Knippers Helbig Advanced Engineering

Knippers Helbig Advanced Engineering is a consulting engineering practise engaged in German and international projects. The firm is based in Stuttgart and New York and consists of a multidisciplinary team of civil and structural engineers, architects, and technicians who provide comprehensive services in structural engineering for architecturally demanding projects of building constructions, bridges, airports, and stadiums. The structural engineering firm was founded in 2001 by Prof. Dr. Jan Knippers and Thorsten Helbig in Stuttgart. In 2009, the company set up a practice in New York City. Furthermore, there are specialist project-practises in Abu Dhabi and Shenzhen.

The mission statement also constitutes the strength of the company: the main priority is always the building structure, and hence the quality of structural engineering – irrespective of size and location of the project. The close collaboration of architects, engineers, and clients, which exceeds beyond the scope of the subject area, enables Knippers Helbig to meet the high demands on energy efficiency of ever more complex building structures and materials. This core competence enables the firm to provide customized and innovative solutions. The consulting services range from the early design stage through fabrication and installation. The design approach is based on a deep knowledge of all materials and the applicable joining technologies. Besides the conventional materials such as steel, concrete, and timber the use of glass, membranes and fibre-glass reinforced plastics increasingly gains in importance for integral solutions and hence for the application in projects.

The main focus is on developing special solutions for complex parametrically designed geometries of steel and glass façades and roof structures. In many cases, timber and other innovative materials are incorporated in the structure. Since the company’s founding, Knippers Helbig Advanced Engineering has worked on the development of specialised scientific methods of calculating and optimising structures. The majority of new developments are process-oriented algorithms which link all parts of a design scheme in a data collection. By implementing this so-called parametric design, it is possible to run highly efficient and time-saving data-management systems for steel and glass roof and façade structures. Another foothold of the company is the classic building construction, especially for geometrically-complex structures.

Knippers Helbig Advanced Engineering stands for an innovative approach to structural design which redefines the border between architecture and engineering.