The cornerstone of Pihl
The cornerstone of Pihl - one of Denmark's oldest contracting companies - was laid by master builder Lauritz Emil Pihl, who in 1887 was licensed as a master builder in Copenhagen, and in the following years built up one of the leading construction companies in the capital. In 1916, his son, Carl, joined the company, which was later to carry the name of E. Pihl & Søn.
From bricklaying firm to engineering company
However, it was Kay Langvad, Master of Science in civil engineering, who carried the company forward to new challenges. Kay Langvad had more than twenty years' experience from demanding engineering tasks in Denmark as well as abroad, among others he headed the construction of the world's first geothermal district heating plant in Iceland's capital, Reykjavik, in the 1940's. After his purchase of half of E. Pihl & Søn A.S. in 1947, Pihl took on large civil engineering projects in Iceland, the Faroe Islands and Greenland.
Internationalisation, growth and flexibility
Kay Langvad’s pioneer work in the 1950’s and 1960’s formed the basis of the internationalisation and growth which has accelerated considerably throughout the last decades under the management of his son, Søren Langvad.
Thanks to many years’ experience, Pihl has acquired many different professional skills, and we are still aiming at offering diversified know-how. This is reflected in the company’s organisation, which is flexible, and where a team of employees with the relevant experience is put together for each new project.
