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Charles Hemming-Clark

Charles Hemming-Clark

Graduate civil engineer, Frankham Consultancy Group

Expertise

Design, Construction, Structural

Location

United Kingdom
My highlights

Working on the refurbishment of a cast iron footbridge at Woolwich Dockyard Station 

Working on the refurbishment of the Peckham Rye Station Building, featured on BBC London 

Winning the Outstanding Contribution to the Industry Award at the NCE Graduate and Apprenticeship Awards 2023

A day in my life

My day is a mix of designing, collaborating and learning.

My usual day starts with breakfast, I can't begin the day without it.

I tend to start with planning my day out, over a coffee or a hot chocolate (if I want something sweet).

Throughout my working day I tend to be focused on mostly design calculations, identifying hazards of my design and collaborating with others.

In between I have meetings and catch up with members of my team, sometimes at the local cafe.

My evenings tend to be fairly chilled, but I try to exercise most evenings and catch up on any news from the ICE.

Engineers have the opportunity to help safeguard the future, by progressing infrastructure towards important goals like net zero and the UN SDGs.

Which individual project or person inspired you to become a civil engineer?

My secondary school maths teacher – she’d been a civil engineer previously.

We asked Charles…

I would recommend a career in civil engineering because…

It’s fun! I have worked on a variety of different things so far in my career and no day has been the same. I even got to go on a hovercraft.

What’s the biggest/most complex thing you’ve made out of Lego? How long did it take you?

Believe it or not, it was a bridge at primary school. It must have taken me at least the whole day.

I remember at the time my favourite colour was red, so I think I spent half the time just looking for red Lego bricks.

Complete this phrase: I’m a civil engineer, but I’m also…

A home chef. I love cooking for friends and family, and trying my hand at lots of different cuisines.

What about being a civil engineer gets you out of bed each morning?

I love the interaction and collaboration with colleagues to solve problems. It’s a good feeling when you and your colleagues have managed to solve a problem.

What’s one great thing that you love about civil engineering that you didn’t know until you started working in the industry?

Engineers have the opportunity to help safeguard the future, by progressing infrastructure towards important goals like net zero and the UN SDGs.

Which civil engineering project (past or present) do you wish you’d worked on?

The large hadron collider. I remember the fascination of it being turned on for the first time.

Name one civil engineering myth you’d like to bust.

That it’s boring. Civil engineering has so many avenues to choose from that anyone can find something suited to their interests.

What motivated you, or is motivating you, to become professionally qualified? 

The ICE is a historic institution and when you think of a famous civil engineer, they were more than likely a part of the ICE.

To one day be chartered by the same institution that has welcomed so many accomplished engineers is all the motivation I need.

What does being professionally qualified with the ICE mean for your career?  

Recognition that I have become a well-rounded engineer and person.

What do you value most about being an ICE member? 

The ICE’s core values and code of conduct.

How has being a member helped your career? 

The networking with so many different individuals from varying fields of work, which means I’m always learning.

Any personal causes?

Sustainability – I love learning how we can contribute more to saving the planet.

Charles' career path

Studied a Civil Engineering BEng at Loughborough University, graduated in 2021.

Major projects

  • Refurbishment of the historic cast iron footbridge at Woolwich Dockyward Station.
  • Replacement of a bridge main span Ryde St John’s Station.
  • Involved in the team that helped refurbish the Peckham Rye Station Building, the project featured on BBC London and won several heritage awards.