What Trinity | ERD does

Trinity | ERD is an architecture and engineering consulting firm founded in 1986, specializing in building envelope consulting, forensic investigation, and litigation support for the existing buildings market. The firm delivers services across building envelope design and specifications, third-party testing and inspection, building enclosure commissioning, historic preservation, assessments and capital reserve studies, and contract administration, with forensic and expert witness work spanning construction disputes and insurance claims. Trinity | ERD served building owners, property managers, developers, and institutions from offices in Washington (Seattle/Redmond), Hawaii, and Louisiana, generating revenue through project-based professional services engagements rather than product sales.

In 2022 Trinity | ERD was acquired by SOCOTEC, a European-headquartered consulting platform, and in February 2023 the firm completed its full rebrand to SOCOTEC US. Post-integration, Trinity | ERD's staff became part of a 400+ employee, 20+ office US platform covering building performance and compliance, construction materials testing, forensics and expert services, advanced engineering, surveying, geotechnical engineering and testing, environmental health and safety, project advisory, and data intelligence and smart inspection. The Trinity | ERD service line is positioned within the building performance, forensics, and existing buildings verticals, with retained continuity of client relationships, ongoing projects, and contact channels throughout the transition.

The business model is professional services revenue, with project-based, quote-driven pricing typical of enterprise A&E engagements and no disclosed product, subscription, or licensing line. Go-to-market relies on direct enterprise field sales to building owners, property managers, developers, and institutions, supported by SOCOTEC US's broader marketing infrastructure including an expert directory, technical blog, and industry events. The firm's competitive position rests on nearly four decades of accumulated expertise in building envelope systems and a strong reputation for forensic and expert witness work, with the SOCOTEC US integration materially expanding the geographic and service footprint available to the Trinity | ERD client base.

Name

Trinity | ERD

Website

https://trinityerd.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Acquired

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Trinity | ERD was an architecture and engineering firm specializing in building envelope consulting, forensic investigation, and litigation support for the existing buildings market, serving building owners, property managers, developers, and institutions from offices in Washington, Hawaii, and Louisiana.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Seattle

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Engineering and Architectural Consulting Services: Professional services revenue from building envelope consulting, forensic investigation, litigation support, testing and inspection, and related advisory services. Revenue is generated through project-based engagements for building owners, developers, and property managers in the existing buildings market.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Trinity | ERD (now operating as SOCOTEC US) is an architecture and engineering consulting firm that provides building envelope investigation, design, field testing, construction observation, and litigation support services to building owners, property managers, developers, and institutions in the existing buildings market. Core offerings include building envelope consulting, forensic investigation and analysis, litigation support, third-party testing and inspection, historic preservation, building enclosure commissioning, assessments and capital reserve studies, and contract administration.

Product overview

Trinity | ERD was an architecture and engineering firm that provided a comprehensive suite of building envelope and existing buildings services. The company offered building envelope consulting, forensic investigation, litigation support, third-party testing and inspection, historic preservation, building enclosure commissioning, and contract administration services. Founded in 1986, the firm served the existing buildings market across the United States from offices in Washington, Hawaii, and Louisiana before completing its rebrand to SOCOTEC US in 2023.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Building Envelope Design and Specifications Professional consulting services for building envelope design, specifications, and performance assessment, delivered to building owners, property managers, developers, and institutions on existing buildings.
• Forensic Investigation and Analysis Expert investigation and analysis services to identify building envelope failures, water intrusion issues, and construction defects on existing buildings for building owners, property managers, developers, and legal/insurance stakeholders.
• Litigation Support Expert witness and litigation support services for construction disputes, insurance claims, and legal proceedings involving building envelope performance and construction defects.
• Assessments and Capital Reserve Studies Building condition assessments and capital reserve planning studies to support property management, capital planning, and long-term stewardship of existing buildings.
• Third-Party Testing and Inspection Independent third-party testing and inspection services for building envelope systems and materials on existing buildings.
• Historic Preservation Specialized consulting services for historic building preservation and restoration projects on heritage building stock.
• Building Enclosure Commissioning Commissioning services to verify that the building enclosure performs in accordance with design specifications and owner project requirements.
• Contract Administration Contract administration services for construction projects, including project advisory and oversight for building owners, property managers, developers, and institutions.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• SOCOTEC UScoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2023Trinity | ERD has completed full rebrand to SOCOTEC US. The acquisition represents SOCOTEC's expansion into the existing buildings market across the United States. Trinity | ERD, founded in 1986, brings expertise in building envelope consulting, forensic investigation, and litigation support to SOCOTEC's network of 400+ employees in 20+ offices.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Jensen Hughes: Large global engineering and consulting firm with a building and property safety practice touching on envelope, fire, and code consulting. Broader incumbent that overlaps in some of Trinity | ERD's compliance and forensic work.
• Terracon Consultants: Large national consulting firm with materials, geotechnical, and building sciences practices. A broader incumbent with significant overlap in testing, inspection, and construction-related engineering services.
• EFI Global: National engineering, fire, and forensic consulting firm with building-related services. Broader incumbent that competes for some of Trinity | ERD's forensic and property-loss engagements.

Direct peers

• Building Technology Consultants (BTC): Specialty building envelope and structural consulting firm offering investigation, testing, and design services. Closely comparable in scale and service scope, serving building owners, developers, and legal clients on envelope performance issues.
• Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates (WJE): Engineering firm focused on structural, architectural, and materials problems including building envelope failure investigation and historic preservation. Directly comparable service mix and client base in the existing-buildings and forensic markets.
• Rimkus Consulting Group: Forensic engineering and consulting firm offering building envelope, structural, and expert-witness services. Direct overlap with Trinity | ERD's forensic investigation and litigation support practice.
• The Vertex Companies (Vertex Engineering): Forensic engineering, construction consulting, and environmental services firm. Direct competitor in building envelope, restoration, and litigation support for real estate and insurance clients.
• Simpson Gumpertz & Heger (SGH): National engineering firm specializing in building envelope, structural, and forensic engineering consulting. Closest direct peer to Trinity | ERD with overlapping building enclosure, forensic, and litigation support practices serving the same existing-buildings client base.
• Haag Engineering (a Sedgwick company): Forensic engineering and consulting firm specializing in cause-and-origin investigations, including building envelope and structural failures. Direct competitor in litigation-support and forensic-investigation services for insurance and legal clients.
• Raths, Raths & Johnson (RRJ): Engineering, architecture, and forensics firm with a strong building enclosure and structural investigation practice. Highly comparable service mix, including litigation support and failure analysis for the existing-buildings market.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/trinity-erd

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 Trinity | ERD