Alex is a chartered engineer who has gained a wealth of experience working in the built environment proving engineering design and consultancy services for projects such as residential developments, earthwork assessment, and drainage system design.
When did you first become aware of the possibility of a career in engineering?
I’ve been aware of the field for a long time, but the key memory for me is a demonstration during school. We filled a bucket with sand, layering it with sheets of paper every centimetre or so until the bucket was full. We then tipped it upside down to create a reinforced sand dome. When one of our teachers drove their car over the dome and it held up without collapsing, the intrigue built up in me, reminding me how interesting the engineering can be.
What inspires you about Engineering?
For me it is always being able to find a solution to challenging technical problems and building an expanding knowledge of how elements of our infrastructure are constructed and connected. Combining traditional methods with advances in engineering techniques enables us to come up with innovative design solutions for our evolving construction landscape.
What advice do you have for someone interested in engineering?
Go outside and see how many features you can explain the design purpose for. And once you’ve done that, follow this feature to anything connecting to it to develop a sense of how everything is connected. Everything else can be learned or taught.
What is your favourite structure and why?
My favourite structure currently built is the Eurotunnel, mainly because of the immense constraints and issues in designing such a large structure, with such high factors of safety and unique challenges involved. While all projects involve unique challenges, this one strikes me as one of the most challenging, situations and environments to design for.
Photo Credit – Vinci Construction
Photo Credit – Eurotunnel