RDH Building Science

What RDH Building Science does

RDH Building Science is a privately held, North American professional services firm founded in 1997 and headquartered in Burnaby, British Columbia. The firm delivers building enclosure consulting, facade engineering, structural engineering, construction management, energy and climate advisory, asset management, forensics, historic and heritage consulting, and applied research services to owners, developers, architects, contractors, and government entities. RDH employs 300 or more technical specialists across 16 offices in Canada and the United States, with US professional engineering services delivered through an affiliated Washington professional corporation.

The firm's service architecture is a single unified consulting practice supported by a separately monetized Training and Publications division. Core engagements are project-based and delivered directly to enterprise and institutional clients, with pricing determined by scope, complexity, and team composition rather than published rate cards. RDH's go-to-market combines relationship-based business development with extensive technical content marketing, including design guides, webinar series, and e-learning programs co-developed with industry associations (RAiNA, CAGBC, BC Housing) and manufacturers (ROCKWOOL). The firm generates revenue across at least ten market verticals including mixed-use, residential, civic and government, commercial office, healthcare, life sciences, higher education, K-12, spiritual and cultural, and aviation and transportation.

RDH operates as an employee-controlled partnership-style professional services firm with no disclosed external funding, private equity ownership, or institutional investors. Its competitive positioning rests on the depth of its senior technical bench, its library of standards-grade publications that are embedded in Canadian and US building codes and utility incentive programs, and its ability to integrate building science, structural, and facade engineering under one roof for complex envelope projects.

Name

RDH Building Science

Legal name

RDH Building Science, Inc.

Website

https://rdh.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

RDH Building Science is a privately held Canadian-founded professional services firm providing building enclosure, facade, structural, and energy consulting across 16 North American offices to owners, developers, architects, and government clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Building Science Consulting

NAICS

Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services (5413), Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (54171), Commercial and Institutional Building Construction (236220)

SIC

General Bldg Contractors - Nonresidential Bldgs (1540), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Civil & Structural Engineering Consulting (BPAHAIAA)

Keywords

• Building science consulting
• Building enclosure engineering
• Facade engineering services
• Construction management services
• Energy and climate consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Burnaby

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices17 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Professional Consulting Services: RDH generates revenue through professional consulting and engineering services delivered directly to clients. Services include building enclosure consulting, facade engineering, structural engineering, construction management, energy & climate consulting, and forensics. Revenue is generated through project-based engagements with architects, building owners, developers, contractors, and government entities.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

RDH Building Science is a professional services firm delivering building science consulting, facade and structural engineering, construction management, and energy and climate advisory services for the built environment. The firm works on new construction, existing building retrofits, forensics, heritage preservation, and applied research across North America. It also monetizes technical publications, design guides, webinars, and customized training programs targeted at industry professionals and partner organizations.

Product overview

RDH Building Science is a building science consulting and engineering firm providing professional services across North America. The company operates as a single unified service offering rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. Their portfolio includes core consulting services in building enclosure consulting, facade engineering, structural engineering, construction management, energy and climate, asset management, research and development, training and publications, forensics, and historic heritage consulting. The Training & Publications division produces technical guides, e-learning courses, and workshop series as deliverable products alongside their consulting work. Key publications include the Mass Timber Building Enclosure Design Guide, Moisture Risk Management Strategies for Mass Timber Buildings, and various regional masonry and retrofit guides. Training programs include partnerships with organizations such as Axiom Construction, Turner Fleischer, PG&E, and the Canada Green Building Council.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Building Enclosure Consulting Comprehensive building enclosure consulting including design consulting, condition assessments, and construction administration focused on managing heat, air, and moisture across the building envelope. Services support new construction, existing building retrofits, and forensic investigation of enclosure failures, delivered to architects, owners, developers, contractors, and government entities across North America.
• Facade Engineering Design-integrated facade engineering combining architectural vision, building science, and structural performance to deliver pragmatic, design-forward facade solutions from concept through construction. Targeted at architects, developers, and owners pursuing complex or signature building envelopes.
• Structural Engineering Structural engineering services integrated with enclosure and facade expertise for complex building envelope solutions, including analysis and design for facade systems, seismic performance, and structural integrity.
• Construction Management Construction management services providing turnkey delivery for enclosure-focused and multi-disciplinary construction projects, including owner representation and construction agent roles with real-time responsiveness.
• Energy & Climate Services Energy and climate consulting services focused on climate resilience, energy efficiency, and building decarbonization, aligned with evolving codes, policies, and performance standards such as California Title 24 and Canadian net-zero ready housing programs.
• Asset Management / Building Lifecycle and Portfolio Management Building lifecycle and portfolio management services including condition assessments, capital planning, and asset management strategies for owners and managers of building portfolios.
• Research, Development, and Demonstration (RD&D) Applied research and development services addressing building science challenges, including laboratory testing, field monitoring, and performance analysis to inform design decisions.
• Training & Publications Technical training and publication services that transform building science knowledge into educational resources, design guides, webinars, and customized learning programs for industry professionals, trade associations, utilities, contractors, and government programs.
• Forensics Forensic investigation services analyzing building failures, performance issues, and deterioration causes to support remediation, prevention, and dispute resolution for building owners, insurers, and legal counsel.
• Historic and Heritage Consulting Heritage building consulting services applying building science principles to repair, rehabilitate, and adapt older historic structures while preserving architectural character, delivered to institutional and government clients undertaking preservation projects.

