Prof. Harbinder Birdi, Birdi & Partners

Talk: Engineering as a Creative Act

Harbinder and Architect and founder of Birdi & Partners – a creative consultancy providing advice on design and procurement to government bodies and the private sector . He led the design and delivery for Tottenham Court Road station on The Elizabeth Line and the central section of Thames Tideway Tunnel. He is a fellow of the RIBA, ICE, RSA and as a Professor of Architecture at the University of Cambridge,  lectures on inter-disciplinary design at universities in the UK and internationally.

Alessandro Margnelli, AKT II

Talk: Binding Macro and Micro

Alessandro is a technical director with a passion for the vibration of buildings under wind and seismic actions. He holds a PhD in Performance-Based Design for Earthquake Structures, focusing on the effects of seismic actions on structures. Alessandro has been a visiting professor of design at UCL for the past five years and continues to lecture there. He is also part of the Research Centre for Civil Engineering Structures at City University. At AKT II, Alessandro leads the Parametric Applied Research (Part) and Bioclimatic teams. He has led several outstanding projects, including the Vessel in New York, Kistefos Bridge in Norway, and the Google headquarters in King’s Cross, London

Kelly Harrison, Whitby Wood

Talk: Thinking Differently (New perspectives and getting away from business as usual)

Kelly’s skills in fostering strong team and client relationships underpin her 15 years’ experience in successfully developing detailed design for projects in the residential, commercial, education and cultural sectors — from large-scale housing projects and industrial building conversions to special structures such as staircases and private residences. Before joining Whitby Wood in 2020, she expanded her timber design capabilities by taking a key role in project-led timber research, following through with in-house knowledge sharing.

Aween Abubaker, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill

Talk: Bridging the Gaps: From Human Insight to Digital Innovation

Aween is a dynamic professional, poised to break norms and make a lasting impact. With a personality conducive to collaboration, inciting enthusiasm, and team-building, she brings a unique perspective to engineering derived from diverse experiences in four different countries. Aween has over 5 years of experience and expertise in the AEC industry, specializing in computational design thinking and processes, developing interoperability work?ows between structural design, analysis, and documentation programs.

Mike Brooks, Buro Happold

Talk: Breathing New Life Into Battersea Power Station

Mike work focuses on commercial projects in central London with a particular focus on sustainable building design and redevelopment of existing assets. Mike’s particular specialisms include steelwork structures, and he was a key figure in Buro Happold’s commitment to Steel Zero, ensuring steel design & specification within Buro Happold aids in accelerating the steel industry towards net zero carbon emissions.

Nick Cole, Robert Bird Group

Workshop title: Topology Optimisation – Challenging Our Intuition

As ‘Engineering and Technology’ Lead for Europe and the USA, Nick drives innovation and industry leading initiatives into the RBG group. His expansive portfolio spans diverse sectors, including sports, entertainment, residential, and refurbishment projects. Nick’s notable projects include the design of several high-profile stadium and complex, long span Over Station Development projects. Nick has a passion for applying cutting edge digital technology to projects, with a focus on optimising structures for sustainability, cost and buildability.