Aaron Matthew

Project manager, Turner & Townsend

Expertise

Design, Construction, Project management

Location

United Kingdom

My highlights

ICE Project 13 Future Leader (and ICE Past President Sir John Armitt’s President’s Apprentice in 2015/6)

Working on Transport for London project to release land around railways for affordable housing

Creating the international Pitch 200 competition for ICE in 2017

My working day

I work on projects at Heathrow that will improve the customer experience of all passengers.

To get my project delivered, I need to ensure that all customers can use my products. That means if you’re visually impaired, a person with reduced mobility or an expectant mother, you get the same experience at Heathrow Airport.

After walking around the area which I’m developing, I’m usually found emailing and creating plans to get the best passenger experience for Heathrow.

I’m a civil engineer, but I’m also... a sketcher. I keep a sketchbook on me at all times to channel my thoughts.

My career inspiration

I was inspired to be an engineer because of the beautiful buildings of my parents’ hometown in India. I’d spend hours drawing them, trying to understand how and why they came into existence.

Aaron Matthew at Pitch 200, which he created.

We asked Aaron…

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

Learning about a whole new world every day. Recently, I found out Heathrow has an underground chapel and now I’m trying to work out the faith requirements of our passengers.

What’s the most complex thing you’ve made out of Lego?

I was a huge fan of when Lego first came up with the sensors and motor units. I spent hours programming and configuring my robots to navigate my house. The stairs were my biggest and unfulfilled challenge.

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

That you can work in every single field and combine your passions.

Whatever you're interested in, engineering is involved. At Transport for London (TfL) I got to combine my passion for trains and skyscrapers on a number of projects that looked at putting buildings on top of stations.

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

Engineers are introverts obsessed with details.

Has civil engineering helped you overcome any personal or professional challenges/difficulties?

I’m a very creatively-driven person. Engineering really helped me learn processes and methods to deliver my fantastic ideas onto paper in a realistic way. I think I’ve become a much better communicator in real life because of it.

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

I would’ve loved to have worked on Hudson Yards. Imagine putting a whole new city block in downtown Manhattan on top of a train shed. I met the team in an engineering meeting and was awed by the size and complexity.

Why you would recommend a career in civil engineering?

You get to work with a ton of new people on new tasks every day! I have written legal documents, made announcements on the trains, repaired Santander bikes and explored underground stations. Every day is different and every day you can do something different.