Global multidisciplinary engineering consultancy Buro Happold has secured an appointment with Danish architecture practice Dissing+Weitling, alongside Vietnam-based consultancy Vinaconex, to create a masterplan for the ‘Gia Lam New Town’ in Hanoi province, Vietnam.

Due to be built in several phases, the project involves the delivery of an outline masterplan for a sustainable 1,200 hectare urban development, for client the Vietnam Development Bank and Bank for Foreign Trade of Vietnam, by February 2010.

The practice will provide a full range of multi-disciplinary services and advise on matters such as climatic conditions, land use, flood risk, energy generation and transport planning.

Consultants in the practice’s Hong Kong, London and Glasgow offices will work together to deliver a masterplan to safeguard the resources in the region and set out strategies for sustainable urban growth with consideration to the needs of the local community.

Matthew Smith, Buro Happold’s Hong Kong Office Director, who will lead the practice’s team, said: “This is an ambitious and forward thinking project with sustainability at its heart. Our appointment is testament to our long-standing track record in the delivery of challenging masterplanning projects, as well as our growing reputation in the region.

“This is a significant win for the practice, having opened our Hong Kong office in April to extend our global reach, spearhead our new strategic push into the Asia Pacific region and enhance our holistic and multidisciplinary service to international clients.”

The practice’s Hong Kong-based team recently won its first appointment with an AECOM-Aedas joint venture for the West Kowloon Terminus of the proposed Express Rail Link (XRL) with mainland China.

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Note to Editors
Buro Happold
Press office and practice information at www.burohappold.com
For more information, please contact:
Chris White
External Communications Consultant
Tel: +44 (0)20 7927 9700
Fax: +44 (0)870 787 4145
Email: chris.white@burohappold.com

Buro Happold is a multi-disciplinary international practice of consulting engineers established in 1976. It offers civil and structural engineering, mechanical and electrical engineering, quantity surveying, building services and environmental engineering, health and safety management, infrastructure and traffic engineering, ground engineering, façade engineering, fire engineering, computational fluid dynamics analysis, inclusive design consultancy, project management, urban design and a range of specialist CAD services.