Rod is a founding partner of Buro Happold, and in May 2005, became Chairman. He is a civil & structural engineer, Fellow of the Institution of Structural Engineers, a Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers, Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Building, member of the Institution of Royal Engineers, Past Chairman of the Association of Consulting Engineers (2 years), Past Chairman of RedR UK (6 years), and Trustee of the Happold Trust.
More than anything, Rod truly enjoys working with clients and architects on common issues to create great projects. He is leading initiatives in modular construction, decentralised infrastructure, new methods of design, and developing the Buro Happold global business. Rod recently relocated to the Middle East to keep contact with our very significant and very senior clients in the Middle East, Asia and Europe on a frequent basis.
Rod has lead various projects throughout the UK and worldwide, including in Africa, where he is leading a consortium of engineering firms to help achieve significant improvement in the lives of urban dwellers. Our industry is in a rapid state of change, he says, and engineering consultancies must change with it. He believes that engineers serve clients best when they provide sound engineering principles, giving value to the vision held by the client. Complementing his comprehensive vision of engineering, Rod sees construction projects (their forces, energy, construction and procurement methods) with the same clarity and wide scope. His understanding of finance, engineering and product design is especially keen.
Projects in which he has played a major role include: UK: Millennium Point, Digbeth; The Lowry, Salford; Birmingham Hippodrome; The Royal Armouries Museum, Leeds;Theatre Royal, Glasgow; Pitlochry Festival Theatre; Manchester Olympic Stadium, Cutlers Wharf, Sheffield; Springfield Way and Swan Walk, Horsham and the Worcester College Student Residential Building. Worldwide: Rod has worked on Fountain Square development, Naish Khana Urban Development, Baghdad, Iraq and SBS Headquarters, Seoul, Korea. More recent projects include BBC Media Village project, Verbus Modular Housing, Royal Ascot, Battersea Power Station and Snoasis.