The art of engineering

But to Mike Crane, engineering seemed a perfectly natural career to choose. “If you equate sport with teamwork and energy; art with creativity and practicality; and maths with a logical mind then you could see that mix leads to a career in construction and engineering. Engineering is about being out there, communicating clearly and concisely and having the desire to make a difference.”

At Whitby Bird he’s not that unusual. “Mark Whitby included art as a higher lever subject, and it’s a combination we look out for in applicants.”

Crane believes that it’s easy to stereotype engineers as being purely science and maths based, but that wider interests early on in life have contributed to the working philosophy of Whitby Bird:”We have a broader interest in the built environment as opposed to purely structures, m&e or a particular aspect of engineering. For us, it’s about achieving your clients’ ambitions through contributing to the whole process of designing and constructing a building.”

Crane left Southampton University with a degree in civil engineering and went to work for Harris & Sutherland in the early 1970s. “Mark and Bryn (Bird) were working there at the time. They were very cerebral engineers, pressing the traditional boundaries at the time. It was a great grounding. After that I went to Wimpey Construction to get my site experience and engineering chartership.”

He enjoyed his time at Wimpey, gaining practical experience including work on the Gatwick Airport expansion. Crane says that the management training was also key to his development. “I was doing well there. But there were changes at the start of the 80s, and I was getting itchy feet too. I still had this desire to design and was starting to question some of the designs we were being asked to build. Why would someone deliver a design that was uncoordinated, impractical and with no thought at all for the guy who was trying to piece it together? I saw designs which specified unbelievably heavy pieces of reinforcing that looked nothing on the drawing, but needed a crane to move each bar.”

So in 1985, two years after Whitby Bird was founded, Crane joined as partner. “They had landed a fantastic job in Covent Garden Piazza – a very complicated mixed use development. For two people who had just set up, to land such a big job with a fast track programme was great, but they soon learned the demands of delivering such a project. I had contracting experience and could see that I could help them. But it was a wonderful start to the practice.”

The mid 80s and the recession would not have been everyone’s choice of a time to set up a new business. Crane says Whitby Bird benefited from years of experience both in engineering and in business. “We knew that cash had to flow through the veins of the business, as well as producing good designs. A lot of our contemporaries suffered because they lacked the business skills.”

Crane also says that good job management and confidence in planning is key to success. “Our job management system is a very powerful tool for monitoring spend and workflow predictions. It’s simple, visual and accurate. The last thing you want to be doing is spending your day on administrative tasks – hours, time, billing and fees – to the exclusion of what the client is paying you for.”

Crane believes that increased mutual respect between architects and engineers is necessary to create the best buildings for clients.

“More and more architects appreciate the engineering of buildings, particularly as we get into sustainable buildings, and energy efficiency. You have to work holistically.”