Alastair (Aly) MacGregor has been named the executive business line leader for Property and Buildings at WSP USA, one of the nation’s largest engineering and professional services consultancies. MacGregor, who joins the firm from an international infrastructure consulting firm, assumed the role on June 1.
“Aly brings varied experience across digital innovation and transformation; sustainable, low carbon and high performance design; smart buildings; strategic portfolio energy and decarbonization programs; and more key areas that will help us deliver on our key strategic priorities in the U.S.,” said Lou Cornell, president and chief executive officer of WSP USA. “Aly will leverage this expertise to help us further the work our teams are already doing in these areas, bringing the full strength of our interdisciplinary offering to our clients to help them deliver on their ambitions.”
MacGregor, who is based in our Irvine, California office, succeeds Rick Rome, who has led WSP’s U.S. Property and Buildings business since 2020. Throughout his more than 36 years at WSP, Rome has held multiple roles with the company, leading Building Systems and as a key member of the U.S. and business line leadership teams. He will continue with WSP in a role focused on client development and integration of acquired firms.
“Rick has played a critical role in expanding our foothold in complex sector markets like healthcare, science + technology, mission critical and higher education, as well as in mentoring our next generation of leaders,” Cornell said. “We are grateful for his incredible contributions to our business thus far, and grateful that our clients, employees and colleagues from newly acquired firms will continue to benefit from his vast expertise.”
Prior to joining WSP, MacGregor held various leadership positions of increasing scope and responsibility over the past 25 years with an international infrastructure consulting firm. In his most recent role, he served as senior vice president directing the global tech and logistics market sector within the firm’s global buildings business. He previously led the firm’s teams for digital solutions and building engineering in the Americas.
His recent work has included support of client innovation via projects ranging from electric vehicle charging networks and advanced air mobility infrastructure to net zero carbon sports venues and the creation of new software as a service (SaaS) solutions. He was also the leader within the firm responsible for developing its integrated environmental, social and governance (ESG) design methodology for buildings, offering demonstrated multi-faceted whole-life performance benefits, including carbon, operational effectiveness and staff well-being.
“Aly’s varied experience in service of U.S. and global clients will be invaluable to our employees and clients,” said Tom Smith, global director, Property and Buildings for WSP. “We are excited to leverage his passion for creating innovative sustainable solutions and employing digital technology to enhance building performance in service of our work as we seek to help clients deliver more Future Ready® operations.”
MacGregor has also held roles with his previous firm leading high-performance building design, as well as technical excellence and innovation in North America.
He is a graduate with honors from the University of Newcastle, in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, UK with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, and Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, Scotland, with a master’s degree in building engineering services, engineering management.
MacGregor has presented at conferences including TedX, Greenbuild, the National Building Institute’s Better Buildings Summit, ASHRAE and the Energy Exchange Conference. He is a previous winner of the National Sustainability Award from the Construction Management Association of America, a FitWel Ambassador and LEED AP, and a two-time U.S. Patent awardee.
“I am excited to see how Aly uses his experience to build on the work we have done to date in Property and Buildings and support initiatives across the business,” Rome said. “Our clients are increasingly looking for digital-forward, resilient and sustainable solutions that add lasting value to our communities; Aly will have an incredible impact on nurturing our existing offerings and growing our talent in these areas, benefiting our employees and our clients.”
WSP USA’s Property and Buildings business is among the most versatile in the industry, with leading positions in engineering and specialty services for markets ranging from healthcare to super-tall residential high-rises, from science and technology to commercial offices, and from mission critical to hospitality. The group’s project history includes Manhattan’s One World Trade Center and 53W53; Dell Children’s Medical Center, the first hospital in the world to achieve LEED Platinum certification; laboratories that played key roles in the fight against COVID-19, including the Rocky Mountain Integrated Research Facility; LaGuardia Airport, the first airport in the world to achieve LEEDv4 Gold certification; and Mercedes-Benz Stadium, the first stadium in the world to achieve LEED Platinum certification.
