Firm appoints former Arup director to boost building capability

Structure of Walkie Talkie topped out

Engineer Halcrow has appointed a former Arup engineer Mark Richards to its tall buildings team as part of a strategic move to boost its capability in the sector.

Richards has previously worked on design and delivery of a number of major tall building projects across the globe including the Heron Tower in London.

He will now work as a director in Halcrow’s buildings engineering team.

Bill Bannister, European director for buildings at Halcrow’s parent firm CH2M Hill, said tall buildings were going to be a “huge part of our future built environment and landscape”.

He added: “We [CH2M Hill and Halcrow] are planning to invest significantly in this specialist area of structural engineering and Mark’s appointment boosts our tall buildings offer significantly.”

The firm’s tall buildings team has previously worked on the Walkie-Talkie at 20 Fenchurch Street London, the Royal London Hospital and Leeds United Football Club.