What Black & White Engineering does

Black & White Engineering is a global engineering consultancy specialising in the design of data centres and other mission-critical infrastructure. Founded in 2006 and headquartered in Newcastle, United Kingdom, the firm operates a 'One Global Team' model from more than 20 offices across the UK, Ireland, Germany, Italy, the Middle East (Dubai), Saudi Arabia, the Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia, India and Australia, supported by a large offshore engineering hub in Manila. Its services cover the full project lifecycle — early-stage advisory and due diligence, multidisciplinary MEP design, BIM-based digital coordination, CFD-led thermal simulation, civil and structural engineering, power systems and grid integration, sustainability consulting and site support through commissioning — and the firm is increasingly building out operational intelligence capabilities for live data-centre performance. Customers are predominantly unnamed hyperscale data-centre developers, operators and owner-operators, with a smaller secondary practice in healthcare and other critical buildings (e.g., the Bon Secours Hospital in Limerick).

Underlying the service is a stack of proprietary engineering assets: an industrialised, productised approach to MEP design for repeatable campus-scale delivery; BIM-based coordinated modelling; CFD simulation tailored to high-density AI workloads; hybrid cooling strategies combining air, direct-to-chip, immersion and CDUs within a single critical space; and grid-integrated power infrastructure design treating the data centre as an active grid participant. The firm is led by founder-Chairman/CEO Mick Cairns, with CTO Charlie Bater, COO Steve Tode (now based in Singapore) and a Global Engineering Team including a Global Director of Technology & Innovation, regional data-centre directors, and country directors. The business has received five consecutive WorkBuzz 5-Star Employer awards (2022–2026), a 94% employee engagement survey response rate and an 83% engagement score.

Black & White generates revenue through professional service fees on a project-by-project basis, sold through direct, relationship-driven enterprise engagement with hyperscale clients. The company received a strategic investment from Waterland Private Equity (Fund IX) in June 2024 and has since executed its first European acquisition (Homan O'Brien, May 2025), opened a second Manila office (1,942 m², October 2025), launched its first permanent Australian office in Melbourne, expanded its Dubai premises, and stood up formal APAC leadership — with a stated ambition to broaden presence across Europe, Asia, Australia and Africa via further organic growth and acquisitions.

Name

Black & White Engineering

Legal name

Black & White Engineering Ltd

Website

https://bw-engineering.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Data Centre Engineering Consultancy

NAICS

Engineering Services (541330), Engineering Services (54133)

SIC

Services-Engineering Services (8711)

akta.pro primary industry

MEP (Mechanical, Electrical & Plumbing) Engineering Consulting (BPAHAIAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Civil & Structural Engineering Consulting (BPAHAIAA), Systems Engineering & Technical Program Management (BPAHAIAI)

Keywords

• Data centre engineering
• MEP design consultancy
• Mission-critical infrastructure
• Building information modelling
• CFD thermal simulation

Headquarters

HQ city

Dubai

HQ country

United Arab Emirates

HQ region

Middle East

Offices13 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Engineering Design Consultancy Services: Black & White Engineering generates revenue through providing specialist engineering design consultancy services for data centre and mission-critical infrastructure projects. Services span full project lifecycle from early-stage advisory and due diligence through to detailed design, design coordination, and site support during construction and commissioning. Revenue is project-based and earned through professional service fees, consistent with a traditional engineering consultancy model.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Black & White Engineering is a global engineering consultancy providing end-to-end design and delivery services for data centres and mission-critical infrastructure. The firm delivers fully integrated Mechanical, Electrical, and Plumbing (MEP) design, Building Information Modelling (BIM), Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulation, power systems and infrastructure engineering, civil and structural engineering, and sustainability advisory across the full project lifecycle from early-stage feasibility through to site delivery and commissioning.

Product overview

Black & White Engineering is a global engineering consultancy specialising in data centre design and mission-critical infrastructure. The company operates as a unified service provider offering integrated engineering solutions rather than discrete software products. Their core offering centres on Data Centre Engineering, supported by specialist capabilities including MEP Engineering Services, Power Systems & Infrastructure, Civil & Structural Engineering, and Sustainability Services. Technology-enabled services include Building Information Modelling (BIM) and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) for design simulation and optimisation. The company also maintains a Technology & Innovation capability focused on operational intelligence and AI-driven infrastructure solutions. All services are delivered through a 'One Global Team' model across 20+ office locations worldwide.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Data Centre Engineering
• MEP Engineering Services
• Building Information Modelling (BIM)
• Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD)
• Power Systems & Infrastructure
• Civil & Structural Engineering
• Sustainability Services
• Technology & Innovation

Quantifiable outcome

• Delivered 100MW+ across multiple sites in Saudi Arabia
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Homan O'BriencoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2025Black & White Engineering acquired Dublin-based Homan O'Brien in May 2025, expanding its capabilities in Ireland and strengthening international growth. The acquisition was supported by Waterland. Homan O'Brien brought over 65 years of engineering excellence across healthcare, education, laboratories, commercial, residential, industrial and mission-critical sectors. The acquisition represented Black & White's first European acquisition and led to the official launch of the Dublin office in September 2025.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights8 records

Direct peers

• Hoare Lea: UK-headquartered independent MEP engineering consultancy with global delivery, comparable to B&W in core building services design, scale (~1,000+ staff), and project-based professional services model across commercial and mission-critical sectors.
• Hilson Moran: UK MEP and sustainability consultancy acquired by BDP/Arcadis; closely comparable on specialisation in MEP engineering for complex, mission-critical, and high-performance buildings with a similar professional services delivery model.
• Cundall: Multi-disciplinary engineering consultancy offering MEP and sustainability design with offices across UK, EMEA, and APAC; comparable on services mix, engineering-led project delivery, and growing international footprint for data centres and critical buildings.
• BDP (Building Design Partnership): International engineering and design consultancy acquired by Arcadis; directly competes in MEP design for healthcare, education, and mission-critical buildings with similar project lifecycle services and global delivery.
• ME Engineers: US-headquartered MEP engineering consultancy with offices globally and a focus on high-performance buildings including data centres; comparable in core MEP design services and target customer base of large developer/operator clients.
• Affiliated Engineers (AEI): Specialist MEP and critical systems engineering consultancy focused on science, healthcare, and mission-critical facilities; comparable on technical depth in MEP and a similar professional services model.
• Environmental Systems Design (ESD): Global MEP and sustainable design consultancy; comparable on integrated MEP engineering for high-performance, mission-critical and commercial buildings with a consultative enterprise sales motion.

Broad incumbents

• Arup: Global engineering consultancy with extensive data centre and mission-critical capability across MEP, structural, and advisory; broader portfolio than B&W's specialist focus but overlaps materially on hyperscale and complex infrastructure work.
• WSP: Global professional services consultancy with a strong property and buildings practice including MEP, data centres, and mission-critical facilities; broader scope but competing for the same hyperscale and developer clients.
• AECOM: Large global engineering and infrastructure consultancy with a mission-critical and data centre practice alongside a much broader transportation, environment, and water portfolio; comparable on multi-disciplinary delivery for hyperscale clients.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@BW-Engineering
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/black-&-white-engineering
• Xx.com/BWEngDXB

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles18 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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

M&A1 record

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Black & White Engineering