What Leslie E. Robertson Associates does

LERA Consulting Structural Engineers (formerly Leslie E. Robertson Associates) is a privately held structural engineering firm founded in 1923 in Seattle and now headquartered at 40 Wall Street in New York. The firm provides a comprehensive suite of professional services including structural design for new construction, peer review, forensic engineering and expert witness work, adaptive reuse and historic preservation, special inspections (accredited by the International Accreditation Agency and registered with the NYC Department of Buildings), and Façade Inspection Safety Program (FISP) services under NYC Local Law 11. Its project portfolio spans supertall towers (Merdeka PNB 118, Lotte World Tower, Shanghai World Financial Center, 4 World Trade Center, 111 West 57th Street), cultural facilities, healthcare systems (NYU Langone, Mount Sinai), academic institutions (Columbia, Princeton, CUNY, SUNY), and US embassy compounds for the Department of State's Overseas Buildings Operations.

The firm's technical platform is built on Building Information Modeling (BIM) proficiency in Revit, Rhino, Tekla, and 3D AutoCAD, combined with performance-based seismic design (PBSD) methodologies practiced since 2001, specialized post-tensioned concrete design, and research into very-high-strength steel applications in tall buildings. LERA operates seven offices (New York, Salt Lake City, Mumbai, Jaipur, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Seoul) and serves clients globally across North America, East Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and Europe. The firm is M/WBE/SBE certified in New York State and is a signatory to the SE2050 Commitment on embodied carbon reduction, and holds two granted patents in modular construction systems.

LERA generates revenue through negotiated, project-based professional service fees across structural design, peer review, investigations, special inspections, and facade inspection work. The firm does not publicly disclose pricing and is structured as a partner-owned private partnership with no external institutional investors, no public listing, and no funding rounds on record. The go-to-market model relies on direct engagement with architects, owners, developers, contractors, and government agencies, supported by industry reputation built over 100 years and a network of referrals across CTBUH, SEAoNY, ACEC NY, AIA, and other professional organizations.

Name

Leslie E. Robertson Associates

Legal name

LERA Consulting Structural Engineers

Website

https://lera.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1923

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

LERA Consulting Structural Engineers is a 100+ year old privately held structural engineering firm headquartered in New York with seven global offices. It provides structural design, peer review, forensic engineering, and inspection services for supertall towers, cultural, healthcare, academic, and government projects worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Structural Engineering Services

NAICS

Engineering Services (54133)

SIC

Services-Engineering Services (8711)

akta.pro primary industry

Civil & Structural Engineering Consulting (BPAHAIAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Sustainable/Green Building & LEED Consulting (BPAHAKAG)

Keywords

• Structural engineering services
• Seismic design consulting
• Peer review engineering
• Forensic structural engineering
• Building inspection services

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Structural Engineering Design Services: Complete structural designs for buildings ranging from supertall towers to complex cultural facilities, academic buildings, healthcare facilities, and renovations.
2. Peer Review Services: Independent review of structural systems including non-linear and disproportionate collapse analysis, providing confirmation of structural safety and value engineering recommendations.
3. Forensic Engineering and Investigations: Structural investigations, litigation support, expert testimony, and design of remedial measures for damaged or poorly performing structures.
4. Special Inspections: Special inspection services accredited by International Accreditation Agency and registered with NYC Department of Buildings.
5. Facade Inspection Safety Program (FISP): Periodic facade inspections for NYC building owners in accordance with Local Law 11 requirements.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Leslie E. Robertson Associates (LERA Consulting Structural Engineers) provides professional structural engineering services spanning new construction design, peer review, forensic engineering and expert witness work, special inspections, façade inspection safety program (FISP) services, historic preservation and adaptive reuse consulting, and arts consultation for sculptural installations. The firm also delivers BIM and computational design consulting using Revit, Rhino, Tekla, and 3D AutoCAD to support complex structural system innovations.

