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Category: People

First human entry to the Christ Church Cathedral!

August 25, 2022September 19, 2022 Leave a Comment on First human entry to the Christ Church Cathedral!

In case you missed it—last week, after more than two years of strengthening work, humans were finally given the all clear to safely enter the Ōtautahi (Christchurch) Christ Church Cathedral for the first time since Urban Search and Rescue in 2011, post earthquake!

As part of the Christ Church Cathedral Reinstatement Project team, our very own Manager of Structures South, Peter Carney, was one of two people (pictured) to enter the site.

Prior to human entry, ‘Spot’ the remote-controlled robot dog, drones, and an impressive remote-controlled digger were the only technologies to have entered the Cathedral—as part of the Reinstatement Project. So it was a true privilege and honour for Pete to be one of the first humans to enter this site!

Our team of expert structural engineers and drafters are proud to be part of the team helping deliver this important ‘Rebuild Christchurch’ project. The Christ Church Cathedral Reinstatement Limited (CCRL) was established in August 2018 with the sole purpose of reinstating Christ Church Cathedral. Holmes is proud to be working alongside Keith Paterson (CRRL’s Project Director), the team at Naylor Love, Rawlinsons, Warren and Mahoney, and Heritage Professionals William Fulton and Jenny May.

[Image credit: © Tom Cuthbert \ Belmont].

Read more here: First human entry into Cathedral since 2011 (christchurchcathedral.org.nz)

 

Going Green: Sustainability in engineering. An interview with Lisa Oliver, Project Director

February 21, 2022September 19, 2022 Leave a Comment on Going Green: Sustainability in engineering. An interview with Lisa Oliver, Project Director
‘For returning Kiwi with offshore experience in sustainability and design there has never been a better opportunity to bring those skills home and get involved in a wide variety of projects.’

Lisa Oliver, Project Director here at Holmes was recently interviewed by Kea New Zealand about her passion for mass timber design, her involvement in sustainability, and how Aotearoa New Zealand is well placed to lead the repurposing and strengthening of existing buildings.

Read her interesting insights and where structural engineering has taken her (and her family!) in the world here: Lisa’s Kea Interview

 

Assessing buildings after the 2011 Christchurch earthquake.

Who runs the (engineering) world

June 23, 2021September 19, 2022 Leave a Comment on Who runs the (engineering) world

A Holmes Fire Engineer is a challenger to the expected, motivated to find the best solution for all, and is curious in the face of a new problem. 

Making up nearly 15% of our current team, the women at Holmes have played an important role in our success across Australia, New Zealand and the US. From graduate roles to branch managers, Holmes firmly believes in giving women the tools and support they need to reach their professional goals. As the industry continues to expand and engineering becomes a more common career choice for women, we believe that we have been extremely fortunate to find the right engineers for our team so far but also look forward to discovering talented female fire engineers to join us.

This International Women in Engineering Day #INWED2021, we’ve chosen to shine the spotlight on a few of the women engineers in our Leadership team. In each of their roles and as engineers, they’ve brought their own talents, skills and drive to the table to support Holmes and the wider team as mentors, educators, problem-solvers and luminaries.

Click on their images below to find out a little more about each of these inspiring women.

Sarnia Rusbridge

Project Director

Sydney AU

Kathryn Devine

Business Manager | Project Director

Auckland NZ

Keryn Goble

Project Director

Auckland NZ

Alyson Blair, Senior Fire Engineer Downtown

Alyson Blair

Senior Fire Engineer

San Francisco US

Celebrating diversity at Holmes

March 2, 2020September 19, 2022 Leave a Comment on Celebrating diversity at Holmes

We know diversity and inclusion is a significant opportunity to build stronger, more creative, more resilient teams at Holmes. Each member’s personal journey, vibrant personalities and aspirations offer unique perspectives to complex problems and contribute to the culture we’re so proud of.

