From roundabouts to roadworks, and ponds to pedestrian areas, I’ve helped to deliver them all.
Hi, I’m Siobhan Barr, a chartered senior quantity surveyor from Skanska, a leading construction company and developer. Today I am blogging about the role I play as a woman in engineering as part of International Women in Engineering Day.
With a degree in mechanical engineering design, plus an MSc in quantity surveying, people say I’m good with numbers. I’m also highly organised, confident in dealing with different people and able to simplify complex information.
I’m currently working on Project Wellesley, a two-part Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) scheme. The first part is building a world-class tri-services training facility for military personnel at Worthy Down in Winchester. This includes delivering a college, recreational facilities and accommodation. The second part is creating Mindenhurst – a new community development being built on the site of the Princess Royal Barracks in Deepcut, Surrey. The schemes will help MOD to rationalise its estate and improve its training provision.
I’m proud of how our team of construction and development experts, subcontractors and designers create solutions to improve communities. I’ve worked on several schemes, including the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, which go beyond just building, to become projects that make a real positive contribution to society. I know that Mindenhurst will too.
Alongside pulling on my boots and walking the site to check on progress with the team, I track all costs and provide accurate financial information to the Skanska project leadership team. I also help to monitor any contractual risks and potential programme slippage (where works could overrun), so good analytical skills and forensic attention to detail are very handy! It can be a pressurised role due to deadlines, but it’s essential to keep the project running smoothly.
I hope my blog inspires and encourages women to choose a career in engineering. Working on projects with DIO has provided me with some unique and exciting opportunities and it could for you too.
1 comment
Comment by Graham Dalton posted on
Siobhan. On the basis of that, who wouldn’t want to be an engineer or construction professional - regardless of gender, race or background? A great summary of the variety and responsibility so far in your career. Thank you for sharing this insight, and of course for describing the part that Skanska and other contractors are playing as part of the Whole Force.