EXPLORE
OUR HISTORY
150 years of excellence and
innovation
1866 – Foundations
Surveying and architecture experts Thomas Franklin and John Andrews founded Franklin + Andrews.
The firm was founded in 1866 by surveying and architecture experts Thomas Franklin and John Andrews. Their early specialism was buildings but F+A rapidly diversified into infrastructure. By the 1940s F+A was one of the UK’s leading cost consultants, working for the government as well as private sector clients.
Our capabilities in quantity surveying, cost consultancy, project management and commercial management were substantially expanded when Franklin + Andrews joined Mott MacDonald in 2002.
1888 – City and South London Railway
The first ever deep-level electrified tube line.
Engineer Basil Mott was hired by pioneering civil engineer James Henry Greathead to work on the City and South London Railway in the UK (now London Underground’s Northern Line). Greathead's circular tunnelling shield enabled underground construction at depths and in ground conditions never attempted before. He and Mott introduced an innovation to improve construction safety, using compressed air at the excavation face to prevent water ingress. Mott specified an electric traction system, the world's first for an underground ralway.
1890s – Partnerships
In 1893 electrical engineer Arthur Henry Preece started working with his son, Sir William Preece, engineer in chief to the UK General Post Office. In 1899 the Preeces formed a partnership with Major Philip Cardew, electrical advisor to the British Board of Trade.
Preece & Cardew designed and oversaw development of the first electric power systems in Australia, Singapore and Hong Kong, as well as playing major roles in developing electricity systems in the UK and Ireland – ushering in electric lighting, refrigeration, industry, transport, and a host of other innovations that transformed business and society.
Ewbank & Partners was founded in 1946 following nationalisation of the UK electricity industry. Ewbank Preece was formed when the two companies merged in 1983, specialising in power generation, transmission and distribution, desalination and telecommunications. Ewbank Preece joined Mott MacDonald in 1994.
1898 – Harnessing the mighty Nile
Sir Murdoch MacDonald was involved in designing and constructing Egypt’s Aswan Low Dam.
His reputation as a leading water engineer was burnished when he was appointed as advisor to the Ministry of Public Works for two mammoth projects to increase the dam’s capacity, to regulate floodwater flows and provide water for irrigation. MacDonald identified the dam’s potential for generating hydroelectricity – turbines were added to capture the potential energy of water releases in the 1960s.
1902 – Mott & Hay
Basil Mott and engineer David Hay entered partnership in 1902, specialising in transport projects and playing a pivotal role in developing London Underground, the world’s first deep-level electric railway system.
As young engineers Mott and Hay had been encouraged to innovate and seen the benefits: safer and more cost-efficient projects that provided affordable transport for the masses. They continued to push boundaries, sharing knowledge with their peers to advance the art and science of engineering.
1904 – Electrifying Australia
Sydney residents witnessed the start of a transformation at sunset on 8 July 1904, when electricity from the newly completed Pyrmont Power Station illuminated streetlights in the city centre for the first time.
The power station and supply network were designed by Major Philip Cardew, a partner in pioneering power company Preece & Cardew – later Ewbank Preece. Streetlighting was swiftly followed by electricity supply to homes and industry across Sydney and surrounding towns.
The social and economic benefits of electrification created demand for Preece & Cardew’s expertise in Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, South Africa, Sri Lanka, New Zealand, Canada, Cyprus and the UK.
1907 – Blackfriars Bridge
Mott & Hay employed a young engineer called David Anderson as resident engineer for its Blackfriars Bridge project – the start of a relationship that led to the creation of Mott, Hay & Anderson in 1920.
1926 – Sir M MacDonald & Partners
Sir Murdoch MacDonald joined forces with other leading water engineers, forming a partnership under his name – Sir M MacDonald & Partners.
Sir Murdoch MacDonald gained his reputation as a leading water engineer in Egypt. He was advisor to Ministry of Public Works for two mammoth projects to increase the capacity of the Lower Aswan Dam on the River Nile. The first heightening was completed in 1921 and the second in 1933.
Sir M MacDonald & Partners specialised in large irrigation, drainage, flood protection and hydropower projects, working internationally. The firm merged with Mott, Hay & Anderson in 1989, creating Mott MacDonald.
1934 – Miracle of
the Mersey
Queensway Tunnel, UK
King George V described the Mersey Queensway Tunnel as ‘a miracle’ when he opened it in 1934. It was the world’s longest underwater tunnel, 3.4km end to end, built at the dawn of the automotive age to boost trade, commerce and employment between Liverpool and Birkenhead, northwest England. Engineering design was led by Basil Mott, founding partner of Mott, Hay & Anderson.
Listen to the podcast in association with Engineering Matters.
Mott, Hay & Anderson applied techniques pioneered on earlier London Underground projects, including geotechnical investigation and pilot tunnels to predict ground conditions, sequential excavation to control ground movement, and a lining design of bolted cast iron segments.
The firm developed new techniques too: injecting grout ahead of the tunnel face to seal and stabilise the ground, and developing a mechanical tunnel lining segment erector to reduce manual handling and protect workers.