This past week, we joined our colleagues in Sydney celebrating Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras and those in Aotearoa New Zealand celebrating Pride Month. Holmes is committed to ensuring our people are comfortable and feel respected in their environment—regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity.

To provide an opportunity to grow and prioritise diversity at Holmes, Together@Holmes (TAHi) was born. TAHi has been formed with a group of people around the business who are passionate about Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion (DEI) at Holmes.

Our long-term vision at Holmes is to be more representative of the communities we serve— and the places we live and work.

At Holmes, we encourage our team to dream big and therefore, empower them to achieve their goals;

  • In an environment where you can relax and be yourself.
  • Where we recognise and value diversity of thought and approach.
  • With equal support and equal opportunity to grow and develop.

The new faces of our Fire Practice in Australia

January 19, 2020September 19, 2022 Leave a Comment on The new faces of our Fire Practice in Australia

We know OUR PEOPLE are our strength and the reason we are the fire engineers of choice for so many of our clients.

Our team is filled with dynamic, diverging and inquisitive personalities from all over the world, together they foster the positive culture that we’re so proud of.

In 2019 we found a further 25 people internationally who embodied the Holmes energy. Find out how the four new members of our Australian team have found life at Holmes so far.

 

SELENA CHIN

Fire Engineer
SYD

 

Selena is a recent graduate from the University of Maryland, receiving her Master of Science in Fire Protection in December 2018. She made the big move across the world to join the Sydney team in February 2019. Selena has worked on a variety of buildings in different project sections since joining Holmes Fire, but has been especially involved in projects with residential buildings.

Selena brings a fresh perspective to the projects she works on from her experience in the US and is utilising her student knowhow to establish herself as a speed report writer within the team. Selena is attentive and thorough in her understanding of new projects, which coupled with her keen interest in problem-solving makes her an asset to any project team.


What attracted you to Holmes Fire?

Holmes Fire offered a multinational experience with many UMD alums to vouch for the company.

How have you found it so far?

Great – company culture is unrivalled and I’m learning new things everyday.

What do you love and what do you hate about fire engineering?

I love the purpose it serves and how every project is different, but fire engineering is still relatively unknown and doesn’t get the recognition it deserves.

How do you recharge when work’s out?

In my free time, I like to play soccer (when I’m not injured), explore Sydney, and bake. I have just started a volunteer coaching position for the 2020 season, coaching an All Age Women’s Division 2 soccer team.

What would you be doing if you weren’t working at Holmes Fire right now?

The body has always fascinated me, especially given my affinity for sports. I think if I weren’t working as a Fire Engineer, I would be in school studying to be a physiotherapist.


 

JARED MATTERN

Fire Engineer
SYD

Jared joined the Holmes Fire Sydney team in April 2019 following an extended holiday, travelling through Asia.

With over 5 years’ experience as a Fire Protection Engineer in San Francisco, Jared has worked extensively on large scale residential and commercial projects. He is especially familiar with performance-based solutions for atria and complex smoke control. Jared enjoys problem solving with innovative technical solutions – his projects of choice are often unique and challenging, requiring his technical eye to solve any technical conflicts and increase design flexibility.


What attracted you to Holmes Fire?

I had some interaction with Holmes Fire while working in San Francisco. They appeared to be trying to innovate more than just providing standard design advice. When I had finally decided to move to Australia, I knew I wanted to pursue a career with Holmes Fire.

How have you found it so far?

The transition to Sydney and primarily Performance-based Fire Engineering has been a refreshing change of pace, allowing for a greater opportunity to learn and be creative.

What do you love and what do you hate about fire engineering?

The variety of the work. Each project is so different, giving me many opportunities to learn across several different topics. The variety of projects also means you do not typically get stuck working the same project all day everyday, for months or years on end, keeping me from getting bored. Litigation and legislation can impact the approval process, making it more difficult to receive approval for sound technical solutions – often not because of the contents of the science itself but the current public zeitgeist on a topic.

