Fast+Epp
Fast+Epp is an internationally recognized structural engineering firm specializing in mass timber and hybrid structural systems, serving architects, educational institutions, governments, healthcare providers, and developers across North America and Europe with approximately 140 employees in six offices.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1985
- HeadquartersVancouver, Canada
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Fast+Epp does
Fast+Epp is an internationally recognized structural engineering firm founded in 1985 by Paul Fast in Vancouver, Canada, and operating today as a partnership of corporations with approximately 140 employees across six offices in Canada (Vancouver, Toronto), the United States (Seattle, New York), and Germany (Darmstadt, Stuttgart). The firm provides structural engineering design services for buildings, bridges, free-standing structures, temporary works, and installations, with a distinctive specialization in mass timber construction — including cross-laminated timber (CLT), glued-laminated timber (glulam), and hybrid timber-steel-concrete systems — and proprietary methods such as the Timber-Concrete Composite (TCC) Slab Band System developed for Limberlost Place.
The firm's technical stack is built around manual and parametric structural design using tools like Revit, Grasshopper, and Dynamo, complemented by an internal Embodied Carbon Tool that quantifies carbon across design stages and a 5,500 sq ft Concept Lab R&D facility in Vancouver with a 100,000lb loading frame, 3D printers, and robotics for physical structural testing. Its client base spans architectural firms (Revery Architecture, Moriyama Teshima, Acton Ostry), educational institutions (George Brown College, Williams College, BCIT, VIU), municipal and government entities (Cities of Vancouver, Edmonton, and Ottawa), healthcare providers (BC Children's Hospital), cultural institutions (New Brunswick Museum, Library and Archives Canada), and corporate clients (Walmart, BentallGreenOak), with marquee projects including the PNE Freedom Mobile Arch (105m timber span), Limberlost Place (Ontario's first tall timber institutional building), and the Walmart 3.5M ft² mass timber home office campus.
Fast+Epp generates revenue through professional services fees on a project-by-project basis, with non-public, scope-driven pricing typical of B2B engineering consulting. Projects are acquired via direct enterprise sales — relationship-led with architects and developers, and competitive bidding on large public works — and the firm is currently engaged on the $2.6B Edmonton Valley Line West LRT with Marigold Infrastructure Partners as a major anchor engagement. The firm is privately held with no disclosed institutional investors, and leadership was recently broadened with new Partners (2023) and Principals/Associates (2026) to support continued expansion.
Fast+Epp firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Fast+Epp
- Legal name
- Fast + Epp
- Website
- https://fastepp.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1985
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Fast+Epp is an internationally recognized structural engineering firm specializing in mass timber and hybrid structural systems, serving architects, educational institutions, governments, healthcare providers, and developers across North America and Europe with approximately 140 employees in six offices.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Fast+Epp is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Vancouver
- HQ country
- Canada
- HQ region
- North America
Offices6 records
Markets served
Fast+Epp business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Structural Engineering Consulting Services: Fast+Epp generates revenue through providing structural engineering design services for construction projects including buildings, bridges, and special structures. Services range from concept design through construction administration.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels7 records
Fast+Epp product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Fast+Epp provides comprehensive structural engineering design services for buildings, bridges, free-standing structures, temporary works, and installations. The firm specializes in mass timber construction including cross-laminated timber (CLT), glued-laminated timber (glulam), and hybrid timber-steel-concrete systems. Services span concept design through construction administration, with additional R&D capabilities through the in-house Concept Lab facility.
Product overview
Fast+Epp is an internationally recognized structural engineering firm offering comprehensive engineering services rather than a unified software product. Their core offering is structural engineering design spanning from concept through construction, complemented by Concept Lab—an R&D space with web applications (Member Calculator, Material Gallery, Timber Bay Tool) for design visualization and structural estimation—and Design Trails, a published book by Founding Partner Paul Fast documenting the firm's engineering adventures.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Structural Engineering Services Comprehensive structural engineering design services for buildings, bridges, free-standing structures, temporary works, and installations. Services include structural design from start to finish, specialty design, concept design, indicative design, research and publications, and building assessments and feasibility studies. Target clients are architects, developers, educational institutions, and government entities.
- Concept Lab Concept Lab is Fast+Epp's research and development space located at their Vancouver headquarters, providing design professionals, academia, and innovators the ability to develop and test structural design ideas. The space includes development areas, fabrication areas with 3D printers and robotics, a 100,000lb loading frame for structural testing, and digital suites for design tools.
- Design Trails (Book) Design Trails: Adventures of a Structural Engineer is a book authored by Founding Partner Paul Fast, documenting his 35 years of design experience on groundbreaking projects including the Richmond Olympic Oval, TallWood House, and Grandview Heights Aquatic Centre. Available for purchase in Canada and the USA.
