# Dessau (engineering)

Dessau was an engineering consulting firm. It was the fifth-largest engineering-construction firm in Canada and was ranked 57th in the world. The company traced its origins to 1957, when Jean-Claude Desjardins and Paul-Aimé Sauriol founded an engineering consulting firm by the name of Desjardins & Sauriol. Active in both national and international markets, the firm employed 4,800 people and posted annual revenues of $750 million. The company had offices in North Africa, Central America, South America and the Caribbean. Dessau was one of "Canada’s 50 Best Managed Companies."

## History

In September 1957, provincial highway engineer Jean-Claude Desjardins met with Paul-Aimé Sauriol, who ran a small engineering consultancy in Île Jésus, Quebec, after a mutual friend suggested they explore the possibility of working together. By the end of that year, the two men founded Desjardins & Sauriol, ingénieurs-conseils.
In Quebec, the following years marked the onset of the Quiet Revolution, a heady period of rapid change for both the province as well as Desjardins & Sauriol, whose business had grown to 30 employees by 1961. The province was brimming with engineering-construction megaprojects and the firm landed numerous transportation and municipal engineering contracts, expanding its business to include geotechnical, structural, electrical and mechanical departments.
The James Bay hydroelectric project, dubbed by then-premier Robert Bourassa as Quebec's "Project of the Century", would earn the company national recognition and set the stage for the Dessau's international expansion. With a generating capacity of 16,000 MW and spanning an area the size of New York State, James Bay featured one of the largest hydroelectric systems in the world. Headquartered in Matagami, Dessau's team oversaw soil studies, layout verification, logistics and the building of a strategic road through forests and other unforgiving landscape elements. A multidisciplinary team of engineers, geologists, surveyors, loggers, bush pilots, laborers, truckers and technicians was mobilized and they managed to complete the project a full year ahead of schedule.
In 1975, Dessau was mandated to build a new national highway in Zaire and three years later Dessau International was born.
The 1980s saw Dessau's international experience expand but also witnessed the company's first tangible steps in the field of environmental sustainability and energy efficiency. Since the early 1980s, Dessau has espoused a "green dream", from restoring waterways in the greater Montreal area to more recent conservation plans that now play a key role in Quebec's energy strategy.
The 1990s were marked by a series of strategic mergers and acquisitions.
While Dessau continues to take on an increasing number of major international projects, such as the East-West Highway in Algeria, SIEPAC Central American electric grid interconnection project or the Guajimia Canal in the Dominican Republic, the firm's leadership maintains a high premium on retaining the company's position as a key player in the Quebec engineering market.
In 2013, Rosaire Sauriol, Vice President of Dessau Engineering, left the company, just days after his testimony at the Charbonneau Commission. He confessed that Dessau had participated in a system of collusion in Montreal between 2000 and 2010 in which he helped organize $2 million of false billings to help finance political parties.

## Major Projects

2012: Bridge design for a structure spanning the Magdalena River – Colombia
2011: Quality control during the construction of a 4.2 km runway at Calgary International Airport – Calgary, Canada
2010: Construction of the Centre hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal – Research Centre (CR-CHUM) – Montreal, Canada
2010: 1,200-km East-West Highway – Algeria
2010: Guajimia Canal sewage treatment – Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
2010: Montreal metro fixed equipment and systems upgrades – Montreal, Canada
2008: Trinidad rapid rail project – Trinidad and Tobago
2008: SIEPAC Central American Electrical Interconnection System – San José, Costa Rica
2007: Great Mosque of Algiers – Algeria
2006: Redevelopment of the LeBreton Flats – Ottawa, Canada
2005: Construction and expansion of Campanario thermoelectric power plant – Chile
2004: Acadie Circle reconstruction – Montreal, Canada
2002: Palais des congrès de Montréal Convention Centre – Montreal, Canada
2000: Rural electrification project supervision – Peru
1990: Canadian Museum of Civilization – Gatineau, Canada
1975: James Bay hydroelectric project – Quebec, Canada

## Offices

Dessau operates nearly 80 offices in Canada, Algeria, the Caribbean and Latin America (Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Peru, Dominican Republic, Trinidad and Tobago).