How do you recharge when work’s out?

Travelling is my recharge. Exploring another country with little more than a backpack allows for a different perspective of your life/world.

What would you be doing if you weren’t working at Holmes Fire right now?

If I hadn’t gone down the path of Fire Engineering that led me to Holmes Fire I would be working as a Structural Engineer somewhere in the States.


 

SILVIA PARRA

Fire Engineer
SYD

Silvia joined Holmes Fire Sydney after completing her International Master of Science in Fire Safety Engineering, a specialised Fire Safety degree that involves studying at three prominent universities around Europe over two years. The universities Silvia attended to attain this degree include the University of Edinburgh (UK), Lund University (Sweden) and Ghent University (Belgium).

Silvia inclination towards fire engineering began through her previous position in her home country, Colombia, which involved the coordination of design projects and designing active fire protection systems.

Silvia has experience working on projects in a range of sectors including residential, education and healthcare. Her expertise in BIM and modelling applications is a valuable addition to any project, which she’s always happy to share with the team.


What attracted you to Holmes Fire?

Holmes Fire is well known in the Fire Engineering field around the world. I came to know about Holmes Fire by information coming from the United States while I was in Europe. Then I found out that Holmes Fire is the most experienced fire engineering firm in Australasia and this definitely caught my attention.

How have you found it so far?

Holmes Fire is great. I like the collaborative environment in the office. Everyone is willing to help, to guide on technical matters and to share their knowledge with the less experienced ones.

What do you love and what do you hate about fire engineering?

What I love of Fire Engineering is being able to apply engineering concepts to increase the level of safety of occupants in a building. It is rewarding to know that we are working for the wellbeing of people.

What I find the less enjoyable is the little relevance that some people think Fire Engineering has in their projects. Some underestimate the involvement of a fire engineering team in the early stages of a project and then struggle to rectify mistakes when the construction process is already too advanced.

How do you recharge when work’s out?

Food always gives me a big boost when I need some energy. I keep little chocolates or cookies with me. Lately, I’m becoming a big fan of the coffee available in the office.

What would you be doing if you weren’t working at Holmes Fire right now?

Most likely, I would be working in my home country in the design or installation of fire protection systems since what we know here in Australia as Performance-Based Design is not applied there. With a bit of luck, I would be working for another fire engineering consultancy company, possibly outside Australia.


 


MICHAEL TSITOVITCH

Senior Fire Engineer
MELB

The newest addition to the team, Michael joined the Melbourne team in December –  just in time for the end of year party! Michael’s experience in the Australian construction industry began as an engineering intern during his undergraduate studies until he joined the field as a qualified engineer in 2014. Conveniently receiving his C10 accreditation within weeks of joining Holme Fire, Michael has been a valuable addition to the senior team, bringing experience from his work on a wide range of projects including mixed-use developments, residential, infrastructure, commercial, entertainment, healthcare, childcare, aged care and education.

Michael is especially experienced in large scale mixed-use, airport, and entertainment projects requiring the use of fire engineering software and tools to develop fire and life safety strategies. His experience in both fire safety and fire services has allowed Michael to develop exceptional project management and communication skills. With the end goal always in mind, Michael works closely with other engineering disciplines and project stakeholders to ensure fire engineered solutions are customised, sound and commercially viable.


What attracted you to Holmes Fire?

Holmes Fire has always been a trusted name in the industry including representation at various professional bodies, committees, and government inquiries, as well as possessing an impressive range of project involvement. When a current employee reached out and let me know Holmes Fire was hiring, I was very sceptical hearing that the only negative about working at Holmes Fire was the office location being one block too far from a particular public transport stop!

Having met with some of the senior staff, it quickly became apparent that Holmes Fire would be a great fit for both my professional and personal aspirations.

How have you found it so far?

