2020 Smeaton Lecture: The Consulting Engineers - The British consulting engineers who created the world’s infrastructure. Tuesday 21 July 2020 Welcome Chair: Paul Sheffield President, ICE ice.org.uk
13/07/2020 Institution of Civil Engineers 2 2 Speaker Hugh Ferguson Former Deputy Director General of the Institution of Civil Engineers ice.org.uk
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2020 Smeaton Lecture: The Consulting Engineers - The British consulting engineers who created the world’s infrastructure. Tuesday 21 July 2020 First part: • What is a consulting engineer? And what makes them different from any other sort of engineer? • Why were British consulting engineers so much more successful internationally than any others? • Did British consulting engineers really create the world’s infrastructure?
Second part: • The Great Consultants and their firms, their successes and failures
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13/07/2020 Institution of Civil Engineers 5 5 Cornelius Vermuyden – Fens engineer 1621 Westminster Bridge – Charles Labelye 1739-50
13/07/2020 Institution of Civil Engineers 6 John Smeaton Eddystone Lighthouse and the Forth & Clyde Canal
13/07/2020 Institution of Civil Engineers 7 Consulting Engineers and the British Empire Lithgow Zig Zag carrying the Sydney Railway over the Blue Mountains of New South Wales (John Fowler) Bridge over the Echamuttee River in India, part of the East Bengal Railway (IK Brunel)
13/07/2020 Institution of Civil Engineers 8 British consulting engineers in Europe Top: Gotha Canal and Kiev Bridge. Right: the Hamburg Scroll Below: Joseph Locke and the Barentin Viaduct
13/07/2020 Institution of Civil Engineers 9 British consulting engineers outside Europe Valparaiso Station on the Santiago & Valparaiso Railway in Chile (1850s William Lloyd) The Shanghai-Woosung Railway in China on its opening day (George Barclay Bruce)
13/07/2020 Institution of Civil Engineers 10 Great George Street and Westminster Interior of 29 Great George Street (James Simpson, Consulting Engineer)
13/07/2020 Institution of Civil Engineers 11 Reasons for British consulting engineers’ success overseas in the 19th century:
• The Industrial Revolution • Finance from Britain • British Culture
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13/07/2020 Institution of Civil Engineers 1212 Founders of the Association of Consulting Engineers Alfred Dykes and Henry Handcock of electrical consulting engineering firm Handcock & Dykes
13/07/2020 Institution of Civil Engineers 13 “A consulting engineer is a person possessing the necessary qualifications to practice in one or more of the various branches of engineering who devotes himself to advising the public on engineering matters or to designing and supervising the construction of engineering works, and for such purposes occupies and employs his own office and staff, and is not directly or indirectly concerned or interested in commercial or manufacturing interests such as would tend to influence his exercise of independent professional judgement on the matters upon which he advises.” Association of Consulting Engineers, 1912
ACE’s Code of Conduct: • No fee competition
• No advertising of services ice.org.uk • No limit to legal liability. 13/07/2020 Institution of Civil Engineers 1414 Capital value of overseas work in hand by UK consulting engineers
700
600
500
400
300
200
100
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1950 1961 1967 1972 1974 1976 1978
13/07/2020 Institution of Civil Engineers 15 Capital value of overseas work in hand by UK consulting engineers
1600
1400
1200
1000
800
600
400
200
0 19501 19612 19673 19724 19745 19766 19787
13/07/2020 Institution of Civil Engineers 16 Capital value of overseas work in hand by UK consulting engineers
3000
2500
2000
1500
1000
500
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1950 1961 1967 1972 1974 1976 1978
13/07/2020 Institution of Civil Engineers 17 Capital value of overseas work in hand by UK consulting engineers
6000
5000
4000
3000
2000
1000
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1950 1961 1967 1972 1974 1976 1978
13/07/2020 Institution of Civil Engineers 18 Capital value of overseas work in hand by UK consulting engineers
16000
14000
12000
10000
8000
6000
4000
2000
0 19501 19612 19673 19724 19745 19766 19787
13/07/2020 Institution of Civil Engineers 19 Capital value of overseas work in hand by UK consulting engineers
35000
30000
25000
20000
15000
10000
5000
0 19501 19612 19673 19724 19745 19766 19787
13/07/2020 Institution of Civil Engineers 20 ‘Clients abroad do not, in many cases, appear to understand the advantages of employing Consulting Engineers although their employment would, in most cases, be of considerable value to authorities undertaking large engineering schemes. Their advice is impartial and unbiased since by their code they can have no financial interest in any manufacturing or contracting organisation.’ ‘It may also be thought that a project will cost more if Consultants are employed because their fee is additional to the Contractor’s costs. A separate fee has to be paid to the Consultant but this does not mean the whole work will cost more. If the Contractor does the design he has to cover this cost, and if he does a design and does not get the constructional work he can only recoup himself on his expenses for the design by charging extra on some subsequent work. The Consulting Engineer is paid on a fee basis and cannot have any hidden costs but on the contrary can see that the Contractor does not have any.’ Association of Consulting Engineers , 1950s ice.org.uk
13/07/2020 Institution of Civil Engineers 2121 Funding by International Development Banks Mangla Dam in Pakistan, Binnie & Partners, 1961-65, funded by the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank.