## Areas of Expertise

| Services | Markets/Sectors |
| 1.Engineering | 1.Buildings |
| 2.Urban Planning and Landscape Architecture | 2.Water |
| 3.Geotechnical, Materials and Environmental | 3.Energy |
| 4.Management and Construction | 4.Environment and Sustainable Development |
| 5.Operations | 5.Health and Education |
| | 6.Industry |
| | 7.Telecommunications and Security |
| | 8.Transportation |
| | 9.Municipalities |

## Subsidiaries

| Name | Fields |
| LVM | Geotechnical, Materials and Environmental Engineering |
| Verreault | Management and Construction |
| Plania | Urban Planning and Landscape Architecture |
| Simo | Facilities Management – Water and Wastewater Treatment Plants |
| Société Gestrans | Public and Adapted Transportation |
| Sogep | Recreational Facility Management |

## Projects
### Projects from 1957 to 1969

| Projects | Year |
| 1.Master plan for roads, sewers and water mains, Saint-Martin Parish, Île Jésus, Laval, Canada | 1957 |
| 2.Road, sewer, water supply and drainage plans for the cities of Fabreville, Pont-Viau, Sainte-Dorothée and Chomedey, Canada | 1957-1968 |
| 3.Section of the Trans-Canada Highway (A-20), Saint-Hyacinthe, Canada | 1961 |
| 4.Chomedey water treatment plant, Île Jésus, Laval, Canada | 1961 |
| 5.Extension of the Laurentian Highway (A-15), Saint-Jérôme, Canada | 1961-1962 |
| 6.Materials testing for highways 10, 40 and 15, Montréal, Canada | 1961-1964 |
| 7.Materials testing, geotechnical services, dams, dykes and water intake for the Outardes hydroelectric project, James Bay, Canada | 1961-1970 |
| 8.Antoine-Labelle School, Sainte-Rose, Canada | 1962 |
| 9.Various highway sections in Quebec (A-20, A-40, A-540, A-520 and A-10), Canada | 1962-1966 |
| 10.Ville-Marie Expressway, Fullum-Saint-Léonard section, Montreal, Canada | 1963 |
| 11.Reconstruction of Pie-IX Bridge, Île Jésus, Montreal, Canada | 1963-1965 |
| 12.Turcot Interchange (A-20), Montreal, Canada | 1963-1965 |
| 13.Sainte-Thérèse water treatment plant, Canada | 1964-1965 |
| 14.Vaudreuil-Dorion Interchange, Montreal, Canada | 1964-1966 |
| 15.Road network study, Île Jésus, Canada | 1964-1967 |
| 16.Sûreté du Québec building, Montreal, Canada | 1965-1968 |
| 17.Saint-Eustache arena, Canada | 1965 |
| 18.Champlain Bridge resurfacing, Ottawa, Canada | 1969-1970 |
| 19.James Bay access road study, Quebec, Canada | 1969-1970 |
| 20.Soil analysis and materials testing for numerous Hydro-Québec hydroelectric projects (Manic-Outardes, La Grande, Caniapiscau reservoir, Romaine and Grande-Baleine rivers, etc.), Canada | 1961-1980 |

