FEATURE
Planning For A Sustainable Future RPS was founded in 1970, but its Belfast story long outdates that. Mike Shaw, managing director of the company’s NI base, discusses Belfast’s innovative role in the professional services firm’s global operations and why sustainability is at the heart of its present and future.
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he planning, design and management of infrastructural, natural resource and sustainability projects are at the core of RPS’ operations. Its purpose, it says, is to “solve problems that matter to a complex, urbanising and resourcescarce world”. The company, which is present in 125 countries and employs 5,000 people – of which 250 are based at its Boucher Road, Belfast branch – works across six sectors (Property, Energy, Transport, Water, Resources, Defence and Government). Its promise is to make complex easy for its clients through an extensive range of multi-disciplinary services. Locally it’s been instrumental in the development of iconic and essential infrastructure such as Titanic Belfast, the Waterfront Hall, the SSE Arena, the planned safety enhancements to the A1 dual carriageway, the South West Acute Hospital and a wide range of Belfast Harbour Developments, including the BHC Film Studios. “We were originally Kirk McClure Morton, which was a partnership before
RPS acquired the business in 2004. “In its entirety we have over 75 years’ experience in Northern Ireland,” Mike begins. Mike says the Belfast base offers one of the group’s broadest selections of services including ports and maritime, water infrastructure, water environment, transport, planning, structures, waste, renewable energy and flood risk. Operating across the public and private sectors, it has continued to diversify its services and expanded its geographical reach since the acquisition. At the forefront of its work now is pioneering technical solutions and leaving a sustainable legacy. “We’ve always been a very innovative company since our inception in 1947,” says Mike. The employment of Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) has been one of the Belfast office’s more recent innovations. He says during the pandemic, in-person public consultations – part of the planning approvals process – became a challenge, prompting the firm to innovate and create an AR
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consultation room. This innovative solution has enabled over £40 billion of projects globally since its launch. The VR public consultations have helped RPS’ clients to remove barriers, progress approvals and connect with stakeholders virtually. “The response to this has been so overwhelmingly positive – creating value and ease for our clients and their audience.” “It’s been developed locally in Northern Ireland and is now enabling £40 billion of projects globally,” he says. “Artificial intelligence is another gamechanger for our business,” Mike tells Ambition. “We’ve been carrying out a number of pilot projects using specialist analytical techniques, including in North America, to detect marine mammals. “We’re also carrying out a pilot study to assist in the detection of unexploded mines.” The protection of our environment is high up on RPS’ agenda, “underpinning everything we do”. “We have the expertise to drive change through the sustainable solutions we