Quantifiable outcome
- Longest timber arch roof in North America: 105m span at PNE Freedom Mobile Arch
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Fast+Epp
Customer profileNamed customers10 records
Segments7 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Fast+Epp technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
Fast+Epp partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- Fika (formerly Bridges to Prosperity)minorFast+Epp partnered with Fika to build the Ngayake Suspended Bridge in Rwanda, serving over 4,000 people. The humanitarian organization provides safe access to rural areas through bridge construction.
- Knight ArchitectsminorPartnered with Knight Architects alongside Fika for the Rwanda bridge build project. Knight Architects specializes in bridge design worldwide.
- Revery ArchitecturecoreLong-term collaboration on ambitious projects including the PNE Freedom Mobile Arch. Revery Architecture is the architect for the iconic 105m timber arch amphitheatre roof.
- Moriyama Teshima ArchitectscoreDesign partner for Limberlost Place at George Brown College, Ontario's first tall timber institutional building. Collaborative innovation in timber-concrete composite systems.
- Acton Ostry ArchitectscoreCo-architect for Limberlost Place with Moriyama Teshima Architects, pioneering tall wood construction in Ontario.
- Marigold Infrastructure PartnerscorePartnership for $2.6B Edmonton Valley Line West LRT project. Fast+Epp provides structural engineering for transit station roof structures using mass timber.
- Engineers & Geoscientists BCminorProfessional certification body. Fast+Epp holds Organizational Quality Management (OQM) certification and is an Accredited Employer.
- Industry Associations and AcademiaminorConcept Lab provides access for design professionals, academia, industry associations, and innovators to develop design ideas through R&D collaboration.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves11 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Fast+Epp competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- StructureCraft: Design-build mass timber firm founded in 1998 by Gerald Epp, formerly a Fast+Epp partner, and formally separated from Fast+Epp in 2014. Competes directly in mass timber engineering and construction for similar architectural and institutional clients in North America.
- Equilibrium Consulting: Vancouver-based structural engineering consultancy with deep mass timber expertise, overlapping with Fast+Epp in CLT, glulam, and tall-wood building design across Western Canada and the US Pacific Northwest.
- Walter B. McGuire & Associates / McGuire Engineers: Specialized structural engineering consultancy focused on timber and mass timber design for buildings and bridges, with overlapping technical expertise and client base to Fast+Epp in custom timber structures.
Broad incumbents
- Arup: Global engineering consultancy with significant timber and structural engineering practices serving buildings, bridges, and infrastructure. Overlaps with Fast+Epp on large mass timber and complex geometry projects but operates at much larger scale across many disciplines.
- Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM): Global architecture and engineering firm with an integrated structural practice that has delivered notable mass timber and tall-wood projects. Competes with Fast+Epp for high-prestige institutional and commercial timber work but serves a much broader design portfolio.
- Thornton Tomasetti: Large international structural engineering firm with practices in tall buildings, long-span structures, and timber. Overlaps with Fast+Epp on complex institutional and cultural projects at a much larger scale.
- Simpson Gumpertz & Heger (SGH): US structural engineering and building technology firm with significant timber, enclosure, and structural forensics practices. Comparable to Fast+Epp on complex structural design and investigation work for institutional and cultural buildings.
Emerging players
- Holmes Group (Holmes Consulting): Structural engineering firm with strong timber and seismic practices originating in New Zealand and Australia, comparable to Fast+Epp in mass timber specialization and design-forward institutional projects, though primarily serving Oceania.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Fast+Epp social profiles
Digital presenceFast+Epp compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Fast+Epp financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Fast+Epp leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles17 records
Fast+Epp funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Fast+Epp M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Fast+Epp
What does Fast+Epp do?
Fast+Epp provides comprehensive structural engineering design services for buildings, bridges, free-standing structures, temporary works, and installations. The firm specializes in mass timber construction including cross-laminated timber (CLT), glued-laminated timber (glulam), and hybrid timber-steel-concrete systems. Services span concept design through construction administration, with additional R&D capabilities through the in-house Concept Lab facility.
Is Fast+Epp a public or private company?
Fast+Epp is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Fast+Epp founded?
Fast+Epp was founded in 1985. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Fast+Epp based?
Fast+Epp is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada, in the North America region.
How does Fast+Epp make money?
One revenue line is on record: structural Engineering Consulting Services.
Who are Fast+Epp's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are StructureCraft, Equilibrium Consulting and Walter B. McGuire & Associates / McGuire Engineers. Broad incumbents are Arup, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM), Thornton Tomasetti and Simpson Gumpertz & Heger (SGH). Holmes Group (Holmes Consulting) is listed as an emerging player.
Does Fast+Epp have an API?
No public API is recorded for Fast+Epp.