What attracted you to Webb Yates, and what are you most looking forward to about joining the practice?

Since shortly after graduating here in the UK, I have considered Webb Yates a pioneering practice that combines state-of-the-art solutions with a solid traditional background. Through the years, many projects by the practice have been a source of inspiration for me, in the way they push boundaries and explore potential solutions in construction, while maintaining functionality, sustainability, and professionalism. To find myself, years later, being part of the team brings a combination of excitement and pride that is difficult to describe. It’s a bit like recovering that childhood spark of remembering how much fun it is to be curious.

Where do you see the biggest opportunities for Webb Yates in Spain, and what do you think the practice can bring to the market that feels distinctive?

At the moment, the Spanish construction market is not only booming but changing deeply. A sector that has traditionally been repetitive, conventional and, personally, quite boring, is becoming much more exciting, demanding, and exploratory. Concrete rectangles clad in the same patterns and placed anywhere, regardless of location, climate, culture, or need, are no longer the go-to solution, and many practices, clients, and developers are looking for new alternatives. Webb Yates’ inherent curiosity, collaboration skills, commitment to sustainability, and long-established knowledge from the British industry, I think, make us the ideal engineering practice for these projects.

You’ve built much of your career around timber. What first drew you to the material, and how do you see its role developing in Spain over the next few years?

I started as a standard structural engineer and soon gained experience in traditional materials, like concrete and steel. However, I was lucky to come across mass timber and, the first time some architects walked into the office and showed me their drawings, something inside me clicked, saying, “this way, this is what you want to do”. Over fifteen years have now passed and yet my strong commitment to timber has not diminished: like any other construction material, it has its limitations and weaknesses, but I still find something intrinsically honest and human about building with the only material that regenerates.

Are there particular opportunities or challenges around timber and low-carbon construction in Spain that you’re especially interested in exploring?

As I mentioned, timber has long-known limitations. But I believe that Webb Yates’ efforts to promote the combined use of timber and stone are bringing forward some very insightful and interesting proposals, and I personally can’t wait to start exploring and contributing to this work. The Basque Country has a historical bond with these two materials, and it feels like the Bilbao office could be the place to bring them into the 21st century in a more sustainable, conscious, and innovative way.