Related Stories
| May 17, 2011
Gilbane partners with Steel Orca on ultra-green data center
Gilbane, along with Crabtree, Rohrbaugh & Associates, has been selected to partner with Steel Orca to design and build a 300,000-sf data center in Bucks County, Pa., that will be powered entirely through renewable energy sources--gas, solar, fuel cells, wind and geo-thermal. Completion is scheduled for 2013.
| May 17, 2011
Should Washington, D.C., allow taller buildings?
Suggestions are being made that Washington revise its restrictions on building heights. Architect Roger Lewis, who raised the topic in the Washington Post a few weeks ago, argues for a modest relaxation of the height limits, and thinks that concerns about ruining the city’s aesthetics are unfounded.
| Apr 13, 2011
Southern Illinois park pavilion earns LEED Platinum
Erin’s Pavilion, a welcome and visitors center at the 80-acre Edwin Watts Southwind Park in Springfield, Ill., earned LEED Platinum. The new 16,000-sf facility, a joint project between local firm Walton and Associates Architects and the sustainability consulting firm Vertegy, based in St. Louis, serves as a community center and special needs education center, and is named for Erin Elzea, who struggled with disabilities during her life.
| Apr 13, 2011
Office interaction was the critical element to Boston buildout
Margulies Perruzzi Architects, Boston, designed the new 11,460-sf offices for consultant Interaction Associates and its nonprofit sister organization, The Interaction Institute for Social Change, inside an old warehouse near Boston’s Seaport Center.
| Apr 13, 2011
Duke University parking garage driven to LEED certification
People parking their cars inside the new Research Drive garage at Duke University are making history—they’re utilizing the country’s first freestanding LEED-certified parking structure.
| Feb 23, 2011
“School of Tomorrow” student design competition winners selected
The American Institute of Architecture Students (AIAS) and Kawneer Company, Inc. announced the winners of the “Schools of Tomorrow” student design competition. The Kawneer-sponsored competition, now in its fifth year, challenged students to learn about building materials, specifically architectural aluminum building products and systems in the design of a modern and creative school for students ranging from kindergarten to sixth grade. Ball State University’s Susan Butts was awarded first place and $2,500 for “Propel Elementary School.”
| Feb 11, 2011
Kentucky’s first green adaptive reuse project earns Platinum
(FER) studio, Inglewood, Calif., converted a 115-year-old former dry goods store in Louisville, Ky., into a 10,175-sf mixed-use commercial building earned LEED Platinum and holds the distinction of being the state’s first adaptive reuse project to earn any LEED rating. The facility, located in the East Market District, houses a gallery, event space, offices, conference space, and a restaurant. Sustainable elements that helped the building reach its top LEED rating include xeriscaping, a green roof, rainwater collection and reuse, 12 geothermal wells, 81 solar panels, a 1,100-gallon ice storage system (off-grid energy efficiency is 68%) and the reuse and recycling of construction materials. Local firm Peters Construction served as GC.
| Feb 4, 2011
President Obama: 20% improvement in energy efficiency will save $40 billion
President Obama’s Better Buildings Initiative, announced February 3, 2011, aims to achieve a 20% improvement in energy efficiency in commercial buildings by 2020, improvements that will save American businesses $40 billion a year.
| Jan 31, 2011
CISCA releases White Paper on Acoustics in Healthcare Environments
The Ceilings & Interior Systems Construction Association (CISCA) has released an extensive white paper “Acoustics in Healthcare Environments” for architects, interior designers, and other design professionals who work to improve healthcare settings for all users. This white paper serves as a comprehensive introduction to the acoustical issues commonly confronted on healthcare projects and howbest to address those.
| Jan 27, 2011
Perkins Eastman's report on senior housing signals a changing market
Top international design and architecture firm Perkins Eastman is pleased to announce that the Perkins Eastman Research Collaborative recently completed the “Design for Aging Review 10 Insights and Innovations: The State of Senior Housing” study for the American Institute of Architects (AIA). The results of the comprehensive study reflect the changing demands and emerging concepts that are re-shaping today’s senior living industry.
