Structures

GHD structural engineers technically assess, plan and deliver highly functional, cost-efficient and elegant structures for our clients across all industries.

We have a strong reputation, a record of accomplishment in providing world-leading technical support and advice for all areas of structural design and assessment.

Demand for GHD’s services continues to grow as the company completes and advises on a number of significant structural projects for some of the world’s tallest buildings, inlcuding Al-Bidaa Tower, Dubai Tower and the Doha Convention Center and Tower in the United Arab Emirates.

We have also worked on Federation Tower in Moscow, the award-winning Melbourne Mausoleum, sports complexes in China, energy projects in Chile and Australia, desalination plants in the USA, and several mining and industry projects in Australia, New Zealand and China.

The structures team promotes an open and positive involvement in the initial design process and prepares designs that are functional, economical and safe. GHD can deliver innovative, sustainable design solutions anywhere in the world using building information modelling and management software to achieve a macro design perspective.

Services

We’ll help you achieve project success by:

  • Carefully selecting founding systems
  • Challenging design criteria
  • Innovating structural systems
  • Assessing construction methods
  • Project management

For further information, contact:
Jorge Pautasso
T: +61 2 4979 9999
E: Jorge Pautasso

ADNOC Head Office, UAE

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GHD was appointed to design the electrical, communications, fire alarm, mechanical, and plumbing fitout services for the new ADNOC head office building in Abu Dhabi. The building comprises 72 levels of offices topped with a feature frame, equipment rooms and a helipad. ADNOC is the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, a major client in the region.

The team detailed such diverse systems as the building wide external feature lighting, audio visual installations on every floor and a data centre. GHD designed all specialist lighting, audio visual and communications systems for the venue.

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Al Bida Tower

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The prominent location of the Al Bidda Tower, in the Dafna area of Qatar, demanded a form that would be a unique departure from the conventional design of an urban high-rise tower.

To this end, the facade of the tower is a continually twisting face that cannot be described as planar. This is achieved by having the rotor-shaped plan form of the tower undergo a rotation at every level. Additionally, the tower is larger in floor area on the top floors than at its base, making it a commercially profitable proposition.

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Al Wakrah Hospital

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GHD is the principal consultant for the design and post -contract supervision of this 300-bed, 122,000sqm acute care hospital, south of Doha.

The design is based on concentric circles, evocative of a stone thrown in a pond, to symbolise the outward growth of the hospital as it it expands into the future. The circular design allows for maximum use of light, which is both environmentally sound and also thought to be beneficial in the healing of patients.

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Antiene Coal Unloader

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GHD completed the structural design for the Antiene Coal Unloader, built off the Main Northern Rail Line at Antiene in the Upper Hunter.

The Antiene Coal Unloader assists in securing New South Wales’ power supply by allowing coal to be transported from further afield and contributing to the continued viability of the Bayswater and Liddell power stations.

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BAE Offices integrated refurbishment

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GHD provided the electrical engineering building services designs for an integrated fitout in a new building constructed on the fringe of the Melbourne CBD. The fitout scope covers 6000sqm over three levels and accommodates approximately 200 staff.

The facility included a number of highly secure shielded spaces, defence grade data centre and fibre optic cable distribution systems, electronic laboratories and workshops, and Defence related simulation and test rigs.

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Beijing Technology Fortune Centre

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The Fortune/Technology Centre is a major urban redevelopment project in the heart of Beijing. It has a projected budget in excess of USD$200,000,000.

Consisting of office, serviced apartment, commercial shopping mall and medium-rise residential development, the project occupies a full city block in Beijing and will incorporate extensive landscape works, exclusive sporting clubs and amenities.

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Brannan Street Wharf

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The Brannan Street Wharf, presently under construction, will be a major new open space constructed over the water in the heart of the South Beach neighborhood in San Francisco. Located on the Embarcadero Promenade between Pier 30-32 and Pier 38, and replacing Piers 34 and 36, the new wharf will provide 57,000 square feet of new public open space. Constructed over the water, it will be 830 feet in length with a width of 40 and 140 feet on opposing ends. In addition to seating, viewing and plaza spaces, the wharf will feature a 400-foot neighborhood green to accommodate various recreational uses.

