COWI is a leading northern European consulting group.  We provide state-of-the-art services within the fields of engineering, environmental science and economics, with due consideration for the environment and society.  In the last 80 years COWI has grown from a single engineer working in a small apartment in Copenhagen to a world leading company employing over 6,000 people at more than 100 offices globally.
 
We are delighted to welcome delegates to London, as a gold sponsor of the IABSE-IASS Symposium.  We meet on the threshold of the London 2012 Olympic Games.  This is a fitting backdrop for the Symposium, because today's engineers, architects and constructors face competition that is just as intense - and international - as any Olympics.
 
Our own 'Olympians' are in the midst of helping design some of the world's most complex infrastructure projects including the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Link - the world's longest immersed tube tunnel and the London Array - the world's largest offshore windfarm.
 
This ability to compete is not the only key to our success. At COWI we believe that it's just as important to be able to cooperate. Our specialists draw on colleagues from other disciplines and tackle projects from a range of vantage points.
 
As we build Italy's Messina Bridge, for example, we don't just look at how to deliver motorists from point A to B on the world's longest suspension bridge. Instead, we see the structure in relation to its impact on the environment as well as the local and regional economy. 
 
But we're not satisfied there. That's why we are looking forward to meeting our international colleagues in London to discuss ways to redefine 'Taller, Longer and Lighter'. And - of course - smarter and more sustainable.
 
Let the Games - and the Symposium - begin.