Olá!
I am Ruben. I’m excited to be taking over SD’s social media for the week. It’s a great opportunity to share what we do at SD, what we are all about, and how I fit in.
I’m starting the week with a post about myself, why I chose structural engineering, and how SD and I started our collaboration.
My family is full of creative people: my mum is a clothes designer, multiple uncles are painters, and a very close cousin of mine is an Architect. It was from a young age that my older cousin and I started playing with Lego with the aim of defying gravity! When my cousin was enrolled into architecture school, I became even more interested in the subject. We would spend days talking about it all. However, I was always super fascinated with how geometries are put together and built, and that’s why I chose engineering instead. I’ve always seen structural engineering as “doing architecture through structures”. A project that summarises that for me is Habitat 67 in Montreal – take a look!
After finishing my studies in Portugal, 3 years of civil engineering and 2 years of a masters in structural, I moved to London. I wanted to work at a vibrant studio with a creative passion for structural design and to do exactly what I think of this discipline: architecture through structures. A lot of research later and I found SD, a young practice with exciting projects. They weren’t advertising a position, but I speculatively sent them my CV and was invited for an interview. Our goals, ethos, and personalities aligned perfectly, and I became SD employee No.1!
Shortly after I joined, my university professor emailed me to say a former student was also living and working in London. I reached out and Mário Ferreira came for an interview and became SD employee No.2.
For two years it was just the four of us: two British Directors and two young Portuguese engineers. It felt amazing that Andy and Mike gave us the opportunity to contribute to the creation and growth of SD Structures. As graduates, it was especially great for our development as we were working directly with both Directors. It exponentially contributed to the consolidation of our university knowledge and our confidence!
Does anyone else want to share their story of why they chose structural engineering? I’d love to hear them! And, what are your thoughts on the extent of exposure graduate engineers should have throughout their first job?