View as magazine ^PDF

Global relationships and markets are shifting. Governments around the world are responding to an evolving geopolitical landscape and trying to figure out how to weather what some would describe as a storm. They’ve turned inward, enabling policies that support independence and drive economic growth.

In response, they’re also shifting their regulatory landscape, easing bureaucracy to facilitate expedited project development. Critical minerals. Energy generation. The projects that build nations and strengthen internal supply chains. Governments are working to build at home quickly and reduce reliance on global markets.

As regulatory environments ease, responsibility shifts. While relaxed regulations may remove barriers to project approvals, they may inadvertently cause risk to the very places and people that policy is intended to protect.

But public expectations remain regardless of policy, as does the need to ensure that projects are planned, executed, and operated with respect for the communities in which we live and work. There’s an obligation to develop projects that have long-lasting benefits for generations to come.

We have to build a future we can sustain. While we keep people-led design in our sights, ultimately, we must develop projects that make for thriving businesses and economies.

It’s about balancing rapid delivery with responsibility.

At Hatch, we’re staying the course with strategies that we know work. We’re working alongside our clients, responding to these changing regulations by relying on the building blocks from design through execution, ensuring health and prosperity. We thrive on the complexity of challenges.

It is in our corporate mission. On the wall of every one of our offices. We are compelled to bring solutions to the world’s challenges to build a better future for the environment, the people who live there, and the places they call home. That’s positive change.

Environment

Global expansion of the extractive and energy sectors has made development projects more visible, triggering the growing interest, demands, and assertiveness by host governments, communities, investors, and civil society, especially when there is perceived environmental risk.

All of these environmental considerations drive how we develop and deliver projects. We design with these realities in mind to mitigate risk in the planning stages and as we move into project development and operation, we help our clients respond when the unexpected crops up.

When Newmont Corporation identified an unexpected water management issue at their gold mine in Cajamarca, Peru, they responded expeditiously by reaching out to Hatch for our experienced advice. Together, we developed a proactive water management approach to protect local communities in a very short period of time without compromising the environment.

People

Recent studies show that projects with structured early community engagement are 30% more likely to meet timelines and budget targets. A proactive approach helps prevent opposition, reduces delays, and strengthens relationships that are essential for long-term success.

Prosperity is more than economic growth; it’s about creating enduring benefits for people, communities, and ecosystems. Early involvement helps projects become engines of inclusive development, ensuring that prosperity is shared and sustained. Metals and energy projects, when responsibly developed, play a vital role in this transformation—providing the essential resources the world needs while creating jobs, supporting local businesses, and investing in infrastructure, education, and health. These projects can be powerful catalysts for community upliftment.

The Wataynikaneyap Power Project in remote Canada is a shining example of the prosperity that can come from community-led project development. The largest Indigenous-led electricity project in Canadian history, its 1,800-kilometer transmission lines and 22 substations connect 17 remote First Nations communities to Ontario’s electricity grid and eliminate the need for the emissions-pumping diesel generators. With reliable power flowing, new schools, housing, and medical facilities are now viable and there’s opportunity for growing industry in the region. Positive change like this provides hope and prosperity for today’s people and for generations to come.

Place

Good design and execution has the power to transform ordinary places into great places that people can love, attracting investment and empowering a positive community.

We bring vision with an implementation mindset. We collaborate to shape shared visions that are responsive, relevant, buildable, and pragmatically innovative. Our approaches draw from a deep understanding of place, how communities adapt to change, seeing strategic opportunities, and delivering solutions that are local, sustainable, and appropriate.

When done right, communities thrive, now and into the future. Delivering infrastructure that enables a healthier, more sustainable and fulfilling future starts with creating a vision we can build together. We align stakeholders in communities with regional authorities, governments, and financiers around a common implementable future.

In the past 25 years, Sound Transit has springboarded from a small transit corridor to an expansive transportation network that, in 2024, carried a total of 41.7 million passengers and averaged more than 134,000 weekday riders. It’s hard to find a corner or corridor of Sound Transit’s network that Hatch hasn’t touched. We’ve helped write technical specifications for procuring vehicles, supported contract negotiations, and overseen all design reviews, manufacturing inspections, and on-site testing. And we’ve even supported Sound Transit’s Sounder commuter rail, managing locomotive overhaul programs and performing equipment valuations.

The landscape of the Puget Sound area is forever changed, with people at the forefront.

A vision for the future

As the world navigates a new era of geopolitical and economic transformation, the imperative to build responsibly has never been clearer. The projects we undertake today must do more than deliver resources—they must uplift communities, protect ecosystems, and create enduring value for generations. At Hatch, we are committed to leading with integrity, innovation, and collaboration. We design with purpose, execute with precision, and partner with clients to turn complexity into opportunity.

We cannot only talk about the future—we have to build it. Strong communities. Bright futures. Rich, biodiverse environments—all things that lead to us calling a place home. It’s our collective legacy.