Blog

Massport had embarked on a nearly $850M infrastructure upgrade and expansion program to modernize Conley Terminal in South Boston.  Bala has been a continual partner of Massport throughout this multi-year effort, most recently providing electrical engineering services to support the relocation and expansion of Berth 10 to host three state-of-the-art cranes. The arrival and installation of three "mega cranes" at Conley Terminal marks a major milestone for Massport's robust program to revitalize… Read More

Bala Consulting Engineers is pleased to announce the promotion of Kimberly Burkert to Chief Executive Officer (CEO). Kim began as Bala’s Controller and throughout her 20+ years grew to become Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer, a member of the Senior Leadership Committee, a partner in the firm, and a member of Bala’s Board of Directors. Kim’s unique perspective and keen insights have advanced Bala’s project management capabilities and guided our overall growth strategies. Kim succeeds… Read More

As buildings become more technologically advanced, property owners are beginning to implement systems that streamline package delivery and take the weight off the property managers’ shoulders. An increase in online ordering has caused managers to spend hours sorting and organizing deliveries every day, however, hardware-and-software-based package delivery options allow for a reduction in staff labor, improve delivery security and the tenant experience. In a recent survey by C+R Research, 43% of… Read More

Late in 2019, Philadelphia’s City Council passed Bill #190600, creating the new Building Energy Performance Program (BEPP). This program was developed to help achieve the city’s ambitious climate goal to reduce carbon emissions by 80% by 2050. According to the city’s Office of Sustainability, “once implemented, [the program] will cut carbon pollution in the City of Philadelphia by nearly 200,000 metric tons. This is the climate pollution equivalent of taking 40,000 automobiles off our roads… Read More

The COVID-19 pandemic launched the world into an all-virtual format, and with that came a flurry of Teams meetings, Zoom happy hours, and reminding people they are on mute. While most people had a somewhat seamless transition – doing their best to carry out their work relationships and projects from home – a whole new generation of employees entered the workforce in less-than-ideal conditions. The Class of 2020 -began their careers in a year so tumultuous it’s still hard to fathom. They were… Read More

The pace of design and construction for mission critical facilities has accelerated exponentially in recent years. The speed required to bring these facilities to market is critical for clients, and construction teams are under increasingly more pressure to deliver. Clients expect reliable, redundant and efficient facilities from the design and construction firms executing these complicated and rigorous projects. In order to deliver these large-scale projects with confidence, many construction… Read More

The City of Philadelphia is rich with historical buildings.  From old banks to meeting houses to residential buildings that date back to the beginning of our country, it is hard to find a street in the City of Brotherly Love without a historic landmark or building.   This is one reason why Bala is no stranger to working on historic buildings.  Instead of starting from scratch, developers are inspired to work within the confines of these old buildings to breathe new life into structures rich… Read More

About 10 years ago, Bala took on a unique project with Spencer Luckey, an architect and artist who leads the custom design-build firm Luckey, LLC. In 1985, Spencer began creating children’s climbing structures that are part artistic sculpture, part jungle gym. He has constructed over 80 unique structures worldwide, including some in Mexico, China and Russia, among others.  These play structures are not traditional playground configurations. They are works of art and public space sculptures… Read More

Design of a multi-family residential building is fundamentally about addressing the experience of traversing three doors: Front door, elevator door and residence door. Each of these doors heralds an incremental change between public and private; limited control to private sanctuary. As we move through each, the security profile, privacy expectations, sense of control and community change dramatically until we are finally in our residence…at home. Nowhere else is technology’s multifaceted… Read More

Bala Consulting Engineers is currently assisting the Commonwealth of Massachusetts’ Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) by performing HVAC system evaluations for more than 10 school districts encompassing over 60 schools. Since studies have shown that COVID-19 spreads primarily through droplets in the air, schools (as well as businesses of all kinds) are eager to understand the systems within their buildings and strategies to improve indoor air quality for their occupants.… Read More