### Projects from 1970 to 1979

| Projects | Year |
| 1.Elimination of level crossings, various railroads, Dorion, Canada | 1969-1972 |
| 2.Science building, Université du Québec à Montréal, Canada | 1970-1971 |
| 3.Sections of highways 19, 13 and 440, Laval, Canada | 1970-1977 |
| 4.James Bay access road, including 720 kilometres of highway and 11 major bridges, Quebec, Canada | 1971-1976 |
| 5.Materials testing, Olympic complex and stadium, Montreal, Canada | 1971-1980 |
| 6.Matagami Airport, James Bay, Quebec, Canada | 1972-1974 |
| 7.Mechanical and electrical systems, Collège Montmorency, Laval, Canada | 1973-1975 |
| 8.Mechanical and electrical systems, Cité de la Santé Hospital, Laval, Canada | 1973-1977 |
| 9.Zaire National Highway, 750 kilometres of highway and 16 bridges, Democratic Republic of Congo, Africa | 1973-1979 |
| 10.Twinning of Lachapelle Bridge connecting Laval and Montreal, Canada | 1973-1976 |
| 11.Dykes and dams, Caniapiscau reservoir, Quebec, Canada | 1974-1983 |
| 12.Materials testing, Manic 3 power station, Quebec, Canada | 1975 |
| 13.Materials testing, LG2 power station, Quebec, Canada | 1975 |
| 14.Head office, Dessau I building, Laval, Canada | 1975-1977 |
| 15.Power transmission lines for the James Bay project, 7000 km, 6 lines, Quebec, Canada | 1975-1980 |
| 16.Dorion bypass, Highway 20, Quebec, Canada | 1977-1981 |
| 17.Highway117, 13 km, Grand-Remous, Canada | 1977 |
| 18.Quality control, Marine Industries turbine upgrades | 1977 |
| 19.Access road for the Grande-Baleine hydroelectric complex, 300 km of road and 11 bridges, Quebec, Canada | 1979-1981 |
| 20.Design and construction of the Tennis 13 recreational centre, Laval, Canada | 1979 |

### Projects from 1980 to 1989

| Projects | Year |
| 1.Resurfacing of Highway 40 West, Montreal, Canada | 1980 |
| 2.Redesign of Saint-Martin Boulevard West, Laval, Canada | 1981 |
| 3.Rural electrification of 400 villages, Côte d'Ivoire, Africa | 1981-1986 |
| 4.Dessau II building, Laval, Canada | 1981-1982 |
| 5.Fabreville water treatment plant, Laval, Canada | 1982-1986 |
| 6.Upgrades to 78 Hydro-Québec sub-stations, Quebec, Canada | 1982-1990 |
| 7.Geotechnical engineering and materials testing, LG2 power station and Caniapiscau dam, James Bay, Canada | 1983-1987 |
| 8.Saint-Gabriel de Brandon arena, Canada | 1983-1984 |
| 9.Marigot intercepting sewer, 15 kilometres underground, Laval, Canada | 1984-1985 |
| 10.Utility upgrades, Place Montréal Trust, Centre Eaton and Promenades de la Cathédrale, Montreal, Canada | 1984-1989 |
| 11.Electrical and telecom systems, Canadian Museum of Civilization, Gatineau, Canada | 1984-1990 |
| 12.Design of Place Saint-Roch, Quebec City, Canada | 1984-1985 |
| 13.Expansion and repair of Viau Bridge, Laval-Montreal, Canada | 1985-1988 |
| 14.Radisson-Nicolet-Des-Cantons power transmission line (6th line), 450 kV, James Bay, Quebec, Canada | 1985-1989 |
| 15.Five railway bridges – Douala Yaounde Line, Cameroon | 1984-1985 |
| 16.Materials testing, Bell Canada buildings, Montreal, Canada | 1986 |
| 17.Mechanical-electrical systems, Hydro-Québec administrative centre, Laval, Canada | 1986-1989 |
| 18.Resurfacing of Beauharnois Suspension Bridge, Canada | 1986-1989 |
| 19.Widening of a section of the Décarie Expressway, Montreal, Canada | 1989-1990 |
| 20.Lake Robertson power station, Côte-Nord, Canada | 1984-1995 |

