Ian Liddell

Ian Liddell is well known for his work in tensioned fabric and cable structures although his engineering experience is much wider than this. This came about in the way these things do, in that having done one of two structures of this nature one becomes an expert and then gets further involvement which allows one to gain knowledge and experience. This started in the mid seventies when fabric structures were in their infancy. Prior to that when he left Cambridge in 1960 he went to Ove Arup and Partners where he had the good fortune to work on the Sydney Opera House roofs with Peter Rice and other interesting engineers. He also spent five years working with a concrete contracting company Holst & Co on a wide range of structures including chimneys and cooling towers, some of which for various reasons fell down. Following which he went back to architectural structures at Arups. He was a founding partner with Ted Happold of Buro Happold which 25 years later has grown to a sizeable firm well respected for its aim to carry out quality and appropriate engineering for buildings. There he has been responsible for a number of notable projects including the Dome. He remains a hands-on engineer and has an interest in airships and very large flexible barges for water transportation both of which may come to fruition in the near future.