I have led the design management process of a range of projects in terms of complexity, size and uses: university complexes (libraries, archive buildings, state of the art education and research facilities), healthcare projects (wards, laboratories, clinical areas), single and mixed-use commercial office complexes, residential developments and schools. My particular areas of expertise are in consultant selection and appointments, managing the design and pre-construction activities. Also ensuring commissioning management procedures are put in place, and closing out and handing over successful projects. Thereafter, instigating post-occupancy studies to understand how the building services engineering designs worked for the building occupants, operations and maintenance staff.

I fully appreciate the challenges in design management – where design issues cannot be resolved by squeezing the design process, achieving milestones but with less information or making explicit decisions to change design sequences. There are a lot of factors to be considered and many disciplines and stakeholders involved. Non-existent or ineffective design management results in extended design timescales.

I have always been keen to enthuse and motivate students and trainees and has used her ‘hands-on’ perspective to support full-time academics and teachers. She has been a visiting lecturer at the University of the West of England and the City of Bristol College: also, contributing to the development of the syllabuses, in particular, ensuring the relevance to current industry trends and requirements.

I was awarded my doctorate from the University of the West of England, researching into ways and means of improving the contribution of building services engineers to the building design process: looking at how they are perceived by the rest of the construction industry and what tools and processes would help improve their performances.