Interning at Alan Baxter

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It was a great eight weeks working as a summer intern at Alan Baxter, a multidisciplinary design consultancy, as a junior structural engineer. The internship was immersive and challenging which not only kept me busy but helped me learn as much as possible in a short period of time.

I was tasked with solving real engineering design problems from calculations on brick pier stresses in large buildings to drawing design sketches for complex construction sequences to investigating the firmness of the ground for foundations in a large housing project consisting of 239 homes . Initially, I was trying to superimpose specific techniques I had learned in university onto dynamic problems that were littered with uncertainty and a wide range of variables. However, with prompts and guidance from experienced colleagues, as well as with lots of independent thinking, I learned how problems are practically solved in the industry in a more practical yet creative manner. These solutions are still based on principles from academia but also rely on a wealth of industrial experience and archives in order to accommodate for a dynamic world where things do not always behave or react in the precise way that academic theories suggest.

Alan Baxter places a great emphasis on engineers to sketch thoughts and problems by hand when solving almost any engineering problem. I found this very helpful in stimulating thought and visualising complex structural problems. Throughout the last eight weeks, I produced a countless number of sketches which in an iterative and incremental process, some of which developed from rough hand sketches into to sophisticated accurate drawings which were to be issued to clients.

One of the most exciting and enjoyable parts of the internship was the opportunity to get out of the office and actually look and see things for myself on various sites from the Royal Academy of Music to Stationer’s Hall which is a grade two listed building. This was invaluable experience as it enabled me to see first-hand, how design solutions manifested into real structures on site. Although, I had previously worked as a labourer on site, this was far different to visiting sites with experienced engineers and analysing key structural features of the building and how different parts were dependent on each other. 

Alan Baxter has a unique competitive advantage as an engineering consultancy which hosts several architectural, environmental and conservational specialist firms in close proximity in one building. This enables the sharing of knowledge and collaboration on projects which often involve several firms. It was great to be in such a environment as it helped me view the projects we were working on in a much more wider perspective. I could now look more at the character of buildings and structures and how they connected with their surrounding areas; how they aligned with social and cultural values and even the affect of political factors such as the affect of Brexit on the property market. As a general engineering student, this really resonated with me as I was able to understand how different disciplines intertwine with each other in large projects and the importance of individuals who have an understanding of many fields to aid teamwork and collaboration. 

In-house lunch three times a week was a fantastic opportunity to build a cohesive working environment and a strong team where we could really get to know those we were working with on a much more personal level. This accelerated my transition into my team and other colleagues at work from different parts of the business. It also translated to a stronger team unit who could recognise each other’s sensitivities as well strengths to collaborate and work together in an optimal way.

Projects-in-progress meetings were a great opportunity to learn about projects other teams were working on and challenges they were facing. This was another effective method of effective knowledge sharing in the firm which helps to raise the standard of work produced and also serves to further aid personal development of employees. It was also very exciting and thought-provoking to discuss ethical and controversial issues on wide-scale projects and people’s individual thoughts on them. The main area of discussion was balancing the push to maintain cultural heritage and history whilst maintaining modernity in an international and global city.

Overall, I found my time at Alan Baxter exciting and immensely productive; one where I learned a huge amount, gaining invaluable insights into the civil engineering industry. I really hope to continue my professional journey in a similar fashion to that of the last eight weeks, aiming to work even harder and to learn even more to aid my own personal development for a hopefully impactful future career.