Meet Charlie, a Chief Engineer at Costain.
When Charlie started out as an engineer for Costain in 1982, engineers were not yet working on computers. Fast-forward 44 years and he is still delivering infrastructure projects and solving engineering challenges, working as part of Costain's role on TfL's Infrastructure Improvement Framework.
What led you to your career at Costain?
"I joined Costain in 1982 shortly after graduating from the University of Leeds, beginning my first job delivering highways upgrades on the A470 between Abercynon to Pentrebach in Wales. This was a complex job where I gained early experience in earthworks, drainage and structures."
How does your work improve people's lives?
"At the start of my career, I worked on several major road schemes in Wales, including the M4 around Swansea, the Second Severn Crossing and the Conwy Crossing, the UK's first immersed tube tunnel. These were all nationally significant projects that shaped the road network in Wales and had a large impact on many people's lives by improving travel times, supporting prosperity and developing the local economy."
What is your proudest achievement at Costain, and why?
"Over the years I have mentored and supported many engineers, some of whom have gone on to senior positions in Costain and other companies. I love the friendships and receiving messages of thanks from the people I’ve worked with. Recently one of our design managers messaged me saying 'I've really enjoyed working with you and have learnt so much. For many of us on the framework, you are what we aspire to be'. It was lovely to receive that message and I love helping people in their careers."
What do you enjoy most about working at Costain?
"Costain works on a huge range of complex projects and I enjoy coming up with innovative and effective engineering solutions to difficult challenges. A good recent example is at Gallows Corner where, as part of the refurbishment of the flyover, we developed a clever construction method at the design phase of the project which involved creating a precast concrete deck that was built off site and was then lifted into position. This approach promoted lots of efficiency and safety benefits."
What have you learned, or what has inspired you, during your time at Costain?
"A colleague once said to me: 'Charlie, there are people who make things simple and people who make things complicated.' This is so true: make sure you can communicate at a level of complexity that's appropriate for who you are talking to."
What has changed and what reflections do you have regarding your time at Costain?
"When I started as a site engineer there were no computers in construction! They started to appear in the 1990’s. We weren’t allowed to take calculators on site, so your mental arithmetic had to be good when setting out and reducing levels. EDM’s were only for surveyors: we Engineers measured with steel tapes or chains! There was a thing called “The Wimpey Clap” which was a method of fixing a line perpendicular to the centre line. Contract programmes were written on very big pieces of paper, and once written didn’t change much because if you changed something you had to rewrite the whole programme. Drawings were drawn with ink pens, and if you needed to change them you scratched lines off the drawing with a razor blade! Site Management was about how you built the job and programmed it. This is a very small part of what we manage on sites now."
What has made you stay at Costain for 44 years?
"I have had a great variety of jobs during my time at Costain and worked across a range of projects and sectors which has kept it interesting and challenging. I have held several key engineering roles involving planning, design management and project management. This experience has given me a well-rounded knowledge of how to deliver different infrastructure projects. I've also served as Chief Engineer for Costain, overseeing projects in Wales and the West of England, which is similar to my current role on TfL's Infrastructure Improvement Framework."