About us
Our story is one of energy, passion, ambition, people and teamwork. We harness the power of our experience, stretching back over a century and a half to deliver certainty for our clients.
Laing O’Rourke was formed in 2001, bringing together the experience of the construction arm of John Laing Plc whose origins stretched back to 1848 and R O’Rourke & Son, a regionally based formwork and concrete specialist, founded in 1978. The new business has grown and become a renowned international engineering and construction company.
In the two decades since it was founded, Laing O'Rourke has expanded into new markets and strengthened its project delivery capabilities; pioneering modern methods of construction, adopting purposeful technologies, delivering certainty for clients and constructing some of the most iconic projects in the world.
Our purpose; which is to push the boundaries of what's possible in service of humanity; together with our values of care, integrity and courage are what make us unique in who we are and they drive the impact we want to have as a business in the world. At our core is the ambition to be a force of positive change in our industry.
Our strong culture stems from our family ownership and a passion to deliver projects that improve the lives of the communities they serve.
Our Origin Story, told by our own people, connects the threads of our past to the ambitions of our future and it shows that our purpose and values matter now more than ever. They provide our reference point to test our decision making and actions against, and they inspire us, as they always have done, to find better and new ways to deliver.
Across our global business, we continue to build a reputation of adapting our business model to help our clients achieve their desired outcomes with certainty. Our unique operating model differs from those of other major contractors and enables us to deliver certainty to clients. At the core of this model are areas of industry-leading expertise: excellence in engineering; use of digital technologies; and the use of modern construction methods to deliver projects quicker, greener, more safely and to a higher standard. All of which is underpinned by the energy, ambition, innovation, and teamwork of our people.
The company’s process of transformation continues at pace, as it seeks to become the recognised leader for innovation and excellence in a more productive, resilient, sustainable and diverse construction sector.
Perhaps the most urgent challenges facing the sector today are those of sustainability. Laing O’Rourke has set out far-reaching global sustainability targets, including a commitment to decarbonise its own operations by 2030 and achieve equal numbers of men and women among its global staff by 2033.