UNITED KINGDOM About Contact Choose website HOME OUR SERVICES YOUR MARKETS PROJECTS WORLDWIDE NEWS CAREERS United Kingdom About People Women at Ramboll Kate Waldron | OWNERSHIP - RAMBOLL... KEY THEMES INNOVATION TRACK RECORD SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY PEOPLE Women at Ramboll AWARDS BUSINESS ETHICS CORPORATE VIDEO LINKS “I ENJOY THE PROBLEM-SOLVING ASPECT OF ENGINEERING” Kate Waldron discusses supportive engineering colleagues, Frei Otto’s elegant engineering style and the complexities of information ownership as the industry adapts to digital collaboration. Kate has covered a wide spectrum of structural engineering schemes since joining Ramboll as a graduate engineer. Now an Associate, her experience has included new buildings, refurbishments and forensics projects. What was your first job? My first job was at WhitbyBird in Bath during my university holidays. Why did you choose a career in engineering? My dad is an architect and he introduced me to buildings and construction at an early age. I also enjoyed maths and physics at school, so engineering seemed like a profession that I would find interesting so I decided to study Civil Engineering at the University of Bristol. What do you enjoy most about working in the field? I really like the problem-solving aspect of engineering – these could be everything from high-level scheme design down to the small details on site. What have you found most surprising about working in engineering? It is not surprising to me, but people outside the profession may not realise how supportive working with engineers can be. Engineers naturally want to solve problems and we are all interested in what each other is doing. Should I ever need some advice or input, most people will make time whether they are in my team or from a different discipline altogether. What is your engineering passion? I think that sustainable building is really important, so I am really passionate about sustainable projects and the use of low carbon building materials, such as timber. What one thing do you think would encourage more women into engineering careers? I think that less aggressive, contractual relationships between construction professionals and a better work/life balance would encourage more women to pursue engineering careers. Which historic project do you wish you had worked on? The Munich Olympic Stadium by German architect and structural engineer, Frei Otto. Representing the new democratic and optimistic Germany with its sweeping, transparent canopies, the idea behind the design is simple yet so beautiful and elegant. Who are your engineering heroes and why? I have great admiration for Frei Otto and Swiss civil engineer Robert Maillart for the simplicity and pure engineering of their designs. What are your predictions for the future of engineering? With Building Information Modelling (BIM) becoming increasingly important, we will be working in 3D more and more. I also think that the lines between the ownership of information will become more blurred and as a result, the processes surrounding those interactions will change the way we work in the future. © Ramboll UK Limited Company registration no. +44 (0)20 7631 5291 london@ramboll.co.uk Sitemap Contact