BRPH supports the aerospace and defense industries with innovative solutions and sustainable practices
Celebrating its 60th anniversary this year, BRPH is a technically focused architecture, engineering, design, and construction firm that helps mission-driven clients identify gaps in their program delivery and develop innovative solutions.
“Essentially, we deliver creative and innovative solutions for our clients’ most complex problems, thriving on projects that have never been done before,” explains Matt Tyler, President of BRPH Construction Services. 
Named after its four founders, three engineers, and one architect – Ernest M. Briel Jr., E. Harrison Rhame, Raymond R. Poynter Jr., and Lyle M. Houser Jr. – BRPH was created in 1964 on what is now called Florida’s Space Coast. Established in support of NASA’s race to the moon, the firm still considers aerospace and defense its core clientele, with projects including multi-million-dollar launch pads and processing and integration facilities spanning over a million square feet. However, the company has since grown to serve the manufacturing, entertainment, education, and hospitality markets as well.
Suite of solutions
The firm’s 350 team members are spread among its Melbourne, Florida, headquarters and ten additional offices throughout the United States: Orlando, Boca Raton, and Jacksonville in Florida; Atlanta, Georgia; Charleston, South Carolina; Huntsville, Alabama; Lynnwood, Washington; Phoenix, Arizona; and Palmdale and Santa Barbara in California. Expanding its reach, BRPH has completed projects in 25 states and in ten countries around the world. With annual revenue approaching $250 million, the firm is consistently ranked among the nation’s top design and engineering firms by Engineering News-Record (ENR) and ranks numbers four and 34 on ENR’s lists of top aerospace and manufacturing AEC firms, respectively.
The scope of BPHR’s services is just as impressive as its status in the American construction industry. In addition to its core of fully integrated architecture, engineering, design, and construction services, BRPH’s aerospace and defense clients also benefit from turnkey services under the umbrella of ‘mission solutions.’ Its architecture and engineering teams offer a full suite of comprehensive design and engineering solutions, including civil, electrical, mechanical, structural, ground support equipment, and process piping disciplines, while its construction services team provides turn-key solutions via a comprehensive array of preconstruction, procurement, and construction services.
“Together, our architectural, engineering, and construction services teams provide our clients with unmatched experience, collaboration, transparency, and cost and time savings over traditional design and construction processes,” says Tyler. “Our integrated, in-house approach truly sets us apart in terms of the benefits we deliver to clients.”
Technology investment
The commercialization of the aerospace industry has caused a shift in how AEC firms like BRPH approach its offerings. “Today’s market is much different than it was just 20 years ago, as clients are now looking for comprehensive solutions and faster speed-to-market at reduced costs. Consequently, we are implementing technologies that enable our design and construction teams to work seamlessly together in real time,” Tyler explains. “This approach allows us to immediately assess how an issue in the field impacts the project as a whole and to make informed decisions to mitigate potential delays, ultimately leading to cost and time savings for our clients.”
A significant investment in technology enables this new approach. “We are constantly reevaluating our tools and methodology to leverage the latest technologies while remaining mindful of time-tested best practices,” he adds. The firm uses Revit modelling, BIM clash detection software, and real-time project management tools to forecast and track both cost and schedule. The entire team benefits from a virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) to allow remote work from anywhere in the world, enabling access to large models onsite or on remote locations and integration within client organizations when needed. The BRPH construction team relies on TAKT planning to support comprehensive scheduling using Primavera P6 to present a visual flow chart for all projects. It also uses state-of-the-art tools in the field that facilitate real-time decision-making between field and design teams, thereby saving time and money on costly changes and requests for information.
Space expertise
BRPH’s adoption of technology is key to conducting crucial projects, such as those in partnership with NASA, the United States Space Force, large US defense contractors, and major commercial space companies. “Throughout our 60-year history, we have continuously partnered with innovators in the space domain to successfully deliver hundreds of projects at Kennedy Space Center (KSC) and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, Pacific Spaceport Alaska, and Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia, and numerous sites supporting the space programs around the world,” Tyler shares. These projects have included launch pads and launch complexes, integration and processing facilities for payloads and vehicles, clean rooms, secure and high-tech facilities, ground station communications, and major manufacturing facilities, to name a few.”
When delivering such projects, BRPH implements sustainable practices and advocates for green solutions to minimize its ecological footprint. The firm is dedicated to adhering to local environmental regulations and actively seeks opportunities to minimize its environmental impact by reducing energy consumption, carbon emissions, water usage, and waste generation in its operations. When feasible, it procures environmentally sustainable products. As a member of the U.S. Green Building Council, over 40 percent of BRPH’s professional staff are LEED accredited and have designed and built multiple projects meeting Silver, Gold and Platinum certification standards.
As the firm looks to the next decade, Tyler is optimistic about the firm’s place in the ever-evolving aerospace, defense and manufacturing markets. “As long as our clients continue to innovate and expand, BRPH will continue to walk alongside them, anticipating their needs and providing the flexible infrastructure they need to help them achieve their critical missions,” he concludes.