Why mechanical engineering?
I became a mechanical engineer because I was proficient at maths and physics at school but also loved design and problem solving. I wanted to work on projects that challenged me creatively and allowed me to use my problem solving skills to develop innovative solutions.
What’s an engineering myth you’d like to debunk?
It’s not all about maths and spreadsheets! As a consulting engineer, I regularly write reports, give presentations, produce sketches and drawings and interact and communicate with people of various technical abilities as part of my daily routine.
What do you do outside of work that helps fuel your creativity and commitment to engineering?
I’m a father to two young children, Austin and Ethan. Delivering solutions which reduce carbon emissions and improve local air quality is an investment in our future and they’re a great source of motivation for that.
The little spare time I do have is spent cooking, watching sport and occasionally DIY or working on one of many half-complete woodwork projects.
Which engineer has taught you the most?
Since joining NDY over a decade ago, I’ve worked with too many excellent engineers to name just one. I’ve also been privileged to have some dedicated mentors. Our culture enables global experts to be involved in providing support for technical issues, e.g. our Brisbane team has been very supportive for the thermal storage designs for Millennium Bridge House and Dovetail building.
What’s the biggest thing you’ve learned at NDY?
Enjoy the journey and be proud of the result. Working in a bustling industry in one of the world’s busiest cities means there’s never a dull moment. We’re constantly meeting new people, going places and facing demands that can be overwhelming at times. But we’re fortunate to work with some top-tier developers and clients and to be part of high-calibre design teams delivering remarkable buildings. It’s important to take a moment to reflect on, recognise and appreciate that.
What professional relationships do you value the most?
Long term ones! Building trust and respect takes time but, once established, it’s of huge value.
If you could change one thing about the built environment, what would it be?
A focus on specifications and box-ticking with greater attention being paid to optimisation of solutions and the needs of building occupiers.
What does Making Spaces Work mean to you?
It’s the old cliché – architects make buildings look nice, structural engineers make them stand up and mechanical engineers make them work. We’re part of a team that needs to work together to achieve great results and in order to do so we need to know and understand each other’s drivers, needs and requirements and be as collaborative as possible.
