Paul Westbury
MA(Cantab) CEng FIStructE FICE FREng
Born 1969. Following a degree from Cambridge University, where he was an enthusiastic member of the Jesus College sports scene, Paul commenced on Buro Happold's trainee engineer programme in 1991. A chartered structural engineer, Paul's achievements since joining Buro Happold have been notable, building up and leading the "Special Structures" group, promoting multi-disciplinary problem solving and contributing to some of the practice's most eye-catching and innovative work.
Academically gifted, he lost no time in turning his considerable intellect to the challenge of design. Perhaps Paul's greatest strength is his ability to analyse a problem from first principles, appreciating the fundamental properties of construction materials - whether they be steel, glass, concrete, fabric or indeed cardboard or carbon fibre - and intuitively understanding how individual elements behave in combination to form a design solution. This elemental perception gives him the confidence to propose unconventional solutions that are more elegant and economic than the conventional norms.
Such early design flair was given full expression within the Special Structures group. Paul was instrumental in establishing this group, perceiving the need for a team of innovative engineers to tackle unusual and challenging design problems. Initially working within the tensile structures workgroup with Ian Liddell, Paul was involved in a number of distinctive fabric structures and a year's secondment to FTL-Happold in New York saw him pursue an interest in demountable buildings, resulting in the publication of a number of technical papers. Following his return to the UK and the establishment of the Special Structures Group, Paul continued to explore the boundaries of structural engineering with a wide variety of international customers and clients, culminating in his work as the Project Engineer for the Millennium Dome in Greenwich, for which the team was awarded the Royal Academy of Engineering MacRobert Award for Innovation.
In 2000 Paul became a Principal of Buro Happold at the age of just 30, making him the company's youngest Principal. Since this time, Paul has grown his team to become multi-disciplinary and one of the largest in the company. He is now the Director of Buro Happold’s Design and Technology Board where he promotes blue sky thinking and innovation and has developed a reputation as a holistic problem solver who promotes excellence in design. Paul has worked with many leading designers around the world and has gained broad experience in complex major project design and delivery. Amongst other things, he now specialises in the engineering design of sports buildings and has worked on many innovative and challenging longspan and stadium projects in both the UK and abroad including the Emirates stadium for Arsenal FC, the new Irish rugby and football stadium at Lansdowne Road in Dublin and the O2 Arena in Greenwich. In 2002, Paul became a Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers, in 2003 a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering and in 2004 a Fellow of the Institution of Structural Engineers. His laid-back attitude combined with an intense commitment to the job in hand make him a popular manager and sought-after project leader. He has written and presented a number of technical papers and teaches on occasion, having lectured at Cambridge, Yale and MIT.
