Global engineering, design and sustainability consultancy Ramboll has acquired UK-based environment and sustainability consultancy Temple.

The expansion adds 150 to Ramboll’s headcount and boosts its environment and health capabilities.

The announcement continues a period of strong growth for Ramboll, which includes the acquisitions of K2 Management and i3 Solutions.

The acquisition will combine each organisations’ expertise in environmental and sustainability consulting, to offer clients a service across a more comprehensive range of disciplines and solutions.

In particular, the move represents a significant investment into strengthening Ramboll’s expertise in biodiversity, impact assessments and complementary sustainability services, such as arboriculture, as part of an ongoing drive to enhance Ramboll’s sustainable impact.

Temple’s expertise in environment, ecology, planning and sustainability is reflected in the range and profile of projects the business has worked on.

This includes leading the planning strategy and application for the £800m Jersey Hospital, delivering a variety of ecology services on Barking Riverside and providing noise, vibration, air quality, socio-economic and health services for The River Thames Scheme. It also continues to provide environmental surveys, assessment and design support services for High Speed 2 and East West Rail.

The acquisition will see Temple’s 150-strong team join Ramboll following the conclusion of an integration process later this year.

This represents a significant scaling of Ramboll’s Environment & Health division Environment & Health division in the UK, which currently stands at around 300 employees.

As part of Ramboll, Temple’s expertise will be amplified with a greater global reach as they join Ramboll’s 18,000 experts, spread across more than 300 offices in 35 countries.

Mark Skelton, Temple CEO, joins Ramboll’s global Environment & Health leadership team, working closely with Philippa Spence, managing director, Ramboll, Environment & Health.

Temple’s founder and outgoing chair, Mark Southwood, will also be supporting with the integration and advising Ramboll more widely in a consultancy role for the next three months. After which, he intends to spend more time on the Southwood Foundation and other sustainability-related ventures.

Philippa Spence said: “I cannot wait to welcome our new colleagues from Temple, who I know by reputation as some of the most passionate and knowledgeable experts in their respective fields.

“Providing clients with the highest quality of service to help them navigate their current and future environmental and sustainability challenges has driven this important development.

“If we look at biodiversity as just one example, its loss is cited as one of humanity’s top five threats with an estimated $44 trillion dollars of economic value to be moderately or highly dependent on nature.”

Mark Skelton added: “There are not many businesses like Temple, but we see a near perfect alignment in strategic purpose with Ramboll. Joining Ramboll opens new opportunities for our people and clients.

“Benefiting from Ramboll’s international reach, innovation and investment, we will be able to deliver even greater value within the UK and now globally. This acquisition gives both organisations a phenomenal platform to continue to scale and grow from, enabling us to bring a more comprehensive and compelling offering to the market and to accelerate positive change.

“It is the right time for Temple to become part of something bigger, and I look forward to everything we are going to achieve together.”

Mark Southwood, chair and founder of Temple, said: “I am deeply proud of the work that Temple has done over the last 28 years. We have built our reputation on our technical excellence, our collaborative and innovative approach, our exacting professional standards and by the ethical values and vision that are at the core of what we do.

“I look forward to seeing Temple’s legacy built upon in partnership with Ramboll and to see them jointly deliver a sustainable future for all, including nature.”