Quantifiable outcome

• RDH's work on existing buildings helps reduce carbon, manage risk, and deliver measurable performance improvements
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments10 records

Ideal customer profiles7 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Rainscreen Association in America (RAiNA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRDH partnered with RAiNA to develop and deliver an 8-session webinar series 'Deep Dive into Rainscreens' to enhance building industry professionals' understanding of rainscreen wall assemblies. RDH's building science specialists explore typical components and performance attributes of rainscreen walls.
• Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRDH collaborated with TMU on a study funded by The Atmospheric Fund (TAF) to analyze embodied carbon metrics for twenty-six enclosure systems. The study informs design decisions at the earliest stages with critical consideration of embodied carbon.
• The Atmospheric Fund (TAF)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTAF funded the RDH and TMU study on embodied carbon in building enclosures, supporting design decisions and policy-making for carbon reduction.
• Axiom Construction Education & TrainingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRDH developed a custom four-year architectural sheet metal training program for Axiom that became the first federally recognized apprenticeship program of its kind in the US.
• Rocky Mountain Masonry Institute (RMMI)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerRDH developed the 2019 Colorado Masonry Systems Design Guide for RMMI, the first of its kind in the Rocky Mountain region, serving as primary authors, illustrators, and document producers.
• Turner FleischercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRDH has partnered with Turner Fleischer since 2018 to deliver building science sessions through TF Academy, a comprehensive continuing education curriculum with over 80% participation rate.
• Canada Green Building Council (CAGBC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRDH partnered with CAGBC to develop the Carbon Transition Planning Guide and Transition Planning Now Workshop Series, funded by Natural Resources Canada's Codes Acceleration Fund.
• Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerRDH developed an on-demand building science educational resource for PG&E, delivered as a free online learning series through PG&E's Energy Centers education platform.
• ROCKWOOL North AmericacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRDH collaborated with ROCKWOOL to create a six-part series of branded technical application guides for stone wool insulation applications in multifamily and commercial buildings.
• Natural Resources Canada (NRCan)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRDH partnered with NRCan's LEEP team to develop seven illustrated technical guides on wall assembly construction for Canadian homebuilders targeting net-zero energy-ready housing.
• BC HousingcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerRDH developed the Best Practice Guide for Air Sealing and Insulation Retrofits for Single-Family Homes, serving as a cornerstone resource for FortisBC's incentive programs.
• FortisBCminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerFortisBC collaborated with RDH and BC Housing to update the retrofit guide and requires the resource for social housing retrofit incentive programs.
• Home Performance Stakeholder Council (HPSC)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerRDH led the technical update and redesign of the Heat Pump Retrofit Best Practices Guide for Contractors Version 2 for HPSC with support from BC Hydro, FortisBC, and the Province of BC.
• Soprema Inc.minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated on the Conventional Roofing Study examining thermal performance and durability of conventional roof assemblies with focus on membrane color and insulation configuration.
• ROCKWOOL (formerly Roxul Inc.)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with RDH on the Conventional Roofing Study to analyze stone wool insulation performance in roof assemblies.
• SMT ResearchminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated with RDH on the Conventional Roofing Study providing field monitoring equipment and photography services.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Simpson Gumpertz & Heger (SGH): SGH is a closely comparable building enclosure and structural engineering consulting firm with similar multi-disciplinary capabilities (building envelope, facade, structural, and forensics) and a North American footprint. It competes head-to-head with RDH for the same institutional, civic, and developer clients on marquee building projects.
• Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates (WJE): WJE is a specialty engineering firm with deep building enclosure, structural, and forensic investigation practices — a near-direct analog to RDH's forensics, enclosure consulting, and structural engineering services, serving similar owner, legal, and institutional clients across North America.
• RWDI: RWDI is a Canadian-headquartered engineering consulting firm with strong building science, enclosure, and microclimate expertise serving North American developers and institutions — a closely comparable peer, especially in Canada, with overlapping climate-resilience and enclosure consulting capabilities.
• SKA Consulting Engineers: SKA Consulting Engineers is a specialty building enclosure, structural, and forensic engineering firm with a comparable focus on building science consulting for healthcare, education, and commercial clients in North America.

Broad incumbents

• Morrison Hershfield (now part of Stantec): Morrison Hershfield was a direct peer in building science, building enclosure, and infrastructure engineering across North America before being acquired by Stantec. The combined entity now offers RDH-like enclosure and facade services as part of a much larger global AEC platform, representing a competitive threat at the enterprise-client level.
• Arup: Arup is a global engineering consultancy with a significant building envelope, facade engineering, and sustainable buildings practice that overlaps directly with RDH's facade engineering and energy & climate services, particularly on large institutional and civic projects.
• Walter P Moore: Walter P Moore is a structural engineering and diagnostics firm with an enclosure and building performance practice that competes with RDH on facade engineering, structural forensics, and existing-building assessments for healthcare, education, and civic clients.
• Buro Happold: Buro Happold is an international engineering consultancy offering facade, structural, and building performance services that overlap with RDH's core capabilities, particularly on complex, design-forward institutional and cultural projects.
• WSP Global: WSP is a global professional services firm with a growing building enclosure and facades practice, providing RDH with direct competition on large government and infrastructure mandates across North America.

Emerging players

• Building Diagnostics Group (BDG): BDG specializes in building enclosure investigations and infrared thermography for facade and roofing assessments, representing an emerging specialty competitor with partial overlap to RDH's forensics and condition assessment practice.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/RDHBuildings

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 RDH Building Science