1946 – Ewbank & Partners
Ewbank & Partners was founded in 1946 following nationalisation of the UK electricity industry. It merged with Preece & Cardew in 1983 forming Ewbank Preece, specialising in power generation, transmission and distribution, desalination and telecommunications.
Ewbank Preece joined Mott MacDonald in 1994.
1947 – Williamson & Partners
James Williamson was a hydropower pioneer in the UK.
The company he founded in 1947 surveyed Scotland and Wales for suitable hydropower sites. In the 1950s Williamson developed a highly efficient design for water-retaining structures, the buttress dam, first employed on the Sloy hydropower project in Scotland, and significantly improving project affordability.
In the 1960s and 70s the firm designed the Ffestiniog and Dinorwig pumped hydropower storage projects in north Wales – groundbreaking projects that enabled electricity supply and demand to be evenly balanced and that remain as important for grid regulation now, in the age of renewable electricity, as they did when built.
Williamson & Partners joined Mott MacDonald in 1990.
Listen to our podcast on Ffestiniog in association with Engineering Matters.
1957 – Space exploration
Lovell Telescope, UK
When the ‘250 ft telescope’ (later renamed after astronomer Bernard Lovell) first scanned the Milky Way in June 1957 it looked deeper into space and with greater accuracy than any other telescope yet built. Sited at Jodrell Bank in Cheshire, northern England, it was the largest steerable radio telescope in the world, with a dish diameter of 67.5m. It was designed by Husband & Company, part of Mott MacDonald since 1990, with founder Charles Husband leading the project and working closely with Lovell as scientific leader.
Until Husband’s involvement in the early 1950s, Lovell had been told that a telescope of the size and accuracy he wanted would be impossible to construct. Husband developed a concept design and cost breakdown to prove the naysayers wrong.
The robustness and durability of the final design has allowed the telescope to be upgraded several times; it still plays a key role in advancing space science.
1964 – Innovation that transformed tunnelling
Bentonite tunnel boring machine
Until the 1960s, tunnelling through water-bearing silts, sands and gravels was too dangerous. That changed with the invention of the bentonite shield tunnel boring machine in 1964 by Mott, Hay and Anderson chairman John Bartlett.
Under pressurised bentonite slurry – liquid clay – he found he could support the tunnel face and loose surrounding ground. Bartlett’s innovation enabled the development of mass transit underground networks, and river and under-sea tunnels, worldwide.
Listen to our podcast on the Bentonite Shield in association with Engineering Matters.
1966 – The first flying bridge
Severn Bridge, UK
The Severn Bridge, opened in 1966, was the first of a new generation of long-span suspension bridges. Mott, Hay & Anderson was one of the three world-leading engineering firms that developed its design and oversaw construction.
Unlike the decks of earlier bridges, which were supported by heavy section steel trusses, the Severn Bridge’s deck was a slender, aerodynamically shaped box girder. Previous bridges had suffered potentially dangerous movement resulting from wind-induced turbulence. The Severn Bridge sliced through cross-winds like an aeroplane wing – and was less expensive to construct.
Building on core strengths
The 1970s brought projects of increasing scale and complexity as infrastructure systems expanded, worldwide. Landmark projects of this decade include:
London Underground’s Victoria Line and the Kingsway Road Tunnel, Merseyside, both in the UK and completed in 1971.
In 1972 the new London Bridge was opened – and we relocated the old structure to Lake Havasu in Arizona, USA.
The boom in road transport saw us designing large sections of the UK's M3, M25 and M27 motorways. And the discovery of large oil and gas reserves off the British coast created demand for our energy and structural expertise on projects including the Brent B oil platform and Morecambe Bay gas terminal.
We continued our track record in Egypt with a 12-year project designing and supervising construction of a city-wide wastewater system for Greater Cairo, starting in 1976.
1974 – Electricity on tap
Dinorwig pumped storage power station, Wales
In the early 1970s Dinorwig pumped storage hydropower station in north Wales was the largest construction contract ever awarded by the UK government. It became the biggest in Europe.
It was designed by Williamson & Partners, now part of Mott MacDonald, to balance supply and demand in the electricity grid, using surplus power to pump water to an upper reservoir, and generating up to 1.8GW of electricity from six hydropower turbines.
Dinorwig’s 10m diameter hydraulic tunnels were the largest ever designed. Its machine hall was the largest cavern ever excavated in slate. When completed, it delivered electricity to the grid within 10 seconds, making it the fastest ramping power station in the world. Dinorwig continues to play an essential grid regulation role.
Listen to our podcast on Dinorwig in association with Engineering Matters.
1980s – International growth
Throughout the 80s our metros expertise was applied on projects including Melbourne Underground Rail Loop, Australia, Caracas Metro, Venezuela and Singapore Metro. Meanwhile, in London, we designed an innovative driverless system to link a vast new regeneration area with the heart of the capital – Docklands Light Railway.
