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Conference Profiles

We are delighted to have the following speakers at the Future of Design London Conference for 2018:

[separator headline=”h2″ title=”Simon Bourne | Former owner of Benaim“]

We are excited to have Simon present on the topic of:

Bridges for Structural Engineers

Simon worked for Benaim for 30 years, specialising in the design of major bridges for contractors.  He sold Benaim in 2011 and now operates as an independent consultant.

He is a recognised leader in the industry for the design of major bridges and has written many papers on bridge design and construction.  He won the IABSE Milne Medal in 2012 – summarised by a paper in The Structural Engineer in 2013 (Prestressing – Recovery of the Lost Art).  He was also the author of 12 articles on Concrete Bridge Design and Construction that were published in The Structural Engineer in 2014.  Simon has also written two recent CBDG Technical Guides – Best Construction Methods for Concrete Bridge Decks and Bridge Replacement Guide.

He has a particular interest in buildability and speed of construction, and how to add value to schemes.  He has expertise in the design of major marine bridges, urban viaducts and major bridges around railways.  He has designed many award-winning bridges, which have been recognised for their elegance, economy and innovation, including the Clackmannanshire Bridge across the Firth of Forth.

Simon will also be on the judging panel for our Young Designers’ Paper Competition.

[separator headline=”h2″ title=”Kate Hall | Design Director, HS2“]

We are excited to have Kate present on the topic of:

Design Thinking: a human centred approach to HS2

Kate is the Design Director at High Speed Two Limited (HS2) leading the expert teams responsible for the specification, assurance and provision of expert design guidance across the portfolio of Design, Architecture and Civil Engineering to deliver the high-speed railway.  Kate’s portfolio also includes leadership of the Design team and Independent Design Panels, custodian of design quality, leading the design vision and creating and embedding a vibrant design culture.

Previously she was a Director and Infrastructure Executive at Arup. Her background in civil engineering includes 24 years’ experience of both large Infrastructure and international projects in Hong Kong, Australia, New York, Ireland and the UK, including five years in Hong Kong on design and site supervision for Hong Kong Airport International Station. She also led Arup’s 400 strong Olympic Park Infrastructure Design Team for the London 2012 Olympic Park and was the Infrastructure Practice Leader for the Midlands, responsible for over 300 engineers based in Solihull and Nottingham offices.

Kate has also worked to drive initiatives on diversity, gender balance and inclusion in engineering.

2010 she was awarded “Professional of the Year” by Women in Construction,

2011 Winner for Lloyds First Women Awards,

2007- Management Today/Sunday Times Award for the nation’s brightest, high-flying 35 Business Women under 35.

Kate has an Honours degree in Civil and Structural Engineering and is a Fellow of both the Institution of Civil Engineers and the Chartered Institution of Highways & Transportation.

 

[separator headline=”h2″ title=”Héctor Beade | Associate, Knight Architects“]

We are excited to have Héctor present on the topic of:

The route to good bridge design: How to give society the best possible bridge.

Héctor Beade-Pereda is a bridge designer and Associate at Knight Architects. During his almost 20-year long career, he has had the opportunity to be directly and meaningfully involved in every stage of the bridge project lifecycle, from conception to construction completion. Thanks to such extensive expertise, combined with his commitment to beauty and excellence, interest in geometry, care for detail, and his academic background in structural engineering, he has been responsible for the conception of numerous bridges that meet all the project requirements while simultaneously adopting an aesthetically and structurally holistic approach to design. Most of these projects, which range from small footbridges to world-record HSR viaducts, are innovative solutions and award-winning designs.

Bridges will be crossed by countless people during their centennial lives. Their experience will be determined by the quality of the designer’s work. For this reason, it’s Héctor’s belief that every bridge should be designed with sensitivity, professionality, and honesty.

Hector was awarded with the IABSE (International Association of Bridge and Structural Engineering) Prize 2016 in recognition of his approach to bridge design.

Héctor will also be on the judging panel for our Young Designers’ Design Competition.

[separator headline=”h2″ title=”Stuart Marsh | Associate Director, SOM“]

We are excited to have Stuart present on the topic of:

Collaboration in Construction

Stuart Marsh helps lead the SOM London Structural Engineering team to develop and deliver structural designs and documentation for a wide variety of commercial and residential projects.  This involves, among other things, overseeing and conducting architectural and services coordination to ensure complete integration of the structural design concepts within project requirements.  Stuart’s diverse project history includes a range of commercial, residential, academic developments, and cultural and artistic installations throughout the United Kingdom, Europe, Australia and South-East Asia.

 

 

Stuart will also be on the judging panel for our Young Designers’ Paper Competition.

[separator headline=”h2″ title=”Chris Churchman | Founding Director, Churchman Landscape Architects“]

We are excited to have Chris present on the topic of:

Today’s norm is yesterday’s experiment:  How  do  design concepts evolve  and  does  an over regulated over  standardised design  approach  frustrate the creative  process?  Using examples  from Churchman’s  portfolio  Chris  will  explain how they  have been  hindered  by  “best  practice” and how  they  have sought to developed  strategies that find  flexibility  in seemingly  inflexible rules. 

Chris is the Founding Director of Churchman Landscape Architects and a Fellow of the Landscape Institute. Before establishing his own consultancy he ran the landscape group within HLM Architects for 10 years becoming a main board Director of this multidisciplinary company at the age of 33. This background of collaboration with architects and engineers helped to shape Chris’s approach to his work. His company has developed a strong focus around environmental issues many of the company’s projects containing areas of research and experimentation. Chris’s best known scheme is the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich  but more recent projects and current commissions are likely to raise the company’s profile including South Park, Elephant and Castle, one of the HS2 Stations and Birmingham University’s Green Heart. This last project that has provided Chris with a vehicle to pursue an interest in the use of Green Infrastructure to tackle poor air quality, working with academics he has been assessing the facts, myths and misunderstandings concerning the ability of trees to absorb pollutants.

