Obituary
James P. Roubal, DLR Group Co-Founder and Integrated Design Firm Pioneer, Dies at 94
Engineer founded integrated design firm in 1966 with architects Irv Dana and Bill Larson
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James "Jim" P. Roubal, a co-founder of DLR Group and an advocate for integrated design, died April 23 in Omaha at age 94.
James “Jim” P. Roubal, a co-founder and inaugural engineer of Omaha, Neb.-based global integrated design firm DLR Group, died at 94 on April 23 in that city.
Roubal joined with architects Irving Dana and Bill Larson to form the AE firm in a 12-ft-by-12-ft basement in Omaha in 1966. Now employee-owned, the firm has since grown to more than 1,800 employees in 36 offices worldwide, and reported 2025 revenue of $536.8 million, ranking it No. 61 on ENR's latest Top 500 Design Firms list.
Born in 1931 in Grand Island, Neb., Roubal earned a degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Nebraska in 1953. He served as an officer in the U.S. Army Counterintelligence Corps from 1953 to 1955, with duties that included undercover investigation of construction sites in search of eavesdropping devices.
After his military service and work for Mobil Oil in Kansas City, Mo., Roubal joined the Leo A. Daly Co.in 1957 as a mechanical engineer, where he met his future partners.
DLR Group notes that Roubal worked to bring air conditioning to the Nebraska State Capitol in the early 1960s— developing a solution that used existing ventilation shafts to preserve its architecture while delivering high performance, the company notes.
His other projects include headquarters for both Blue Cross Blue Shield and Physicians Mutual Insurance in Omaha, and Tekamah Elementary School, which was DLR Group’s first official project and launched its work in K-12 education design, the company says.
Marking its 60th anniversary on April 1, DLR Group says that Roubal’s advocacy for engineering and integrated design is seen in other projects, including the Ismaili Center in Houston, for which the company served as architect and engineer of record, the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, where it conducted a multi-phased transformation involving 13 in-house disciplines and services, and Baoshan Longer Beach Winder Tower Complex, a waterfront development in Shanghai, China, for which DLR Group did master planning, architecture, landscape architecture and engineering.
“Jim’s emphasis on skilled craftsmanship, collaborative process and thoughtful design will guide our people and shape projects of lasting impact for decades to come,” says DLR Group CEO and Managing Principal Steve McKay. “Employee owners at our firm have a rich culture and legacy from which to draw inspiration, thanks to his vision and leadership.
“Jim believed in this firm and what it could become,” he adds. “His legacy will continue to live on through our design, our employee-owned culture and through each of us.”
After retiring from full-time active practice in the early 1990s, Roubal continued to contribute to DLR Group by serving in an informal mentoring role for decades, the company said.
Dana died in 1998 and Larson died in 2012.
