SGH Bolsters Atlanta Office, Tapping into Southeast Construction Boom

ATLANTA, GA – May 27, 2026 – National engineering firm Simpson Gumpertz & Heger (SGH) has announced a significant expansion of its building enclosure consulting services in Atlanta, a strategic move aimed at capitalizing on the burgeoning construction and infrastructure market in the Southeastern United States. The firm is adding two highly experienced leaders to its Atlanta office: Edward Bernard, a veteran architect and forensic consultant, joins as a Principal, and Scott Tomlinson, a long-tenured SGH Associate Principal, will now be based in the city.

The move strengthens SGH’s existing local presence, established in 2020, by adding a dedicated, high-level team focused on the complex science of building envelopes. Bernard and Tomlinson will operate from SGH's office at 100 Galleria Parkway, integrating with the firm’s established teams specializing in structural engineering and structural mechanics. This expansion is poised to deepen SGH's ability to address the region's growing demand for sophisticated waterproofing, facade, and building performance solutions.

“It’s exciting to see our bench of experts expanding in Atlanta,” said Niklas Vigener, SGH Chief Operating Officer, in a statement. “Scott is a true client advocate in all the best ways, and he’ll continue to bring the best of SGH to our partners there. And Ed is a champion in the industry with big ideas and deep roots in the southeast. I can’t wait to see our continued success in the area.”

Responding to a Regional Boom

SGH’s decision is not happening in a vacuum. It is a direct response to the explosive growth transforming Atlanta and the wider Southeast. Georgia is currently in the midst of a massive construction wave, fueled by over $100 billion in data center investments, major utility expansions, and a renaissance in advanced manufacturing, including large-scale projects from companies like Rivian and Hyundai. Atlanta itself ranks as the third-fastest-growing metropolitan area in the nation, creating sustained demand for both commercial and residential development.

This rapid development brings with it a host of complex technical challenges. Modern architectural designs, coupled with the region's humid, rainy climate, place immense pressure on a building’s outer shell, or enclosure. Failures in roofing, wall cladding, or waterproofing can lead to costly moisture intrusion, energy loss, and structural degradation. Consequently, the demand for specialized building enclosure consulting—a field that blends architecture, engineering, and materials science—has never been higher. The market requires experts who can not only design high-performance enclosures for new structures but also diagnose and remediate issues in existing ones, a key area of forensic architecture.

A Strategic Infusion of Talent

The expansion's significance lies in the caliber of the professionals leading it. Edward Bernard is a formidable addition, bringing more than three decades of deep regional experience. Before joining SGH, he served as the National Director of Facilities Services at Terracon and was a Vice President and board member at Marx|Okubo. His career has been built on leading complex forensic investigations and rehabilitation projects for critical facilities across the Southeast. Beyond his technical work, Bernard is a respected figure in the local industry, having served as president of both AIA Atlanta and AIA Georgia, where he has been a long-time advocate for mentorship and professional education.

“I’m honored to join SGH and work alongside such an exceptional team of professionals," Bernard stated. "My career philosophy has always been that ‘school’s never out’—and SGH’s culture of rigorous inquiry is exactly the environment where that philosophy thrives. The built environment demands both technical precision and creative problem-solving, and I’m excited to bring that perspective as we expand SGH’s presence in Atlanta and support our clients across the southeast.”

Complementing Bernard’s deep local roots is Scott Tomlinson, who brings twenty-five years of experience from within SGH. An expert in wall systems, roofing, waterproofing, and fenestration, Tomlinson has a national reputation for leading complex material-performance investigations and designing durable repairs. His relocation provides a crucial bridge, embedding a quarter-century of SGH’s institutional knowledge and technical standards directly into the Atlanta team.

“My first project in Atlanta was more than twenty years ago, and I’ve continued working in the area ever since,” Tomlinson noted. “The region has always presented interesting and challenging building enclosure work, and I’m excited to continue strengthening SGH’s relationships and technical presence here alongside Ed and the rest of the team.”

Positioning for Market Leadership

While the Atlanta market has several established firms offering building envelope consulting, including Criterium-Raby Engineers and Copeland Building Envelope Consulting, SGH's move is a clear play for the top tier of the market. By combining Bernard's forensic expertise and regional influence with Tomlinson's deep engineering and company experience, the firm is creating a powerhouse team capable of tackling the most intricate projects, from hyper-scale data centers to high-rise residential towers and complex institutional facilities.

This expansion builds upon SGH's existing foundation in Atlanta, which has historically focused on structural engineering and specialized infrastructure analysis, including work in the nuclear and energy sectors. The addition of a robust building enclosure division creates a more integrated, holistic service offering for clients. This allows the firm to manage a building project’s challenges from its foundational structure to its outermost skin, providing a single point of high-level expertise.

As construction in the Southeast continues to grow in both volume and complexity, the need for firms that can guarantee building performance, durability, and resilience will become paramount. With this strategic enhancement of its Atlanta team, SGH is positioning itself not just to participate in the region's growth, but to lead it.