organisation in 2011 by the Hay Group/Management magazine, New Zealand Company of the Year in the 2010 Deloitte Top 200 Awards, and International Business of the Year by New Zealand Trade and Enterprise in 2009. For more details, visit our Awards page.