BEng (Hons) MSc
ASSOCIATE, UK

A technically confident all-rounder with a can-do attitude, Oliver is always ready to tackle a challenge and add to his engineering toolbox of solutions. He admits he’s “a bit of a perfectionist”, adding, “I am happy to sweat the details when the project calls for it and enjoy expressing structure in pure forms.” A keen sketcher, he often conveys ideas “by making a scribble on a page, whiteboard or tablet.”

Oliver excels at assessing structures with finite element analysis, knowing when to consider higher orders of complexity and how to validate results through interrogation of the underlying assumptions, using Revit, Rhino and Grasshopper to find solutions to geometrical problems. He’s proficient in Autodesk Robot software, and is developing in-house training to maximise opportunities for its use.

He mentors and encourages less experienced engineers, working with his team to ensure everyone feels supported and empowered to work to their full potential — teaching, explaining engineering concepts, sharing knowledge and learning from others. He also reports to our Technical Excellence Group on CROSS health and safety matters in the UK.

Oliver leads Whitby Wood’s Timber Development Group. He steers our in-house timber design processes by delivering training to engineers, directing areas of research and development, researching emerging technologies and products through attending conferences and lectures. With sustainability in mind, he says, “My ethos is to ensure we are designing things with real social value that people will want to maintain, refurbish and protect for many years.”

Oliver’s design expertise covers timber (domestic scale and engineered timber products), masonry (conventional loadbearing and arch assessment), steel, concrete, aluminium and hybrid structures. A particular interest is demountable installations, where his temporary works experience is key to optimising construction methodology in his permanent works designs. He loves bespoke schemes and designing unusually shaped buildings, considering the suitability and sustainability of combining different materials to meet the ongoing structural requirements.

Oliver is design lead for Royal Mint Gardens Aparthotel, London, a 15-storey mixed use residential/hotel supported on multistorey steel transfer trusses spanning over underground and overground rail lines.

Royal Mint Gardens Aparthotel, City of London, UK
12-storey aparthotel and residential over two live railways
One Hundred, Bristol, UK
BCO Award nominated office refurbishment
Queensgate, Birmingham, UK
office to residential conversion with lateral stability strengthening
Purley Way, Croydon, UK
three residential towers on a sloping site
Preston Barracks redevelopment, Brighton, East Sussex, UK
fast-track construction of eight residential buildings