Richard Harris
Associate Director
Structural engineering
Structures, Bath

Richard Harris, a chartered engineer with over 30 years experience in the construction industry, joined the structural engineering team at Buro Happold’s Bath office in 1984. Richard leads Buro Happold’s work in the field of timber engineering. He has designed a number of innovative timber buildings and is involved in research projects using wood and wood products.

Richard led the Weald and Downland Open Air Museum project in Chichester, the construction of a two-storey building on a terrace on the hillside, covered by a two-layer oak gridshell. The museum uses green wood building techniques in a public environment, with the aim of encouraging the use of wood from sustainable woodlands.

A more recent project, the elegantly engineered Savill Building in Windsor Great Park, swept the board at the 2006 Wood Awards, which recognises outstanding design and craftsmanship in wood. The largest timber gridshell in the UK, this environmentally friendly building underlines Buro Happold’s talent for innovative, modern design using sustainable materials and modern construction methods.