Our water expertise was sought to produce the water supply master plan for Karachi, Pakistan, and the wastewater system for Shanghai, China.
1989 – Mott MacDonald
Mott MacDonald was formed through the merger of transport and tunnelling specialist Mott Hay & Anderson with water and environmental specialist Sir M MacDonald & Partners – creating one of the world’s very first truly multisector, multidisciplinary consultancies.
1994 – World’s longest undersea crossing
Channel Tunnel, UK and France
At 50.5km long, the Channel Tunnel remains the world’s longest undersea tunnel. We were tunnel engineers for the ‘British’ half. The stratum of chalk marl in which it was constructed was ideal for tunnelling – cohesive and stable.
However, marl is highly porous and tunnelling was carried out under 11 bar of groundwater pressure. The scale of the project called for a ‘thin’ lining making cost-effective use of materials. We designed a segmental concrete solution using rubber seals to prevent water ingress – an industry first.
1996 – Tsing Ma Bridge, Hong Kong
When Hong Kong International Airport was relocated from central Hong Kong to Lantau Island, new road and rail connections were required.
The signature structure of the Lantau Link is Tsing Ma Bridge, the world’s second longest suspension bridge when it opened, and still the longest to carry both road and rail.
We were its designers. Tsing Ma has parallel aerodynamic decks; the gap between them dissipates eddying wind, meaning the bridge stays stable and can remain open even in typhoons.
1998 – Storebaelt, Denmark/Sweden
“The world’s most challenging project”
The 8km undersea tunnel forming part of the Storebaelt Fixed Link road and rail connection between Denmark and Sweden was the most challenging tunnelling project anywhere in the world.
We were engineering designer.
Half of its length was in glacial tills – loose, water-saturated and containing giant boulders that shredded the tunnel boring machines’ cutter heads.
There was just 25m of soft ground between the top of the tunnel and the Baltic seabed. Repairing the tunnel boring machines required groundwater pressure to be reduced from 8 bar to around 5 bar. To achieve this, we designed an array of boreholes, drilled into the seabed, from which water was pumped.
1998 – Birth of the modern ‘hub’ airport
Chek Lap Kok Airport, Hong Kong
We broke new ground in many ways when leading the design of Hong Kong’s new international airport, Chek Lap Kok. We assembled the first modern, multidisciplinary team, bringing together expertise in engineering (Mott MacDonald and partner Connell Wagner), architecture (Foster & Partners) and airport operations (BAA). Together we designed the world’s largest and most efficient airport. Both the airport and delivery model were swiftly emulated worldwide.
2007 – Engineering an icon
Wembley Stadium, UK
The signature arch that supports the roof of Wembley National Stadium pushed the frontiers of structural modelling, analysis and construction across all disciplines. Mott MacDonald led design. The arch itself is an extremely slender and structurally efficient. It was fabricated on its side, at ground level, and had to be rotated around its ends, through 112°, into its permanent position. Our design addressed extraordinary temporary loading on the arch itself, as well as the temporary works required for the lift operation – foundations for the ‘turning struts’ and strand jacks. Innovative geotechnical engineering enabled large savings on materials, time and cost – while creating an iconic structure.
2017 – A giant renewable energy battery
Kidston Pumped Storage Hydropower, Australia
The former gold mine at Kidston in North Queensland, Australia, is transforming into a renewable energy hub. It combines solar and wind generation with 250MW of pumped hydropower storage that will balance out electricity supply and demand. We have designed the pumped storage facility, linking two 300m-deep mine pits. This project is the first to re-engineer a mining site into a hydropower facility but employs technology we have pioneered since the 1960s.
2022 – New perspective on an 85-year-old airport
JFK Airport, USA
JFK International Airport is partway through an $18bn transformation programme. It is adding two new terminals, renovating and expanding two more, and modernising both the in-airport ground transportation system and approach roads. Yet close attention to passengers’ experience, with streamlined check-in and circulation, better signage and communication, and high-quality amenities boosted JFK’s standing in international airport league tables before any new assets entered service – and unlocked an extra 20% capacity for good measure.
2024 – Rewiring the grid
HVDC transmission, UK
As the UK turns increasingly to wind power for energy security and sustainability, several thousand kilometres of high voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission infrastructure must be built to link remote, windy locations to centres of high demand. For Scottish & Southern Electricity Networks we designed the Caithness-Moray Link, the first three-way HVDC connection in Europe using voltage source convertors – a power electronics technology newly capable of handling HVDC. We are developing an employer’s civil design for future convertor stations. And we are involved in research to develop HVDC circuit breakers, needed to develop resilient high voltage networks.
2024 – Linking up
Los Angeles
LA Regional Connector, USA
On a list of difficult places to tunnel, downtown LA would be near the top. With earthquake risk, congestion and tangles of existing utilities to contend with, plus neighbours especially sensitive to noise and disruption. We helped overcome all these challenges to deliver the Los Angeles Regional Connector – a ‘missing link’ between the city’s existing transit lines, encouraging Angelenos towards public transport.
Built with Shorthand