BLOG | Engineers Week – Sebastian Kalinowski shares his advice for aspiring engineers

This week is Engineers Week and a great opportunity to celebrate the talented team of engineers at IG Masonry Support. Engineering Manager Sebastian Kalinowski explains what inspired him to become an engineer and reflects on one of his favourite projects to date – the Savoy Circus project which required a bespoke solution to achieve the intricate brick façade.

1. What inspired you to become an engineer?

Engineering inspires me because it is an art of resolving problems using multidisciplinary knowledge. I was always interested in science and was fascinated by possibility of creating mathematical models which help us to analyse and predict the behaviour of different materials, members and whole systems.

2. What have been your favourite projects to work on to date?

Savoy Circus in East Acton stands out for its beautiful combination of green and red brick, various bond patterns and out of plane façade.

3. Tell us some background information on this particular project?

Savoy Circus is an eight storey student accommodation designed for 306 student beds and social spaces. IG Masonry Support was appointed to provide various masonry and stone supports in order to achieve the intricate and complicated façade within the short, 12 month programme.

4. What was the challenge in this project?

We had to preform many custom calculations in order to obtain a structurally safe system that met the architects vision and was easy to install. IG Masonry Support units had to be attached to a series of stubs rather than directly to the structure. The challenge was to coordinate the locations of the brackets with high accuracy to avoid problems during installation. This was achieved thanks to the very close cooperation between our design team and the frame supplier.

5. What solution did you design and why?

We designed a combination of bespoke, dropper masonry support systems to support the different thickness of brick leaves and stone banding.

6. What one piece of advice would you give to any aspiring young engineers?

Make a development plan, stick to it, never stop improving and enjoy your work because engineering is very rewarding.