Arcadis Becomes Newest Tenant at R+T Park, Advancing Sustainability and Innovation

The David Johnston Research + Technology Park is excited to welcome Arcadis as one of our newest tenants. Arcadis is a leading global design and consultancy firm that focuses on sustainable solutions for natural and built assets. Its mission is to improve the quality of life for communities worldwide by focusing on resilient, sustainable urban development and environmental stewardship. 

While Arcadis may be new to R+T Park, the company’s Waterloo office has deep roots locally. Many of the firm’s employees previously worked at IBI Group, which Arcadis acquired in 2022. One of those employees is Scott Arbuckle, Country Director for Arcadis Canada.

“Arcadis, through its legacy as IBI group and other firms, has been in Waterloo for over 40 years. Today, Arcadis is a global consultancy of 36,000 professional architects, data analysts, designers, engineers, project managers, planners, and sustainability experts using data-driven technology to create sustainable designs and solutions,” he said.

R+T Park was a natural choice for Arcadis. Arbuckle said the company “walks the talk” when it comes to its mission of improving quality of life. The evolv1 building embodies world-class sustainability and demonstrates that commitment to the well-being of its employees, clients and the environment through several sustainable features.

“Our clients expect us to lead by example and integrate the sustainable solutions we recommend into our operations,” Arbuckle says. “Everything about evolv1 demonstrates that. It’s the first certified zero-carbon office building in Canada, and that’s huge for us. It’s also certified LEED Platinum. That’s a big component of our architectural work, and from a sustainable building design perspective, we’re always looking to drive building design that has LEED certification.”

Beyond its space in evolv1, Arbuckle said R+T Park offers his team a collaborative space with neighbour companies across a broad spectrum of industries. He added that employees and clients appreciate R+T Park’s location and amenities.

“The ION light rail stop is right next to our office. There are also green features, like the solar canopies from VCT Group and EV charging stations,” Arbuckle said.

“The idea of co-locating in a space like this is that you’re going to find other like-minded professionals, whether they’re in the design profession or have a technology that can help deliver sustainable solutions. Finding and building those kinds of connections is critical to Arcadis.”

~Scott Arbuckle, Country Director for Arcadis Canada

Connecting with other companies with similar missions or needs is also part of the reason for choosing R+T Park.

“The idea of co-locating in a space like this is that you’re going to find other like-minded professionals, whether they’re in the design profession or have a technology that can help deliver sustainable solutions. Finding and building those kinds of connections is critical to Arcadis,” he said.

Another advantage of R+T Park’s location is its ability to connect with talent at the University of Waterloo. Today, as Arcadis and through its legacy firms’ 40-year history in the area, the company has employed graduates from the University’s Planning and Architecture programs.

“I can tell you from personal experience, one of my favourite things to do was the student interviews. I kept asking how these students could get smarter year after year. I often thought they were smarter than me,” Arbuckle said. “It’s just incredible. Waterloo has always been so dynamic in its learning program and how it teaches, and its co-op program is the defining factor.”

“It’s just incredible. Waterloo has always been so dynamic in its learning program and how it teaches, and its co-op program is the defining factor.”

~Scott Arbuckle

He added that the company has hired many co-op students into full-time roles based on their professionalism and knowledge.

“They’re not coming to us as a first-year professional just out of school. They’re operating at about a third or fourth-year professional capacity. It’s quite impressive.”

One new area that Arbuckle is excited to explore is research partnership opportunities with the University.

“We’re very interested in supporting more research-based work. You need to be cutting-edge when you’re a firm embedded with intelligence-based products. It would be fantastic for us to find ways to partner with the University on research projects. The way the University approaches intellectual technology ownership is unique, and it gets people operating outside of a box,” he said.

From delivering sustainable solutions to working with the next generation of talented engineers and designers, Arbuckle said he is excited to see the next chapter of Arcadis begin in Waterloo.

“I love what we do. I think anyone who gets into consultancy knows its nature, which is that there’s a new challenge to solve every day. It’s not boring,” he said. “There’s this conversation about how people stay in consultancy their entire career and how they can do it. I think it’s because every day is a new complex problem. Every day is a new challenge. There’s always an opportunity to apply new learning to something—that’s what drives us.”