Expertise · AtkinsRéalis
Henry Still is an Engineer at AtkinsRéalis in the United Kingdom. Partway through the construction of a balanced cantilever viaduct, unforeseen ground conditions forced a change to the construction sequence. The bridge's behaviour depended on that sequence. Henry Still had to show that the revised plan would still deliver the bridge as designed.
In Henry Still's own words.
"Always understand the reason why. Meaningful design decisions can only be made when there is a deep understanding of the assumptions and constraints."
I see myself as innovative and driven by curiosity and an analytical approach. That is why I believe you can't simply accept the answer from a model or accept a design. You need to understand the reasoning behind every decision if you want to achieve excellence.
During the construction of a three-span post-tensioned balanced cantilever viaduct on the A465 Heads of the Valleys project, unforeseen ground conditions required significant changes to the planned construction sequence. As the bridge's behavior was highly dependent on staged construction, I used detailed MIDAS Civil models to assess the impact of the revised methodology on the structure's performance.
By combining advanced analysis with engineering judgement, I was able to confirm the revised approach remained structurally acceptable while maintaining the original design intent. This helped reduce construction risk, maintain programme certainty, and reinforced the importance of understanding the "why" behind every result.
Q. On the M28 project, what changed once the culvert design was automated?
MIDAS Civil NX fundamentally changed how we approached culvert design. We combined the software's automation capabilities with its API tools. This dramatically reduced the time required for modelling, loading, analysis and reinforcement verification.
Above all, it showed me how automation can eliminate repetitive tasks. Engineers can now spend more time applying judgement and understanding structural behaviour. They can optimise designs rather than simply producing calculations.
Asking why gave Henry Still a result that could be acted on with confidence. On the A465, a changed construction sequence went ahead with lower construction risk and the programme held. On the M28, automation became time for judgement instead of more calculations. Which answer in your current model would you want to understand before it reaches site?