HR Wallingford

What HR Wallingford does

HR Wallingford Limited is a private UK-based civil engineering and environmental hydraulics consultancy founded in 1949, headquartered at Howbery Park, Wallingford, Oxfordshire. The firm operates across four interlocking revenue streams: independent science and engineering consultancy and research services for governments and enterprises; a portfolio of decision-support software (D-MOSS dengue forecasting, Rainwater Management Platform, SuDS iQ, DAMSAT satellite dam monitoring, Storm Surge Atlas); specialist laboratory equipment including wavemakers, dynamometers, and precision instrumentation; and accredited professional training programmes (classroom, online via MS Teams, and bespoke) covering coastal processes, wave modelling, dam breach modelling, and flood risk management. Its core technological differentiator is the combination of large-scale physical modelling facilities — including a 75-metre Fast Flow Facility, dual pneumatic tsunami generator, wave basins, wave flumes, and volumetric flow flume — with proprietary software tools built on decades of independent research.

The company's go-to-market is predominantly enterprise field sales targeting four primary segments: governments and public sector (national flood resilience programmes, sovereign climate adaptation), energy and infrastructure (offshore wind foundation design, coastal structures, dam safety for utilities such as EDF), engineering consultancies requiring specialist hydraulic validation, and international development organisations funded by institutions such as the Green Climate Fund and UK Space Agency. Geographic reach spans nine wholly-owned subsidiaries across the UK, USA, China, UAE, Australia, India, and Malaysia, with project-based competitive tendering supplemented by long-term strategic partnerships (UCL, London South Bank University, EDF, LSBU, Innovate UK). Pricing spans fixed-fee consultancy engagements, software subscriptions (e.g., DAMSAT), hardware sales, and course-based training fees, with multiple multi-year programmes funded by Defra/Environment Agency (£200M Flood and Coastal Innovation Programmes), UK Space Agency, Ofwat, and The Crown Estate.

HR Wallingford's research underpins British Standards for fish passes and contributes to international guidelines on natural and nature-based flood risk features, positioning the firm as a reference authority in water engineering. Recent strategic activity — including the TsuTWin tsunami twin-wave project (2024), Deep Water Testing Facility funding (2024), Rainwater Management Platform (2025), and new senior commercial leadership appointments in 2026 — indicates an ongoing shift from pure consultancy toward platformised software and expanded physical testing capability.

Name

HR Wallingford

Legal name

HR Wallingford Limited

Website

https://hrwallingford.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1949

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

HR Wallingford is a UK-based independent civil engineering and environmental hydraulics consultancy serving governments, energy firms, and international development organisations. It combines large-scale physical modelling facilities (wave, tsunami, and flow laboratories) with proprietary software, equipment, and accredited training services across nine global offices.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Hydraulic Engineering Consultancy

NAICS

Engineering Services (54133), Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services (5413)

SIC

Services-Engineering Services (8711), Water Supply (4941)

akta.pro primary industry

Water, Wastewater & Hydraulics Engineering Consulting (BPAHAIAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Construction Management & Delivery (EPCM/CMAR/Design-Build Oversight) (EUANALAE), Commercial/Residential Building Water Management & Leak Analytics Services (HSAHAGAK)

Keywords

• Hydraulic engineering consultancy
• Coastal engineering services
• Flood risk management
• Physical hydraulic modelling
• Water resources research

Headquarters

HQ city

Wallingford

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices9 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Consultancy & Research Services: Independent science and engineering consultancy working with governments, communities and organisations to tackle water-related challenges. Provides expert analysis, modelling, and advisory services.
2. Software Solutions: Decision-support software tools for understanding water systems, managing uncertainty and planning for the future, built on decades of independent research.
3. Equipment & Technology: Specialist laboratory equipment for hydraulic, coastal and marine laboratories including wavemakers, dynamometers and precision instrumentation.
4. Training Courses: Professional training courses delivered in-person or online, including classroom courses at Howbery Park and e-learning materials available through secure login.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

HR Wallingford is an independent civil engineering and environmental hydraulics consultancy providing expert water-related research, modelling, and advisory services to governments and organisations globally. The company sells proprietary decision-support software (D-MOSS, DAMSAT, SuDS iQ, Rainwater Management Platform), operates unique physical modelling facilities (Fast Flow Facility, tsunami simulator, wave flumes), supplies specialist laboratory equipment, and delivers accredited professional training courses. Revenue is generated through consultancy projects, software licensing, equipment sales, and training delivery.

