Cities & Places

Education is at the very foundation of our culture and our society.  It honors our past and beckons our future and opens new doors of opportunity. This is a time for innovation that requires a fresh approach to how facilities are designed, constructed, managed and operated. Jacobs’ Education practice is based upon the belief that the best solutions and true innovation result from robust, inclusive conversations that challenge entrenched patterns and invite adoption of new perspectives.

Partnering with institutions of Higher Education and K-12 school districts of all sizes, we deliver safe, flexible, adaptable and engaging learning environments for academic growth and excellence. We plan, design, manage and build successful educational facility programs and projects founded on the latest thinking in educational planning, understanding of our clients’ communities and experience in successful project delivery.

As one of the nation’s top five design firms serving the education market, Jacobs offers unparalleled experience to clients, whether they are considering new construction, renovation or infrastructure projects. Changing times call for new thinking and new solutions. We can help.

With more than six decades supporting government clients and programs, Jacobs' experience includes the design, construction, management and operations of virtually all types of government facilities and infrastructure. As a strategic partner to clients, we keep abreast of evolving government criteria, stay invested in technological advances and provide cost-effective sustainable solutions for old and new facilities worldwide. Our portfolio includes repeat work from all branches of the military, the non-military government agencies and the intelligence community.

Design is the combination of our clients’ needs and values, art and technology, community and place – all coming together creatively to build environments that enrich people’s lives and elevate the human spirit. 

To do this, Jacobs focuses on promoting design excellence rather than a signature style, because our design response for each project arises out of the specifics of its site, program and physical and cultural context. Our approach is thoughtful and collaborative; each design and construction stakeholder plays an important role in helping us derive the right the solution to delight our clients. In designing interiors Jacobs aims to inspire and reflect our clients’ identities. We familiarize ourselves with their needs, histories, brand identities, work styles and management philosophies to balance artistic expression with functional, pragmatic considerations.

We integrate all of our services to create facilities that meet clients' needs both now and in the future. Using Knowledge-Driven Design as a base, we put all our talents, ideas and experiences toward striking the right balance between achieving unequaled building solutions and meeting our clients’ business needs, goals and ultimate visions.

Too often, design of laboratory space is approached as a technical task without acknowledgement that laboratories are workplaces too. Needs of highly specialized laboratory spaces with precise technical requirements must be combined with people’s need for work environments that support collaboration, social networking and teaming.  

By incorporating our deep knowledge and global expertise in laboratory, vivarium and workplace design, we offer the best possible combination of planning professionals and technical resources. We learn from the past through our benchmarking databases and focus on what lies ahead by accommodating emerging trends in innovative ways to create optimum flexible, efficient, “future ready” environments for people and technology.

The 21^st century is the century of the city. Today, almost four billion people live in urban areas around the world. One in eight of those urban-dwellers live in mega-cities, which host populations soaring over ten million people.

With this growing urban population comes complex challenges. Across the globe, urban infrastructure is reaching the end of its usable life or is outdated for today’s needs. Technology is quickly changing our economies and reshaping the way we work. Environmental systems are increasingly stressed. Public finance is struggling to keep up with the demand for more beautiful, more sustainable cities. 

These complicated issues require flexible, integrated thinking. Our cities’ long-term success depends on solutions that leverage forward-thinking models, the latest technology and creative public-private partnerships.

Working across scales, infrastructure systems and technologies allow us to create cities that function more effectively, are more resilient and sustainable and are more responsive to the needs of the citizens. At Jacobs, we’re working with our clients, our partner network and our global platform of technologists, specialists, engineers, planners and urban designers to deliver innovations and a better life for future generations.

From the pitch to the field to the main stage, Jacobs has an impressive portfolio in sports & entertainment efforts around the world. Our global reach and breadth of services enables us to deliver marquee programs and projects. And we’re proud to have been involved with Summer and Winter Olympic Games, FIFA World Cups, Commonwealth Games, stadia and convention center designs, World Expos, the U.S. National Football League (NFL) Super Bowls, stockyard redevelopment, Grand Slam tennis, and the International Broadcast Center (IBC) in addition to the development and redevelopment of various professional training facilities.

Our talented people and expertise from areas such as built environment, transportation, power and water, plus cross-market services such as strategic consulting add tremendous value. Because a stadium, sports complex, convention center or Olympic village operates much like a city, we’re comprehensive source of high-value, integrated solutions to solve our clients’ challenges.