The Holmes Fire ‘family’ have welcomed me with open arms. It is an absolute pleasure to be working alongside this group of bright-minded individuals. The friendly back and forth banter has been a welcome part of the overall laidback office vibe.

What do you love and what do you hate about fire engineering?

Fire engineering is an ever-evolving field that combines aspects of mechanical, electrical, structural, fire protection and chemical engineering disciplines together with building law and human behaviour. This diversity is one of the major drawcards to fire engineering. One thing that frustrates me is the inconsistency in the approval processes between states and territories, as well as the registration of fire engineers.

How do you recharge when work’s out?

By standing next to a power point…

In all seriousness though, spending time in the great outdoors as well as with family and friends are my ‘from where you’d rather be’.

What would you be doing if you weren’t working at Holmes Fire right now?

Flying has always captured my imagination. If it weren’t for Holmes Fire I could see myself as a pilot, preferably in a fighter jet. Over the years I have developed a great respect for the fire brigades – so alternatively, I imagine firefighting would also be a rewarding career.


 

If  you’re looking for a change and you think the Holmes culture might be a fit for you, visit our Careers page to see if there’s a role you

Or just get in touch, we’d love to hear from other like-minded people out there who believe they’re what we’re missing.

Holmes opens in Melbourne

April 15, 2019September 19, 2022 Leave a Comment on Holmes opens in Melbourne

We’re excited to announce Holmes is now operating in Melbourne!

Following the success of over 20 years in Sydney, and two years in Brisbane—our Melbourne office will allow us to more easily service and add value for our increasing number of clients in Victoria.

We will be bringing the high levels of quality and service that Holmes is renowned for. In addition, we want to open the Melbourne market’s eyes to the cost savings and design potential that performance-based structural fire engineering can bring to projects of all sectors.

Launching the expansion south will be Mathew Freeman (CPEng), a Technical Director here with us at Holmes.

In the 11+ years Matt has been with Holmes, he’s become a Chartered Professional Engineer on the National Engineers Register in Fire Safety and is an accredited Fire Safety Engineer [QLD, NSW & VIC]. Matt specialises in Fire Safety Engineering, Infrastructure Fire Safety, CFD Modelling, Evacuation Assessments, Interim Fire Safety Strategies, Building Code of Australia (BCA) Assessments and has had extensive experience on projects from all sectors.

Matt not only brings a wealth of technical knowledge with him but also has the necessary business experience, having successfully managed the Sydney office as Branch Manager. We have no doubt that Matt will bring his secrets of success to the Melbourne market.

Matt will continue to be supported by the 25+ engineers in our Sydney and Brisbane offices, and our greater international team.

Get in touch to find out more about Holmes and how we can develop fire safety strategies that work best for you.

SAFIR Update; Improved Connections Supporting Faster Analysis

April 2, 2019April 5, 2019 Leave a Comment on SAFIR Update; Improved Connections Supporting Faster Analysis

Holmes Fire provided financial support for the new updates of the SAFIR non-linear finite element program with our very own Linus Lim providing input on connections development. SAFIR is a specialist finite element program that has been developed by Professor Jean-Marc Franssen (University of Liege) and Associate Professor Thomas Gernay (Johns Hopkins University) for the bespoke analysis of the structures in fire. From the numerous structural fire projects that Holmes Fire have undertaken, we recognised the need to improve the rotational hinge definition in the previous versions of the SAFIR program and provided financial support for the development of a new rotational hinge model in SAFIR, which also included the added ability to model semi-rigid connections. These new connection capabilities will enable engineers to represent boundary conditions of structural supports and connections more accurately. This can result in faster run times, better predictions of structural fire performance of real structures and can result in greater optimisation of fire protection of steel structures.

This development has been eagerly anticipated by the wider SAFIR user community due to the programs more user-friendly interface which results in faster implementation of these connections in the program and includes faster analysis times which will enable the faster delivery of results on projects.

Find useful resources and more about SAFIR here.

