Woolpert has acquired Bermello Ajamil & Partners (BA), an all-encompassing architecture, engineering, planning, and landscape architecture firm specializing in the maritime, aviation, health care, commercial, and municipal sectors.
As one of the largest AE firms in South Florida, BA boasts over 160 staff members, a Miami headquarters, additional offices throughout Florida, and a New York office. Over the past 30 years, the firm has experienced substantial growth under the leadership of Chairman of the Board and Principal in Charge Willy Bermello and President and CEO Luis Ajamil, a distinguished planner and professional engineer renowned for his expertise in the maritime industry.
The collaboration between Bermello and Ajamil emerged from a shared vision of meeting client needs through the integration of innovative design and technologies, resulting in functional, intelligent, and sustainable solutions. This partnership has garnered over 200 awards for design excellence and project victories spanning six continents.
BA has gained international recognition for its planning and design of cruise line and port terminals. The union of Woolpert and BA establishes an integrated maritime solutions ecosystem, combining architecture, marine engineering, modeling, strategic consulting, and geospatial services.
This collaboration extends to the acquisition of topographic, bathymetric, and hydrographic data and imagery along coastlines and the near-shore environment. According to Bermello, BA’s decision to join Woolpert is driven by the desire to enhance AE services and successfully explore new and adjacent industries, leveraging Woolpert’s geospatial and strategic consulting capabilities.
“Woolpert provides BA with the opportunity to expand and integrate technologies across markets, accelerate our growth in geospatial technologies and artificial intelligence, increase our geographic footprint, and enrich what our talented staff can provide our clients,” Bermello said.
“Together with Woolpert, we will be able to develop and deliver comprehensive and potentially trailblazing services to coastal zones worldwide. Additionally, the combination will allow us to accelerate the growth of our aviation, health care, commercial, and municipal markets.”
Woolpert Vice President and Buildings Sector Leader Suzette Stoler said this merger enhances Woolpert’s ability to provide full architecture, engineering, and interior design services with an emphasis on strengthening design capabilities and expertise across a multitude of markets servicing both private industry and public development.
“BA is a progressive and high-performing firm that embodies our core values,” Stoler said. “Gaining bench strength and adding geospatial solutions to their architecture, engineering, and interior design capabilities will expand our collective ability to advance the built environment—whether we’re talking about ports and airports, health care facilities, educational facilities, municipal parks, hotels, etc. This combination makes us all stronger.”