13/07/2020 Institution of Civil Engineers 22 Middle East construction boom Mina Jebel Ali port, Dubai (Sir William Halcrow & Partners) ACE at the Baghdad Trade Fair, 1954
13/07/2020 Institution of Civil Engineers 23 Hong Kong construction First cross-harbour tunnel and Kai Tak airport (Scott & Wilson / Scott Wilson Kirkpatrick & Partners) Sha Tin New Town (G Maunsell & Partners) Hongkong Bank Building (Ove Arup & Partners)
13/07/2020 Institution of Civil Engineers 24 Growth of firms 1980-2015
20000
18000
16000
14000 Ove Arup & Partners 12000 WS Atkins Group Sir Alexander Gibb & Partners/Jacobs
10000 Sir William Halcrow & Partners Scott Wilson Kirkpatrick & Partners/URS Binnie & Partners/Black & Veatch 8000 Merz & McLellan Mott Hay & Anderson/Mott MacDonald 6000 WSP
4000
2000
0
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1979 1981 1983 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2009 2011 2013 2015 1980 1982 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2010 2012 2014 Changes to firms of consulting engineers from the early 1980s:
• Problems of growth • Increasing litigiousness • Punitive taxation of partnerships
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13/07/2020 Institution of Civil Engineers 2626 Margaret Thatcher’s 1979 election victory
13/07/2020 Institution of Civil Engineers 27 Effects of Government initiatives on consulting engineers from the early 1980s:
• Cuts in infrastructure spending • Fee competition introduced • Advertising allowed • Limited liability permitted • Privatisation ice.org.uk
13/07/2020 Institution of Civil Engineers 2828 Privatisation
• Road Construction Units transferred to consulting firms • ‘Externalisation’ of local authorities’ technical services • British Rail design offices • New Town Development Corporations • Regional Health Authorities’ design services
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13/07/2020 Institution of Civil Engineers 2929 Mergers and Acquisitions • Gibb – Law – Jacobs • Travers Morgan – Huntingdon – Symonds – Capita • Watson Hawksley – Montgomery Watson – MWH Group • Binnie – Black & Veatch • Posford Duvivier – Royal Haskoning • Maunsell and Faber – AECOM • Scott Wilson – URS – AECOM • Babtie - Jacobs • Halcrow – CH2MHill – Jacobs • Hyder – Arcadis • BDP – Nippon Koei ice.org.uk
13/07/2020 Institution of Civil Engineers 3030 James Brindley and the Bridgewater Canal
13/07/2020 Institution of Civil Engineers 31 John Smeaton Eddystone Lighthouse and the Forth & Clyde Canal
13/07/2020 Institution of Civil Engineers 32 Willian Jessop West India Docks and Bristol Docks
13/07/2020 Institution of Civil Engineers 33 Thomas Telford: Pontcyssylte Aqueduct and Menai Suspension Bridge
13/07/2020 Institution of Civil Engineers 34 James Meadows Rendel: Grimsby Docks and (by Rendel Palmer & Tritton): a 1950s oil tanker berth in Kuwait, and the Thames Barrier
13/07/2020 Institution of Civil Engineers 35 Consulting Engineers Timeline
Thomas Simpson – James Simpson – John Taylor & Sons – Acer – Hyder – Arcadis
Douglass family – William Douglass – Lewis & Lewis – Lewis & Duvivier – PosfordDuvivier – Royal Haskoning DHV
13/07/2020 Institution of Civil Engineers 36 Unflattering remarks about Consulting Engineers in the 19th century:
“The term consulting engineer is a very vague one, and in practice has been much used to mean a man who for a consideration sells his name but nothing more. Now I never connect myself with an engineering work except as the directing engineer, who, under the directors, has the sole responsibility and control of the engineering, and is therefore ‘The Engineer’; and I have always objected to the term ‘Consulting Engineer” IK Brunel, 1851