### Projects from 1990 to 1999

| Projects | Year |
| 1.Reconstruction of the Beauharnois power station, Canada | Depuis 1990 |
| 2.Reconstruction of the El-Azab power station, Egypt | 1990 |
| 3.Road repair, Nord-Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo | 1990-1996 |
| 4.Public transportation plan for the Société de transport de Laval, Canada | 1990-1991 |
| 5.Integrated waste management, Cotonou, Benin | 1991-2000 |
| 6.Expansion of the Chomedey water treatment plant, Laval, Canada | 1991 |
| 7.Grain storage program, Bangladesh | 1993 |
| 8.Structural assessment of 200 bridges, Malaysia | 1993-1995 |
| 9.East Lake wastewater treatment, Hubei, China | 1993-1995 |
| 10.Cosmodôme de Laval structure, Canada | 1993-1994 |
| 11.500 kV power transmission, Ertan, China | 1993-1999 |
| 12.Environmental survey of contaminated sites, Quebec, Canada | 1994-1995 |
| 13.Redevelopment of Henri-Bourassa Boulevard (between Albert-Hudon and Marien streets), Montreal, Canada | 1995-1998 |
| 14.Repairs to Highway 1, Vietnam | 1995-1996 |
| 15.Construction of the Rabat-Fès Highway, Morocco | 1995-1996 |
| 16.Power transmission line rehabilitation, Peru | 1996 |
| 17.National energy-efficient buildings program, China | 1996-2000 |
| 18.Water purification program, Dominica | 1987-2004 |
| 19.Revitalization of the Sine and Ferlo fossil valleys, Senegal | 1997 |
| 20.Reconstruction of Hydro-Québec's energy transmission grid following the 1998 ice storm, Quebec, Canada | 1998-2000 |
| 21.Expansion of Montreal's Palais des congrès, Canada | 1999-2002 |
| 22.Highway 2000 project, Jamaica | 1999-2002 |

### Projects from 2000 to 2009

| Projects | Year |
| 1.Rolls-Royce Trent Atwater test cell, Montreal, Canada | 2000-2002 |
| 2.Repair and replacement of station equipment in the Montreal metro, Canada | 2000-2011 |
| 3.Bridge rehabilitation program, Grenada | 2001 |
| 4.LeBreton Flats development plan, Ottawa, Canada | 2001-2006 |
| 5.Hydro-electric mini-stations, Dominican Republic | 2001-2007 |
| 6.National Circus School, Montreal, Canada | 2002-2003 |
| 7.Inspection and CAD for 25 major bridges, Algeria | 2002-2003 |
| 8.Acadie Circle redesign, Montreal, Canada | 2002-2003 |
| 9.Water purification system rehabilitation, Venezuela | 2002-2006 |
| 10.Preliminary and final designs, second Algiers beltway, Algeria | 2003-2005 |
| 11.Underwater fibre-optic telecommunications cable, Gaspé Peninsula-Magdalen Islands, Canada | 2003-2004 |
| 12.Asset management for the City of Longueuil, Canada | 2003-2006 |
| 13.Honoré-Mercier Hospital renovation and expansion, Quebec, Canada | 2003-2005 |
| 14.Decontamination and rehabilitation of Fort-Georges Island | 2003-2006 |
| 15.Water quality improvement works in the Guajimia Canal, Dominican Republic | 2003-2008 |
| 16.Quartier DIX-30 shopping centre, Brossard, Canada | 2004-2006 |
| 17.Repair and widening of Highway 175, Quebec, Canada | 2003-2008 |
| 18.Outremont Community Centre, including telecommunications systems, Montreal, Canada | 2004-2006 |
| 19.Electro-mechanical systems at the Toulnustouc power station, Quebec, Canada | 2001-2005 |
| 20.Preliminary design for the Princes Town-Mayaro Highway, Trinidad and Tobago | 2005-2006 |
| 21.Project management assistance for the East-West Highway, Algeria | 2006-2010 |
| 22.SIEPAC Electrical interconnection project, Central America | 2006-2009 |
| 23.Project management assistance for the Great Mosque of Algiers, Algeria | 2007-2013 |

### Projects from 2010 to 2015

| Projects | Year |
| 1.Design and construction studies for an electrified double railway track, Algeria | 2010- |
| 2.Construction of the Université de Montréal Hospital Centre Research Centre (CR-CHUM), Canada | 2010- |
| 3.Construction du McGill University Hospital Centre (MUHC), Montreal, Canada | 2010- |
| 4.Quality control during the construction of a 4.2 km runway at Calgary International Airport, Canada | 2011- |
| 5.Design of a new bridge spanning the Magdalena River, Colombia | 2012- |

## Stantec

On 24 September 2014, Stantec announced that they would acquire the engineering assets of Dessau. The acquisition was completed in January 2015.