Back to the future: 1982

To move forward, we take a step back, and today we start where it all began.

University classmates Geoff Wallbridge and Mark Gilbert began their engineering careers together at Kinnaird Hill deRohan & Young before a handshake agreement in 1982 formed a formidable partnership and the launch of Wallbridge & Gilbert (W&G).

Setting up practice in a historic former brewery in Wyatt Street Adelaide, a separate brand, Aztec Analysis, was also created to deliver specialist capabilities, including cranes, heavy lifting and haulage.

From humble beginnings as a team of five, with two drafters and a part-time receptionist, WGA occupied one room in the iconic Wyatt Street office, where 220 staff work today.

During those early years, Geoff and Mark cemented WGA’s culture of working hard, delivering technical excellence, and having fun along the way – foundations that have stood the test of time.

Initially, good projects were hard to come by, but reputation and strength steadily gained momentum. Soon WGA was awarded significant commercial projects such as the Myer Centre redevelopment in 1989, the EDS building on North Terrace in 1994 and the Adelaide Airport Terminal in 1999. Aztec Analysis was simultaneously carving out a patch of its own, working with flagship companies such as Esso, Santos Ltd Woodside and BHP.

We may have started as a structural consultancy, but today we operate across 9 sectors supported by 14 services spanning Australia and New Zealand.

Now that’s a success story!

For more information on the projects mentioned, follow us on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/wga_ausnz/