PROFILE: This is my story - Pierre van der Spuy

Pierre van der Spuy a Structural Engineer who specializes in the design of bridges tells THIS IS MY STORY about the Olifants River Arch Bridge a project he worked on which required careful analysis and innovative construction techniques.

Please give us a brief summary about your career 

I graduated from Stellenbosch University in 2008 with a BEng in Civil Engineering. I started my career at Zutari (then Africon) in 2009 within the Buildings team where I worked on a beach resort in Abu Dhabi and an office building in Ghana, both of which experience strong seismicity. In the same year I commenced with my postgraduate studies at the University of Cape Town (MEng) under supervision of Professor Pilate Moyo. 

In 2010 I moved to Aurecon Cape Town’s Bridges team where I immediately received exposure on a large project, being the Greytown Interchange project in Pietermaritzburg. I participated in the design of an incrementally launched bridge! I have been fortunate to have outstanding mentors. Hennie Niehaus, Theo Philotheo and Rossouw Conradie are amongst those that stand out.

I graduated from UCT at the end of 2014 and in 2015 I joined BVI for a short period where I worked on some large SANRAL projects and a couple of wind farms. In 2016 I rejoined Aurecon and spent most of the year working on a precast segmental balanced cantilever interchange bridge in Sydney, Australia. I also registered as PrEng in 2016. 

Towards the end of 2016 I decided to put my career on hold for three years to study towards a PhD in Structural Engineering at Stellenbosch University under supervision of Professor Roman Lenner. My thesis was submitted for examination at the end of 2019 and in December we emigrated to join Aurecon in Dubai for a couple of years. COVID had other ideas and in June 2020 I returned to South Africa! I rejoined the Zutari bridges team in Cape Town which is where I still am to this day. I teach at Stellenbosch University as an adjunct faculty member.

Give us details of a project and situation that made an impact in your career.

I have been fortunate to work on a couple of signature bridges since the start of my career. One that stands out for me is the Olifants River Arch Bridge which was completed in 2019, about 6 years after we started work on the project. The arch spans 97 m which is considered to be long in South African terms and I had to revert to first principles to make the structural system work.

Besides exciting projects, I think by far the most rewarding experience of my career was to go back to university at the age of 31 to study towards a PhD. It is a privilege to immerse yourself in a problem for three years and to make a novel contribution to the field. Working on a thesis, be it masters or doctoral, teaches you analytical skills far beyond just the writing of a thesis. It does make you a stronger engineer and I always encourage the right candidates to pursue postgraduate studies.

What was your position and duties on the project?

I believe I was given more responsibility than my year’s experience warranted, but I was privileged to be entrusted with the design of the main bridge. This included concept and detail design.

Why does this project stand out to you?

The client requested a fully integral structure with bearings only at the abutments. This made the structure highly statically indeterminate which required careful analysis and innovative construction techniques. The bridge won several awards which provided Zutari and the contractors with excellent exposure. Amongst these awards was the SAICE award for the Most Outstanding Achievement in Civil Engineering in South Africa which we are really proud of.

What were the important lessons you learnt from this project?

There is no recipe to design a bridge like this one. Engineers are trained to understand design fundamentals and these designs test your comprehension to the maximum. A vital skill is to know what you don’t know and when to seek the input of your colleagues. You need to interrogate your design models over and over again and make sure that what you determine in your design ends up on the construction drawings!

What were career mistakes or regrets you experienced on the project?

No regrets!

This industry is said to be one of the toughest industries, how did you manage to stay in for so long?

Many people often say that engineers do their job for the love of it. This is usually said as a joke when referring to salaries when compared to other industries! I don’t believe this view and I think there is a good living to be made out of engineering. That said, I really do it for the love of it. It challenges me daily and my employer offers a wide range of stimulating projects. Being challenged is more important than anything to me.

ALSO READ THIS IS MY STORY - Nyameko Magongo

In your opinion what are the biggest challenges facing the industry currently and how can they be overcome?

All industries in South Africa (and most other countries) face great challenges. If we don’t transform, we can’t survive. We have been particularly poor at building diversity in our industry, both gender diversity and racial diversity, 27 years into democracy. Great effort is needed to improve, but from my involvement at Stellenbosch University and by observing the strong feed of highly talented and diverse individuals joining our company, I have great hope and am confident that good work is being done in this regard. It is our responsibility.

Do you have a STORY to share about a project/situation that made a positive impact in your career? Send us the details here

If you would like to be notified via email when a Construction/Built Environment Professional shares his/her story send us your details here