Moon World Resorts taps Lerch Bates for MOON masterplan engineering

Moon World Resorts has named Lerch Bates to handle transportation and multidisciplinary engineering across its global MOON Smart City masterplans. The partnership covers guest movement, building logistics and façade access for a concept that Moon says is designed to host 10 million visitors a year.

Why it matters: - Moon World Resorts is adding a specialist engineering partner to help shape how guests move through its planned MOON Smart City destinations. - The work touches core infrastructure, including circulation, logistics, parking, façade access and building performance. - The partnership is aimed at projects designed to operate at global resort scale.

What happened: - Moon World Resorts appointed Lerch Bates as Vertical and Horizontal Transportation Engineers + Multidisciplinary Engineers across all MOON Smart City Masterplans. - The role covers how guests arrive, ascend, descend, circulate and depart. - The assignment also includes performance planning for the multiple buildings inside each built environment. - Moon World Resorts announced the appointment on Nov. 10, 2026, in Toronto.

The details: - Lerch Bates will work across the full building lifecycle, from design and construction through management and modernization. - The scope includes elevator and escalator modeling, planning and specifications. - The scope also includes pedestrian circulation and crowd safety simulation. - Lerch Bates will handle loading dock facilities, receiving and waste management logistics. - Parking layouts, wayfinding, building enclosure and façade access systems are also part of the mandate. - The building enclosure work includes cladding, glazing, waterproofing and roofing. - Lerch Bates traces its history to 1947, when it was founded as the first elevator consultancy in the United States. - The company says it established the first logistics consultancy in 1984 and the first façade access consultancy in 1985. - Lerch Bates became an ESOP in 1986, making its team members employee-owners. - The firm says its work has contributed to major projects including Burj Khalifa in Dubai and Taipei 101 in Taiwan. - Lerch Bates operates as a global multidisciplinary technical consultancy focused on buildings and the built environment. - Its integrated specialties include vertical and horizontal transportation, logistics, enclosures and structures, forensics and façade access. - The company also offers building lifecycle services from design and construction to forensic investigation, repair and modernization.

Between the lines: - Moon World Resorts is signaling that guest experience and building operations are being treated as one connected system, not separate disciplines. - Lerch Bates brings a long track record in movement systems and complex buildings, which fits the scale of a destination meant to handle large visitor volumes. - Sandra G. Matthews said MOON will welcome 10 million guests annually and that each visitor’s journey needs to feel effortless. - Jeff Marsh said MOON requires multidisciplinary thinking to bring together movement, logistics, building performance and the guest experience. - The company’s employee-owner structure is part of the pitch for why Lerch Bates fits the project.

What's next: - Lerch Bates will now feed into MOON planning and design across the global masterplans. - Moon World Resorts is building a portfolio of MOON Smart Cities anchored by what it describes as the world’s largest true architectural sphere. - Moon World Resorts says MOON projects will rise in North America, South America, Europe, the Middle East, East Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia, Oceania and Africa. - The company directs readers to MOON video, images and fact sheet for further details. - Moon World Resorts also points to an AHEAD award page for its 2026 “New Concept” win in the Americas: AHEAD award listing.

The bottom line: - Moon World Resorts is locking in engineering support early for a highly complex, globally scaled hospitality and mixed-use concept.