‘So very little ad hoc education went to make an Engineer, when Engineers were in demand, but some men, on the score of moderate acquaintance with mathematics, or with chemistry, or gifted with nothing more than a faculty of utterance, thought that they might at least come in as Consulting Engineers’ FR Conder, 1868 ice.org.uk
13/07/2020 Institution of Civil Engineers 3737 Thomas Hawsley: Vrynwy Dam, and campaigns against public sector engineers
13/07/2020 Institution of Civil Engineers 38 Thomas Bouch Belah Viaduct, and the Tay Bridge disaster
13/07/2020 Institution of Civil Engineers 39 Thomas Bouch’s Forth Bridge design Sir John Fowler and Sir Benjamin Baker
13/07/2020 Institution of Civil Engineers 40 Fowler and Baker: Metropolitan Railway, Forth Bridge and Aswan Dam
13/07/2020 Institution of Civil Engineers 41 Sir John Wolfe Barry and Tower Bridge
13/07/2020 Institution of Civil Engineers 42 Geoffrey Binnie Mangla Dam and the Abbeystead Disaster
13/07/2020 Institution of Civil Engineers 43 Sir William Halcrow Clyde Tunnel and Dubai Dry Dock
13/07/2020 Institution of Civil Engineers 44 Sir Basil Mott Mersey Tunnel and the Channel Tunnel
13/07/2020 Institution of Civil Engineers 45 John Taylor Babtie Allt-na-Lairige prestressed concrete dam and the M73 Ballieston Interchange
13/07/2020 Institution of Civil Engineers 46 Sir Alexander Gibb Galloway hydro-electric scheme, and Lar Dam in Iran
13/07/2020 Institution of Civil Engineers 47 Guy Maunsell Gladesville Bridge, Sydney,and Hammersmith Flyover
13/07/2020 Institution of Civil Engineers 48 Sir Charles Fox Crystal Palace for the 1851 Great Exhibition
13/07/2020 Institution of Civil Engineers 49 Sir Ralph Freeman Victoria Falls Bridge, and joining the two cantilevers of Sydney Harbour Bridge in 1930
13/07/2020 Institution of Civil Engineers 50 Freeman Fox & Partners Forth Road Bridge and West Gate Bridge disaster
13/07/2020 Institution of Civil Engineers 51 Guthlac Wilson Royal Festival Hall and Greta Bridge, Keswick
13/07/2020 Institution of Civil Engineers 52 Sir Ove Arup Sydney Opera House, Centre Pompidou and Kylesku Bridge
13/07/2020 Institution of Civil Engineers 53 Sir William Atkins Abbey Steelworks and Dubai Metro
13/07/2020 Institution of Civil Engineers 54 Chris Cole of WSP One World Trade Centre and The Shard
13/07/2020 Institution of Civil Engineers 55 Buy now at 30% discount: www.icebookshop.com
13/07/2020 Institution of Civil Engineers 56 *Offer ends on 7 August 2020 Question and Answers Chair: Paul Sheffield President, ICE ice.org.uk
13/07/2020 Institution of Civil Engineers 57 57 Vote of Thanks Douglas Oakervee President, Smeatonian Society ice.org.uk
13/07/2020 Institution of Civil Engineers 58 58 Refreshment Break 5 minute break before the Panel Discussion
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13/07/2020 Institution of Civil Engineers 59 59 Panel Discussion with Future Leaders
Holly Smith, Graduate Engineer, Skanska Hayley Jackson, Site Engineer, Taylor Woodrow Tim Hou, Assistant Civil Engineer, Mott MacDonald
Joseph Marner, Engineer, WSP ice.org.uk
13/07/2020 60 Summation and Closing Remarks Chair: Paul Sheffield President, ICE ice.org.uk
13/07/2020 Institution of Civil Engineers 61 61 Recorded Lecture To access a recording of this evening’s presentation please visit: www.ice.org.uk/recordedlectures ice.org.uk
13/07/2020 Institution of Civil Engineers 62 62 ICE Strategy Session – How do we achieve a reinvention in infrastructure delivery? Thursday 30 July 2020
www.ice.org.uk/events/ice-strategy-reinvention-in-infrastructure-online Thank you
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