About Engineering Thinking
Exploring the big issues that will affect us – and how we can tackle them – is a key part of how we as engineers play an essential role in the future of our world.
We encourage education, discussion and debate, bringing together like-minded people in our industry to think about the things that impact us and what we can do to make a difference. The Happold Foundation believes that urbanisation, scarcity of resource and climate change are key areas that need our focus. From raising awareness amongst those who can help us instigate change, to working closely with others in the sector to identify actions that need to be taken, we centre on exploring ideas and solutions to improve the foundations of our communities. We want our work to reach the widest possible audience, promoting how engineers can change the path of the built environment for the benefit of all.
Conversations
We believe that knowledge sharing and debate are essential to both our personal growth as engineers and to the offering we have as a profession overall. So, the Happold Foundation host a series of conversations that are designed to encourage engaging thought leadership discussions around key topics in the industry. From addressing issues such as global energy issues in the UK to considering next steps for urban development in the UK, we provide neutral ground for people from all backgrounds to come and participate in discovering solutions for today’s challenges. Our conversations lead to real answers; encouraging some of the most influential industry leaders and some of the rising stars in our sector to input into the debate.
Lectures
Education is important at all stages of a career in the build environment. We run a number of different public lectures throughout the year that are designed to inform and challenge those working in and studying the built environment. Hosted by experts in their field, our lectures cover topics that we as a charity consider to be vital to the development of our industry and society as a whole. We believe in making education wide reaching, engaging and assessable, so we offer a range of lectures on different specialist areas for engineers at various stages of their careers.
Forming a key part of our activities, our Happold Lecture in association with Women’s Engineering Society took place in September 2021 in front of a in person and online audience.
Happold Foundation Happold Lecture 2017
2017 saw the Happold Lecture take place in New York City for the first time. Themed Rebuilding or Relocating: How to Respond to Climate Change, the lecture featured Harriet Tregoning (Obama’s Chief Resilience Officer), BuroHappold’s Kate Ascher, Bates College’s Elizabeth Rush and David Waggoner of Waggonner&Ball Architects. https://youtu.be/6he1Khud5eQ https://youtu.be/DFTQBw2wK0Q
Happold Foundation Happold Lecture 2016
2016 – ‘Climate Change: Been there, seen that, proved it?’ by Emily Shuckburgh, Deputy Head of the Polar Ocean Division at the British Antarctic Survey (BAS), 17 March 2016 IET Savoy Place. https://youtu.be/nokkfMbK06w
Ted Happold Memorial Lecture, Royal Society of Arts 2006
‘Adapting to a Changing Coastline in East Anglia’ Prof. Tim O’Riordan, Emeritus Professor of Environmental Science at the University of East Anglia and working with the Tyndale Centre of Climate Change Research on a project aimed at designing sustainable coast lines for the future.
2004 ‘New Ways of Engineering for Developing Economies’ Himanshu Parikh
2001 ‘Urban Engineering for Sustainable Development’ Prof. Peter Guthrie, Professor of Engineering for Sustainable Development, Cambridge University
1999 ‘Do You Want to Control the Temperature?’ Prof. Max Fordham OBE, Vice President, CIBSE
1998 ‘Representation in Building’ Steven Groak, Director, Ove Arup
Construction Industry Council Happold Lecture (CIC) 2013 – ‘Collective responsibility for a sustainable industry’, by Robin Nicolson CBE, former chairman of the Construction Industry Council (1998 – 2000)
2012 – ‘Who holds the pencil?’ by Keith Clarke CBE, former chairman of the Construction Industry Council (2008-2010),
2011 – Can we get there from here?’ by Paul Morrell, OBE, the government’s Chief Construction Adviser
2008 – ‘Engineering Sustainable Architecture‘ by Patrick Bellew, Founding Director of Atelier Ten – Royal Aeronautical Society – Boeing Room
2007 – ‘House Building – A Lost English Art?‘ by Sir Peter Hall, Professor of Planning at the Bartlett School of Architecture & Planning, University College London and President of the Town and Country Planning Association
2005 – ‘The Regeneration of Manchester – The Rebuilding of The City‘ by Sir Howard Bernstein, Chief Executive, Manchester City Council – Institute of Civil Engineers, Telford Hall
2001 – ‘Building Sustainable Britain plc‘ by Tessa Tennant, Co-founder of the Association for Sustainable and Responsible Investment in Asia, and is on the UK Government’s Advisory Committee for Business and the Environment – Guildhall, City of London
2000 – ‘Natural Capitalism, The Next Industrial Revolution‘ by Amory Lovins, Chief Executive of the Rocky Mountain Institute, Colorado, USA – RIBA Florence Hall
1998 – ‘Building for the Future: Town and Country in Sustainable Development‘ by Sir Crispen Tickell GCMG KCVO, Convenor of the British Government Panel on Sustainable Development – Church House, Westminster