Celebrating 30 years with Martin Feeney!

December 9, 2018September 19, 2022 Leave a Comment on Celebrating 30 years with Martin Feeney!

Our Holmes team in Tāmaki Makaurau (Auckland) recently celebrated the 30th anniversary of their Principal, Martin Feeney at Holmes Group with a morning tea. As one of the founders of Holmes Fire, Martin has had a pivotal role in shaping the company and its success as well as within the fire engineering industry.

Martin started as a structural engineer in May 1986 when Holmes Consulting (the name our Structures and Infrastructures Practices used to be called) was Holmes Wood Poole and Johnson and after a brief stint at Hera, he joined the newly formed ‘Holmes Fire’ team (the name our Fire Practice was called) in 1996. It is fair to say Martin’s contribution, not only to Holmes Fire, but the fire engineering community, in general, is unsurpassed. He has been a leader in all aspects of fire engineering, and a huge part of the success of Holmes.

Congratulations on this amazing achievement Martin!

It’s been a decade! Richard Green—10 years at Holmes.

It’s been a decade! Richard Green—10 years at Holmes.

April 11, 2018August 24, 2022

Richard is a Fire Engineer based in our Sydney office and is a very valued member of the team. After dedicating ten years of his working life to Holmes Fire, we asked him some questions to get an insight into the culture at Holmes Fire and how Fire Engineering has developed for him over this time.

Why Holmes Fire?

The best thing about Holmes is definitely its people and its culture. When I met Glen, Holmes Fire Australia’s CEO, back in Christmas of 2007, I felt straight away that Holmes Fire was the kind of place that I’d like to work. It was soon after, I met some of the staff, many of whom are also still here today only confirming that this was a team I would work well with and ultimately learn a lot from and time has proved that!

 

What is your greatest achievement at Holmes Fire?

From a project perspective, It would definitely have to be finishing V by Crown in Parramatta, which will be completed construction in the next couple of months.

Personally however, managing to keep a work life balance is also a great achievement for me, considering when I started at Holmes I had a very different life, sans kids! But maybe ask me that again when I have to start doing the school drop offs and I may have a different response!

 

What have you seen change at Holmes over the last 10 years?

Pleasingly, not much. Holmes has kept a consistency in how they practice and their culture. Apart from the increase in staff numbers as the company has grown, noting it has now doubled in numbers, it is still the same place I started at 10 years ago.

 

What makes Holmes a great place to work?

That one is easy! The people.

 

Reflecting on your work, do you have any key projects that have been important and particularly influential for you, since you have been at Holmes?

As mentioned prior, V by Crown as it had a bit of everything from a Fire Engineering perspective, so I definitely learnt a lot.

Top Ryde City Living would also be up there. As one of my first major projects with Holmes Fire, this will always be memorable, and as a bonus the team on the project were great, always making a project more rewarding to be a part of. Despite some late stage hurdles, it was a great project to complete.

 

What have been the biggest changes you have seen in the industry?

The housing boom in Sydney which has affected the growth of high density living, this is seen through the increased level of high-rise residential projects we have worked on over recent years.

A great positive change for me would be the culture shift of Fire Engineers within a project team, being recognised as a value add for a project rather than a necessary evil. The shift of including Fire Engineers within the early developments of a building is growing and we are noticing the positive role this has on the overall management of a project’s fire safety strategy through both the design and construction.

Finally, social media has created a wider conversation and platform to share ideas and innovation within the engineering environment as a whole. This, for us is shrinking the gap between disciplines and improving innovation within design, engineering and construction as a whole.

 

On behalf of Holmes Fire and the wider Holmes Group, we would like to thank Richard for his contribution over the years, not only to his projects but to our company. Congratulations on this great achievement!

Holmes is heading to Antarctica!

Holmes is heading to Antarctica!

