NIRAS

NIRAS Gruppen A/S (The NIRAS Group) [Suggested new title for this article]

NIRAS A/S is an international consulting group, with 38 offices in 26 countries in Europe, Asia and Africa, specialising in engineering and professional services, headquartered in Alleroed, Denmark. NIRAS provides engineering, planning, project management and other services for all aspects of the built environment, focusing on traditional construction projects like railroads, harbours, complex buildings, such as large hospitals, as well as environment, climate and energy – traditional energy as well as renewable and green energy – and sustainable development consulting. NIRAS’ more than 1,400 employees includes engineers, anthropologists, economists, architects, management consultants and many other professions. The company is a member of the Danish Association of Consulting Engineers (FRI) and the International Federation of Consulting Engineers (FIDIC).

History

NIRAS was founded as a joint-stock company in 1956 by graduate engineers Jørgen Kristian Nielsen (born 1924) and Konrad Rauschenberger (1924-2015). Rauschenberg, originally from Hungary, fled to Denmark under dramatic circumstances as a blind passenger on a transport train for troops during WW2. In 1956 he, now a Danish citizen, together with Danish engineer Jørgen Kristian Nielsen founded the consulting engineering firm Nielsen and Rauschenberger. Later it was renamed N & R Gruppen A/S - now NIRAS.

Ownership

NIRAS is a private limited group with NIRAS Fonden (The NIRAS Trust) as majority shareholder (73 percent) in the operational group holding company NIRAS Gruppen A/S, which holds shares in all other NIRAS-companies. The rest of the shares in NIRAS Gruppen A/S are owned by employees.

Activities

On an annual basis NIRAS are involved in thousands of projects all over the world. NIRAStakes pride in transforming clients’ visions or challenges into sustainable solutions. NIRAS has been involved in

· renewable and green energy, e.g. more than 70 wind energy projects since 1986 in Northern Europe and Asia. Most projects offshore

· improving public utilities and water network management systems, and improvement of water supply and sanitation services in Europe, Middle East, Asia and Africa

· helping more than 150 companies in different parts of the world to identify their potential for industrial symbioses and improved utilization of resources

· climateadaption projects in cities such as Copenhagen, Stavanger, City of Beira and Vinh Yen City.

· harbors,e.g. in Kenya, Ghana, Togo, Taiwan, Sri Lanka, UK, Scotland and Cyprus

· railroads, e.g. in Lithuania, Malaysia and Russia

· planning, creation and completion of the largest hospitals in Denmark.