As promised, we are back with a second instalment of ‘In the Limelight’, this time with Senior Engineer Shoaib Gangat. Shoaib, based in our Cambridge office, talks industry, sustainability and his encounter with Clarkson on Top Gear…
What do you enjoy most working for Peter Dann?
Working within a medium-sized practice creates a more personal and relaxed environment with a knowledgeable team. The variety of projects that we have allows us to be challenged as opposed to being part of a repetitive production line.
What’s the most exciting or interesting project you’ve worked on for Peter Dann?
Hartham Leisure Centre. It incorporated a variety of materials to achieve the primary structural form which helped address sustainable aspirations from a structural perspective. The curved roof profile allowed us to utilise sustainable materials with the use of exposed curved glulam roof members supported on the head of steel columns to the main first floor podium structure below. The roof was also required to support a solar panel array, and the south elevation was designed to incorporate a living wall – a visual statement of the building’s sustainability agenda. We hope users enjoy the new facility as much as we did designing it!
What attracted you to the industry?
To be honest I kind of fell into it. I had spoken to my uncle, an electrical engineer, about careers. He suggested the construction industry. After research I applied for a few different roles within different practices and disciplines. I accepted a role at Watermans; I enjoyed the challenge and was allowed to develop swiftly.
Fun Fact?
I was in the audience of the penultimate episode of Top Gear before the original cast left and can be seen in the audience. During filming, Jeremy Clarkson thought I was from Argentina (a sensitive topic for him at the time).