March 13, 2018September 19, 2022

Holmes is pleased to be the appointed Fire Engineer for the redevelopment of Antarctica New Zealand’s Scott Base. Mike Inwood and Reuben Costello from our Holmes, Fire Practice team, are the primary team for the project.

Holmes will be working within the building services team, led by Steensen Varming.
The wider consultant team include:

Architecture: Jasmax–Hugh Broughton Architects

Quantity Surveying: Turner and Townsend

Structural/Civil Engineering: WSP Opus

Building Services: Steensen Varming

The existing Scott Base facility is reaching the end of its functional life. The redevelopment of Scott Base will allow scientists from across the globe to continue researching some of the most important science of this generation. The outcome will be a facility fit for purpose to support our world-leading scientists in one of the most isolated places on Earth for the next 50 years.

The design of a building in Antarctica presents specific challenges due to the remote location and unique climate. The design and implementation of fire safety at the base needs to consider life safety in the immediate period during the fire event, long term operation of the base post fire, and asset protection/robustness.

Given the location and harsh environmental conditions in Antarctica, certain bespoke fire safety solutions, developed from first principles, will be required to ensure that the designs either meet, or indeed surpass, NZ fire safety design and best practice.

The team at Holmes is looking forward to the challenges ahead.

For further information:

http://www.antarcticanz.govt.nz/whats-new/new-zealands-coolest-redevelopment/

Photo Credit: Photo from ANZ attributed to Fiona Shanhun.

A new Fellow of the institution of Engineers Australia has been announced

A new Fellow of the institution of Engineers Australia has been announced

February 27, 2018January 17, 2019

We would like to extend a big congratulations to our Project Director, Sarnia Rusbridge who has been awarded the status of Fellow of the institution of Engineers Australia. This is a very prestigious accolade worth celebrating.

Sarnia has been with Holmes Fire for nearly 13 years, and as an established senior in our team, Sarnia is a positive mentor for our junior and senior fire engineers alike. Sarnia brings significant experience to our clients from her involvement in projects of all scales offering fire engineering performance solutions, BCA Assessments, performance based design and fire safety upgrades.

Sarnia is accredited as a Chartered Member of Engineers Australia (CPEng) and a Registered Engineer on the National Professional Engineers Register (NPER) in Fire Safety. Her involvement over the years with the Society of Fire led her to be Chair of the NSW Chapter. Additionally Sarnia is a C10 Accredited Certifier (Fire Safety Engineering Compliance) in NSW, a Registered Professional Engineer (Fire Engineering) of Queensland (RPEQ) and a Registered Building Practitioner (Engineer / Fire Safety) with the Building Practitioners Board of Victoria.

The greater team at Holmes Fire would like to congratulate Sarnia for achieving fellowship. Her hard work and dedication over the years to her colleagues and clients, in addition to her greater commitment to the fire engineering industry, is now deservedly honoured by this title.

Another Chartered Professional Engineer joins the Holmes team!

Another Chartered Professional Engineer joins the Holmes team!

February 13, 2018September 19, 2022

It’s an exciting start to the year for Holmes. We’re pleased to announce Erik Carlsson has achieved the status of Chartered Professional Engineer under the Engineers Australia accreditation scheme.

Erik has been part of the Holmes team since 2011. Graduating from Lund University in Sweden, Erik developed his Fire Engineering skills in the Sydney office whilst also assisting our Aotearoa New Zealand offices, as required. After 18 months working in our San Francisco office, he is now back in Australia working with the Sydney team. Erik brings a global mind-set and experience to our team—helping us to think outside the box that the Australian regulatory system can sometimes impose.

We’d like to congratulate Erik, after all his dedicated work over the years—this is a well-deserved achievement to have his competency officially recognised by Engineers Australia. And for Holmes, it’s great to add another Chartered Professional Engineer to our already experienced team, enabling us to deliver even more high quality fire engineering for our clients. Well done Erik on your hard work, it’s a fantastic accolade!

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