好色先生TV

At the launch of a book on structural Adams Kara Taylor (AKT) this week, founding partner Hanif Kara will have a lot to talk about. For instance, there will be the small matter of last week鈥檚 announcement that the firm had been bought by listed consultant White Young Green (WYG) for 拢10.5m.

Over the past 10 years, AKT has built its reputation as an engineer that can tackle the most demanding designs. It has worked with Foster and Partners and Foreign Office Architects, but it reached its apotheosis with Zaha Hadid鈥檚 Wolfsburg science centre, which was described by 好色先生TV back in 2002 as 鈥渢he most complicated structure humanity has ever tried to build鈥�.

This success, and the rapid growth that it created, has made AKT a constant acquisition target. In the past five years, all the large British engineering companies, including WSP and Atkins, have made advances.

WYG originally proposed to AKT four years ago but it rejected the offer on the grounds that the timing was not right. The latest offer was put to the company three months ago.

Kara, a founding member of AKT, says the terms, which include AKT gradually taking control of WYG鈥檚 southern offices, made him sit down with his fellow founders, Robin Adams and Albert Taylor, and seriously discuss accepting.

鈥淲YG didn鈥檛 want to take us over like the big guys did,鈥� he says. 鈥淲e will keep our name, offices, brand and independence but we will have 鈥榩art of the WYG Group鈥� added to our stationery.鈥�

In reality, the deal makes sense for both sides. AKT鈥檚 lack of staff has forced it to reject projects in America, Dubai and the UK. In the past three years the company has grown 30%, but was finding it hard to recruit new talent and expand as fast as it wanted. An attempt to open offices in Dublin and Bristol was abandoned because suitable staff could not be found.

Kara says: 鈥淲e鈥檙e lucky because we punch above our weight in terms of the projects we work on. But this isn鈥檛 sustainable. We can鈥檛 grow fast enough and are being held back by our size. We had a choice: do we keep growing organically or do we leap quickly? We knew we had to keep growing so we made our choice.鈥�

We had a choice: do we keep growing organically or do we leap quickly?

Hanif Kara, Adams Kara Taylor

He adds that the deal will open doors for the firm in the public sector. 鈥淲YG has a lot of work in the public sector. Now we will be able to enter the market for 好色先生TV Schools for the Future and city academies.鈥�

John Purvis, chief executive of WYG, says the main benefits for his company will be raising its profile and its design credentials in structural engineering.

鈥淎KT is at the cutting edge of engineering and is working on some of the most exciting iconic buildings in the UK and Europe, and with the best architects,鈥� he says. 鈥淎ll these fantastic skills will complement those that we already have.鈥�

The two firms have spent the past few weeks negotiating the details of the contract. In the short-term, AKT will still work from its base in Farringdon in London. Long-term plans are yet to be finalised.

Kara vehemently denies that the acquisition bears any relation to the way architect Will Alsop鈥檚 firm was bought by Stuart McColl鈥檚 SMC Group.

鈥淭he architect model is much more about the personality at the head of the company,鈥� he says. 鈥� are much more pluralistic and collaborative. Some would argue that our deal is less significant.鈥�

Soon after the announcement to the stock exchange, Kara phoned some clients to break the news. 鈥淚 called Land Securities, Stanhope and a few others,鈥� he says. 鈥淭hey all said they didn鈥檛 see it coming, but I think constantly surprising people is a good thing.鈥