On Engineers Week Priyang Patel shares his advice for aspiring engineers and talks about how the Oaklea project presented an interesting challenge to develop a bespoke solution to meet the needs of the project.
What inspired you to become an engineer?
From the moment I realised I wasn’t going to be a professional footballer I wanted to study something that is a foundation to the world. Quite literally, an aspect of civil engineering builds the foundation for mega structures and from there stemmed the interest in structural components and analyses.
What have been your favourite projects to work on to date?
I think intricate architectural projects are great to work on, not just from an engineering point of view, but design and imagination. Every project is different and so there is a vast learning curve but some of my favourite projects have been around brick slip feature lintel products with intricate corbelled arch designs like the Oaklea Project.
Tell us some background information on this particular project?
Bill Harvey at Chandlers Building Supplies contacted me and explained one of his key customer accounts needed a unique brick slip feature arch design and required assurances the prefabricated lintel could be designed, manufactured and delivered to site within the designated time frame.
What was the challenge in this project?
The challenge was to design the steelwork around the stonework. It was my first time working with a stone and brick slip combination, so I needed to establish with the builder and stone mason early on the correct dimensions using the proposed AutoCAD design to ensure the offsite prefabricated lintel fitted seamlessly on site.
What one piece of advice would you give to any aspiring young engineers?
Be open minded, ensure you ask for help and advice when needed to further enhance your knowledge. The more experience you get, the better you will become.
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