14 September 2005
Jim Cook, Group Director of Buro Happold Ground Engineering has been officially instated as the new chairman of the Association of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Specialists (AGS).
His 30 years experience as a geotechnical engineer will be brought to bear in this two year long role. Jim’s priority, as AGS chairman, will be to represent and champion the interests of geotechnical and geoenvironmental engineers within the industry. Many issues now face the geotechnical profession, including the challenge to counteract the lack of recognition for geotechnical engineers and the high level of skills shortage in the UK marketplace. Jim hopes to help the AGS address and raise awareness of these issues and how they can be overcome.
As chairman, Jim will also lead the AGS’ initiative to introduce a site investigation project benchmarking kit which will provide useful guidance as to what is needed to provide a “quality site investigation”.
The AGS brings together members from across the industry ranging from specialist contractors, specialist consultants, service project providers to ground engineers. Established since the early 1990’s the AGS is a non profit trade association that actively works towards the improved quality, communications and professional practice of geotechnical and geoenvironmental engineering in the construction industry.
The Association is also concerned with the reduction of geotechnical MSc courses offered by UK universities as a result of the reduction in funding levels and as a result actively liaises with those universities that offer these courses.
In addition, the AGS enlightens the industry in other ways, such as through publications for members and by providing advice to member organisations, for example with the production of guidance documents and good practise guidelines. The AGS aims to educate the industry from both a legal and commercial point of view via a range of newsletters, toolkits, notification of changes to legislation and loss prevention alerts.
Buro Happold
Press office and practice information at www.burohappold.com
Buro Happold is a multi-disciplinary international practice of consulting engineers established in 1976 offering civil and structural engineering, mechanical and electrical engineering, quantity surveying, building services and environmental engineering, health and safety management, infrastructure and traffic engineering, ground engineering, façade engineering, fire engineering, computational fluid dynamics analysis, disability design consultancy, project management, urban design and a range of specialist CAD services.
Contact Solveig Sellers
Tel 020 7927 9700
Fax 0870 787 4145
Email Solveig.Sellers@burohappold.com
The Association of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Specialists (AGS)
Further information at www.ags.org.uk
Contact Dianne Jennings
Tel 020 8658 8212
Email ags@ags.org.uk
