Sweco: Europe's Architecture and Engineering Giant

Sweco operates from its headquarters in Stockholm as one of Europe's leading architecture and engineering consultancy firms, though its modern form emerged relatively recently. The company traces its origins to 1889 when Hugo Theorell founded Theorells Installationskonsult AB, focusing on ventilation and heating systems. However, Sweco as it exists today was formally established in 1997 when FFNS acquired the VBB Group, a water systems engineering firm dating back to 1902. The name itself is shorthand for "Swedish Consultants," which VBB had used for international projects.

The firm went public in 1998 and has pursued aggressive expansion, completing over 160 acquisitions within two decades. A pivotal moment came in 2015 when Sweco acquired Grontmij, the Dutch engineering consultancy, marking its transformation from a major Nordic player into a European leader. Today, the company employs approximately 18,600 people across 15 European markets, executing tens of thousands of projects annually in roughly 70 countries worldwide.

Sweco's work spans three main segments: buildings and urban areas, water and energy systems, and transportation infrastructure. Recent and notable projects include the Citybanan railway tunnel in Stockholm, the Norwegian town Bergen's bicycle tunnel, and the Øresund Bridge connecting Sweden and Denmark. The company operates through approximately 1,700 local teams, a decentralized structure that management credits with maintaining client focus despite its substantial scale. Investment AB Latour holds the largest shareholding at just over 30 percent.