A Year of Growth: Harry Spears’ Industrial Placement at Bryden Wood

During my time at Bryden Wood in the Civils team, the majority of my work was on a data center to be constructed in Italy. However, I also worked on brief forays into other projects, such as planning applications, designing data centers in Slough and Belgium, and working on a European reference design.

While working on the Italian data center, I was responsible for completing the RIBA Stage 3 and Stage 4 packages, designing the utilities and drainage for the nearby site, and coordinating with different teams to ensure the project ran smoothly. I also used software like Civils 3D to design the on-site utilities and worked closely with other team members to make sure everything was aligned.

In the Structures team, I got to work on a variety of projects and learn how to use different software tools. I helped assess the safety of a hospital roof, designed the structure for a research hangar in Antarctica, fixed a problem with a theater ceiling, and evaluated the strength of concrete units for a research laboratory.

Being in London also provided me with the opportunity to attend a wide range of CPDs offered by ICE, IStructE, and other institutions. Some of the most memorable events included The Big Debate: can capitalism solve climate change?, The role of engineers in humanitarian and international development efforts, and The Big Biodiversity Bash.

Overall, I gained loads of experience in both Structural and Civil Engineering disciplines, enhancing my technical skills and industry knowledge. Finally, a massive thank you to my lecturers, the Engineering Industrial Placement Year Team, and to everyone at Bryden Wood!