Talking tough on embodied carbon: Holistic design, innovation and re-animation

As time ticks away to BCC’s Net Zero by 2030 target we caught up with Rob Nield - leader of the Webb Yates Engineers Midlands office and chartered structural engineer – to talk about his approach to lowering embodied (or upfront) carbon which can be responsible for a significant portion of a building’s carbon life cycle.We talked about their current portfolio and plans in the region, their approach to design and sustainability and how they are using innovative material systems coupled with extensive research and development to challenge the status quo in contemporary building design. The Building Brum podcast is sponsored by reality capture and point cloud modeling specialists ScanTech Digital,  Solus, one of the UK’s leading suppliers of commercial floor and wall tiles and Sunbelt Rentals with over 1,000,000 items of equipment- they are the largest providers of equipment hire in the UK.Rob Nield, Associate Director - MEng (Hons) CEng MIStructE Rob is a Chartered Structural Engineer with over 17 years of experience on a wide range of projects, both in the UK and internationally. During this time, he has successfully led a number of multidisciplinary teams to deliver innovative and sustainable project solutions. His design experience covers structural steelwork, reinforced concrete, timber, masonry, glass, and post-tensioned stone.Starting his career at Arup in 2005 Rob joined Webb Yates Engineers’ London office in 2012 delivering projects including Barrett’s Grove – a Stirling Prize shortlisted residential development in Stoke Newington with a cross laminated timber structure; and Wimbledon College of Art – one of the first Timber Concrete Composite structures in the UK and winner of numerous sustainability awards.Relocating to the Midlands in 2015 he returned to Arup to deliver regionally significant projects including the design of HS2 Interchange Station in Solihull with it’s organic timber roof, and One Centenary Way an innovative 16 storey exoskeleton building suspended over the Queensway tunnel.Rob rejoined Webb Yates Engineers in 2020 to lead the Midlands office and currently manages a varied portfolio of exciting projects across the UK and abroad.Having worked with numerous leading architects his expertise lies in the production of efficient, elegant and low carbon structural solutions as part of an overall holistic design. An in-depth understanding of the design process, ability to visually communicate high level ideas and fine attention to detail during the construction stage has led to Rob’s track record in successfully delivering high quality and award winning projects.