 

[separator headline=”h2″ title=”Dr. Dørum | Norwegian Public Roads Administration“]

We are excited to have Dr. Dørum present on the topic of:

Bridging research and extreme fjord crossings

Cato Dørum is Senior Principal Engineer at the Norwegian Public Roads Administration, and holds a PhD-degree in Structural Engineering from The Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) in Trondheim, Norway. Cato has almost 20 years of experience in structural design and analysis from both the research sector as well as the industry. He has been working with development of methodologies for testing, modelling and numerical simulation of steel and aluminium structures subjected to accidental loads.

Since 2016, he has worked for the Norwegian Public Roads Administration on the extreme bridges for the Fjord Crossings on the Coastal Highway Route E39 Project. Cato is also an Adjunct Professor at CASA (Centre for Advanced Structural Analysis, NTNU) since 2016, a research centre for multi-scale testing, modelling and simulation of materials and structures for industrial applications.

[separator headline=”h2″ title=”Michael Thorogood | Director & Senior Design Engineer, Eadon Consulting“]

We are excited to have Michael present on the topic of:

What 90’s rapper Vanilla Ice can remind engineers and architects

Michael Thorogood is a Chartered Mechanical Engineer and a Fellow of the Institute of Mechanical Engineers. He is a founding member of, and Director at Eadon Consulting. With almost 20 years’ experience in the moving bridge and bespoke moving structure sectors Michael has worked on prestigious and award-winning projects throughout the UK and abroad.

Michael’s particular area of expertise is in moving structures including bridges, buildings and bespoke construction equipment. He has extensive experience in the design of the mechanical, electrical and hydraulic operating equipment and systems for all sizes and virtually all types of moving bridge.

He has worked on projects on behalf of clients, contractors, consultants and fabricators through all stages from initial design competitions and concept design to delivery, commissioning, and handover. The majority of his projects involve close collaboration with architects and other engineers.

His current work includes projects in the UK, Bermuda and Copenhagen.

[separator headline=”h2″ title=”Mark Boyle | Global Design Director, Robert Bird Group“]

We are excited to have Mark present on the topic of:

Modular, the future of design: Is the future of design volumetric?

Mark is a widely experienced structural engineer with a background in construction and a particular interest in design-led engineering and digital design. Relishing a variety of engineering challenges, he continues to design projects of vastly differing type and scope. These include mixed use developments, sports and leisure projects, historic structures, transport facilities, educational establishments, and residential projects.

In the course of his career, Mark has developed expertise in a number of specialist areas such as non-conventional reinforced concrete, lightweight steel and long span structures including stadiums and oversite station developments, deep basements, volumetric and modular construction. He is a valuable contributor to the development of difficult urban sites. Mark has a passion for digital design and sees the application of technology to both help the creative process and facilitate the delivery and assurance of projects as a long overdue in the construction industry and ultimately will transform and modernise the industry.

Mark sees excellent, ongoing relationships with clients, architects and other design partners as key to effective engineering design. The strength of his interest in the work of these professionals is a source of many repeat commissions and, critically, often enables him to contribute to projects at the earliest stages.

Guest Panellists

We are excited to have the following Guest Panellists for this year’s Discussion Panel:

[separator headline=”h2″ title=”Kate Young | Innovation Lead & Asset Management Technical Manager, TEAM2100“]

For over 10 years Kate has held joint, complementary roles in technology leadership and asset management.  Her technical experience encompasses both strategic and operational asset management as well as key support areas such as risk management and sustainability, while her technology leadership has allowed her to work with academic and industry partners to integrate learnings and help push the industry forwards through groups such as the cross-sector Infrastructure Industry Innovation Platform (i3P) Development Leadership Group.  Most recently she has brought these two roles together within the £300m, 10 year TEAM2100 Programme as both Innovation Lead and Asset Management Technical Manager for the Major Barriers.  Kate is a Chartered Mechanical Engineer and holds a DPhil from the University of Oxford, with research focusing on the area of cross-sector, long-term decision making for infrastructure projects, particularly focusing on active, flexible approaches to planning, such as Real Option Analysis and pathways methods.

[separator headline=”h2″ title=”Gavin White |Director, Ramboll UK“]

Gavin leads the timber engineering team within Ramboll UK and has written papers and presented internationally on the subject. He has worked on over 50 timber buildings ranging from Churches and museums, to schools and conference centres.

He is a driven engineer with a keen eye for detail. He relishes problem solving and the opportunity to develop innovative engineering solutions and has been integral in the development of offsite construction techniques at Ramboll, such as Offsite Ready Reviews. He has a proven ability to deliver large projects to the agreed timescales as evident in Dalston Works, the largest Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) project globally, using more timber than any other scheme in the world by volume.

Gavin’s keen interest in sustainability and his approach to R&D and collaboration has resulted in pioneering industry research. Partnering with University of Cambridge, Bath University, Imperial College London and TRADA on various research projects, Ramboll has been able to drive this sustainable construction material into the mainstream.

Discussion Panel Chair

[separator headline=”h2″ title=”Anthony Oliver |Editorial Consultant & Journalist“]

Antony works with a range of clients across the infrastructure sector to boost communication and marketing strategies and to stimulate discussion and action in the industry. He spent the last two decades working as a journalist and editor with New Civil Engineer magazine, and most recently was creator of the website Infrastructure Intelligence. He is a chartered civil engineer and Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers and started his career with Owen Williams and Partners and Balfour Beatty. He is a member of the Construction Leadership Council’s communications and strategy groups, assists the Green Construction Board’s Infrastructure Working Group and is a Trustee of the Built Environment Trust.