Product overview

HR Wallingford operates as a consultancy and research organisation specialising in water-related science and engineering, offering a portfolio of products and services across three main areas: software solutions, specialist laboratory equipment, and professional training. Their software portfolio includes D-MOSS (dengue forecasting using satellite data), the Rainwater Management Platform, SuDS iQ for sustainable drainage evaluation, DAMSAT satellite dam monitoring, and Storm Surge Atlas for hurricane forecasting. Physical capabilities include the Fast Flow Facility (75m wave/current flume), Tsunami Simulator, Ship Simulation Centres (UK and Australia), Wave Basins, Wave Flumes, and Volumetric Flow Flume for hydraulic modelling and testing. Training services encompass classroom and online courses, bespoke programmes, and e-learning materials covering coastal processes, wave modelling (SWAN), dredging, and flood risk management, with accreditation from CIWEM and IMarEST. The company also supplies specialist laboratory equipment including wavemakers, dynamometers, and precision instrumentation. HR Wallingford maintains global offices across Europe, Africa, Americas, Middle East, Asia, and Oceania, with headquarters at Howbery Park, Wallingford, UK.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• D-MOSS (Dengue Model forecasting Satellite-based System): A multi award-winning satellite-based dengue fever outbreak prediction system developed by HR Wallingford.

Products and services

• D-MOSS (Dengue MOdel forecasting Satellite-based System) Satellite-based dengue fever forecasting system that integrates live and historical satellite-derived data, in-situ observations, and meteorological forecasts to predict outbreak likelihood and location up to six months in advance. Provides a user interface for health authorities to plan timely interventions. Piloted in Vietnam (2019) and expanded to Malaysia and Sri Lanka.
• Rainwater Management Platform Digital platform transforming how the UK manages rainwater, providing comprehensive tools for drainage and wastewater management guidance. Supported by Ofwat Innovation Fund.
• SuDS iQ Digital environment for evaluating and planning good Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS), helping planners and engineers assess drainage solutions for developments.
• DAMSAT Satellite monitoring service for dams, the first technology of its kind for monitoring dam safety and performance using satellite data.
• Storm Surge Atlas Tool providing storm surge forecasting and climate data visualization for hurricane-vulnerable regions, including Caribbean islands such as St Kitts and Nevis.
• Software Solutions (general portfolio) Water management software tools built on decades of independent research, enabling informed decisions for resilience, safety and sustainable development across water systems, flood management, and coastal applications.
• Training Courses Professional training programmes covering coastal processes, wave modelling (SWAN), dredging management, marine scour, wave overtopping, TELEMAC summer school, and other water engineering topics. Includes classroom, online, and bespoke training options with accreditation from CIWEM and IMarEST.
• Bespoke Training Custom-designed professional training courses delivered online or on-site for specific client teams, covering topics including climate change risk assessment, coastal processes, dam breach modelling, and hydraulic design.
• E-learning Materials Audio-visual content and supporting documentation for professional development in water engineering topics, available through secure login training dashboard.
• Laboratory Equipment & Technology Specialist equipment for hydraulic, coastal and marine laboratories including wavemakers, dynamometers, and precision instrumentation developed through decades of physical modelling experience.
• Fast Flow Facility 75m long hydraulic laboratory flume simulating wave, current, and sediment interactions at large scale. Used for scour protection testing, offshore wind foundation studies, and tsunami research.
• Tsunami Simulator Physical modelling facility for tsunami wave generation and coastal protection testing, including third-generation tsunami generator and dual generator technology developed with LSBU and UCL.
• UK Ship Simulation Centre Full-mission ship handling simulator for port and harbour design, navigation studies, and maritime operations training.
• Australia Ship Simulation Centre Ship simulation facility located in Fremantle, Western Australia, for maritime simulation and navigation studies.