Product overview

LERA Consulting Structural Engineers offers a comprehensive suite of structural engineering services rather than a software product platform. The firm's core offerings span structural design (new construction), peer review, adaptive reuse and renovation, historic preservation, and specialized services including façade inspections, special inspections, forensic engineering, and arts consultations. Technology-enabled services include BIM (Building Information Modeling) using Revit, Rhino, Tekla and 3D AutoCAD, plus computational design consulting. The firm also provides expert witness and litigation support services. All services are delivered by a team of structural engineers without a modular software architecture.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Structural Design Services Award-winning structural engineering design for buildings of all types and complexity, including high-rise towers, cultural facilities, healthcare facilities, and mixed-use developments.
• Peer Review Services Independent review of structural systems, including non-linear and disproportionate collapse analysis, confirming structural safety and providing value engineering recommendations.
• Adaptive Reuse and Renovation Structural restoration and rehabilitation services for existing buildings, including planning, condition assessments, feasibility studies, and construction documents.
• Historic Preservation and Restoration Consulting Evaluation and preservation of historically significant structures using Secretary of the Interior's Standards, including non-destructive evaluation technologies and comprehensive restoration documentation.
• Façade Inspection Safety Program (FISP) New York City Local Law 11 façade inspection services for periodic inspection of exterior walls and appurtenances under Qualified Exterior Wall Inspectors.
• Special Inspections Accredited special inspection agency services registered with NYC Department of Buildings, providing quality inspections for construction projects.
• Forensic Engineering and Expert Witness Services Structural defect investigations, performance issue analysis, collapse investigations, litigation support, expert testimony, risk assessments, and remedial measure design.
• Arts Consultations Design of display and foundation systems for sculptural installations incorporating wind and seismic requirements for museums and cultural institutions worldwide.
• BIM | Building Information Modeling BIM-enabled design investigation using Revit, Rhino, Tekla, and 3D AutoCAD to explore design options, identify constructability issues, and reduce coordination time.
• Computational Design and Technology Consulting Advanced technology consulting services to enhance design solutions and create efficient structural system innovations.

Quantifiable outcome

• Structural engineer for Merdeka PNB 118 Tower, second tallest building in the world at 600+ meters, Grand Opening January 2024
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers21 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Thornton Tomasetti: Global structural engineering consultancy with strong supertall and complex-building expertise, plus an established forensics/investigations practice. Competes directly with LERA across structural design, peer review, and forensic engineering for developers, architects, and legal clients worldwide.
• Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM): Global architecture, engineering, and planning firm with deep structural engineering practice and proven supertall building expertise (Burj Khalifa, One World Trade Center). Directly competes with LERA on the world's most complex and tallest building commissions, serving similar developer and architect clients with integrated design services.
• DeSimone Consulting Engineers: Structural engineering firm specializing in complex and high-rise buildings across the U.S. and internationally. Competes directly with LERA on supertall towers, mixed-use developments, and cultural facilities for similar developer and architect clients.
• Buro Happold: International engineering consultancy with strong structural engineering practice focused on complex and high-performance buildings, cultural facilities, and sustainability. Directly competes with LERA on landmark cultural, academic, and developer-led supertall/mixed-use projects globally.
• Magnusson Klemencic Associates (MKA): Structural and civil engineering consultancy with deep supertall and large-scale commercial project expertise (e.g., Salesforce Tower, many of the world's tallest). Closely comparable to LERA in service offering and project profile, primarily serving U.S. developers and architects on complex structures.

Broad incumbents

• WSP: Global professional services firm with substantial structural engineering capabilities, particularly in buildings and transportation infrastructure. Larger and broader than LERA, competing for institutional, government, and developer clients across all project types and geographies.
• Arup: Global multidisciplinary engineering and design firm with one of the most prominent structural engineering practices worldwide. Serves similar enterprise clients on supertall, cultural, and infrastructure projects but offers much broader portfolio spanning MEP, sustainability, acoustics, and consulting beyond structural.

Regional players

• Severud Associates: New York-based structural engineering firm with a long-standing practice in complex buildings, long-span structures, and forensic work. Comparable to LERA on service mix and regional market, though smaller in scale and primarily serving U.S. clients.
• Werner Sölken: German structural engineering consultancy recognized for high-rise and supertall expertise in European and Middle Eastern markets. Comparable to LERA on technical capability and project type, but primarily serves European and German-speaking developer clients.

Others

• Walsh Group / Walsh Construction: Large general contractor with in-house structural engineering capabilities on complex projects. Adjacent rather than directly comparable to LERA, but relevant because contractors increasingly internalize structural design work, threatening pure-consultant revenue capture.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCDNeasKokMfdO09GpB346pQ
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lera
• Instagraminstagram.com/lera_engineers

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 records

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 Leslie E. Robertson Associates