Quantifiable outcome

• D-MOSS dengue forecasting system provides predictions up to 6 months in advance across all 63 Vietnamese provinces
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

AI capability7 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Electricité de France (EDF)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2026HR Wallingford conducted testing and validation of breach prediction models for dams and levees on behalf of EDF. The multi-phase programme from 2019-2024 involved 15 different modellers from Europe and the USA testing five different models (AREBA, DLBreach, EMBREA, Rupro and WinDAM C) against field test data and real dam failure cases.
• National Framework for Climate Services South AfricacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2025Leading the Stakeholder-driven climate services for South Africa (STADCLIM-SA) project targeting 10 critical sectors including agriculture, water resources, biodiversity, and disaster risk reduction.
• London South Bank University (LSBU)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2024Collaboration on TsuTWin project - developing world's first system for physical modelling of multiple incoming and outgoing tsunami waves. LSBU serves as principal investigator with HR Wallingford providing facilities and expertise. Project expected to complete by end of 2026.
• University College London (UCL)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2024Longstanding collaboration on tsunami research spanning nearly two decades. UCL originally identified the need for tsunami simulation to improve building standards following the 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami.
• D-MOSS Consortium PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2019Partnership includes London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UK Met Office, Oxford Policy Management (UK), UN Development Programme, World Health Organization, Vietnamese Institute of Meteorology Hydrology and Climate Change, Pasteur Institute Ho Chi Minh City, National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology Vietnam, International Medical University Malaysia.
• InnovyzeminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHR Wallingford is an Innovyze Certified Distributor in China Mainland, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Malaysia, and Thailand.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Arcadis: Arcadis is a global design, engineering and consultancy firm with dedicated Water and Resilience practices - a broad incumbent in flood risk, water resources and climate adaptation where HR Wallingford operates.
• WSP: WSP is a global professional services consultancy with substantial water, environment and energy advisory teams - serves many of the same government and infrastructure clients as HR Wallingford across flood, coastal and climate resilience.
• AtkinsRéalis: AtkinsRéalis is a global engineering services and project management firm with strong water, nuclear, maritime and energy practices, frequently competing with HR Wallingford on UK water, coastal and energy-transition mandates.
• Mott MacDonald: Mott MacDonald is a global engineering, management and development consultancy with extensive water, dams, energy and climate resilience teams - a broad incumbent that HR Wallingford often partners with or competes against on major programmes.
• Jacobs Solutions: Jacobs is a large multi-disciplinary engineering consultancy with significant water, environmental and coastal practices - competes for similar government and infrastructure mandates but as part of a much broader portfolio.

Direct peers

• SLR Consulting: SLR is a global environmental and advisory consulting firm with strong water resources, flood and dams practices, serving mining, energy and infrastructure clients alongside public-sector work - directly comparable in service mix.
• Deltares: Deltares is a Dutch applied research institute in water, subsurface and infrastructure - the closest functional analogue to HR Wallingford, with shared DNA in hydraulic/coastal physical modelling, numerical modelling software (Delft3D), and government/development-funder consulting work.
• BMT Group: BMT provides maritime, coastal and water engineering consultancy, including ship simulation and hydrodynamic modelling - directly comparable to HR Wallingford's ship simulation centres, coastal engineering and flood-risk work.
• Royal HaskoningDHV: Royal HaskoningDHV is a Netherlands-headquartered engineering consultancy with deep water, maritime and delta expertise - overlapping strongly with HR Wallingford on ports, coastal resilience, dams and water management for both public and private clients.
• Danish Hydraulic Institute (DHI): DHI is a privately held water-engineering consultancy and software house offering MIKE modelling tools plus physical/numerical modelling services - directly comparable to HR Wallingford across hydraulic consultancy, coastal engineering and water software.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xbsky.app/profile/hrwallingford.bsky.social
• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/hrwallingford
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hr-wallingford

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Subsidiaries6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors3 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about HR Wallingford