GHD, as the lead design firm in a joint-venture, performed site investigations, conceptual engineering design of structural alternatives, design development and final design for the new wharf. Seismic design of the pile-supported wharf was undertaken in accordance with the methodology in the Port of Long Beach Wharf Design Criteria and ASCE Seismic Design of Pile-Supported Piers and Wharves.

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Cultural Village

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GHD has been engaged to design 235 villas for an exclusive new residential development in the West Bay Diplomatic precinct in Doha, Qatar. The Cultural Village project is spread over 99ha and is one of the largest ever undertaken by GHD.

The Cultural Village will reflect the heritage of Qatar through its traditional architecture. It is expected to host numerous community and cultural facilities, and includes a retail complex, theatres, a resort, and an air-conditioned, outdoor plaza for public events.

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Doha Airport Terminal Extension

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Qatar Airways at Doha Airport needed a two-storey extension to the existing departures terminal. Building on previous experience gained from similar project work, GHD provided architectural and engineering design services, as well as contract administration and project management services.

The extension was designed and constructed on a fast-track basis, which enabled its completion within just six months. The new section has given Qatar Airways additional gate boarding lounges, a first class lounge and cafeteria, increased check-in area capacity and additional baggage handling systems.

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Doha City Centre

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With a brief to reflect the growing spirit of Qatar and its emerging significance in regional affairs, GHD has created an exciting retail and entertainment complex of international standard.

The master plan for the multi-use City Centre project, developed with Davenport Campbell, provides almost 300,000 sq m of built-up area over five levels and facilities for 3000 car park spaces. The retail and entertainment mall provides a broad range of family-based activities – in specialty retail outlets, a hypermarket, food courts, entertainment area, a cinema complex, ice skating rink and a bowling alley.

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Dubai University Hospital

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GHD is providing a range of services for a 400-bed tertiary care teaching hospital development in Dubai. Known as University Hospital, the project boasts a construction budget of AED2.1 billion (AU$700 million). University Hospital contributes to Dubai’s vision to become a global centre of excellence for healthcare delivery.

Located within a low-rise, Mediterranean-themed, master planned healthcare development, this 18-storey building has a contemporary double skin facade and includes a three-level basement with parking for 2500 cars. Medical care will be provided in a four-level podium block with bed wards located in the tower above. Administrative offices will be housed in a separate eight-storey building to the south, linked to the medical block via a glazed walkway.

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Enlarged Cotter Dam, Australia

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A prolonged drought during the late 1990s and early 2000s tested the security of the ACT water supply. In response to this a number of options to increase the reliability of the system during extreme droughts were considered.

GHD was engaged in 2004-2005 to undertake a study to investigate options for the augmentation of the ACT water supply. This initially included the consideration of three potential dam sites and associated pipelines, pumping stations and water treatment plants. The scope was subsequently widened to consider options involving the transfer of water from the Murrumbidgee River to the catchment of the existing Googong Dam. 

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Expansion of University Malaysia Terengganu

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University Malaysia Terengganu has commissioned GHD to deliver civil infrastructure and structural design for the Agrotechnology & Food Science Faculty and Postgraduate Institute at the new university.

University Malaysia Terengganu (UMT) at Megabang Telipot, Kuala Terengganu is Malaysia's 14th public university. Despite its young age, UMT offers a broad range of programs in the sciences and social sciences, and its remarkable research achievement record is recognised locally and internationally.

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Fisherman’s Beach Redevelopment

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The Great Ocean Road Coast Committee (GORCC) in Victoria engaged GHD to prepare architectural concepts for the redevelopment of the Fisherman’s Beach precinct.

The precinct is a popular beach location at Torquay for walking and swimming, and is a launching site for commercial and recreational boats. The new building will be a high-profile development delivering a quality, cost-effective and sustainable outcome that showcases what can be achieved in coastal development.

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Garapan Special District Revitalization and Pedestrian Mall

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GHD performed studies and provided full A&E services as part of the USD30 million revitalization of the Garapan Special District, a 15-block tourist area of Saipan.

Our scope of work involved studies and preparation of plans, specifications and estimates for USD8 million of road, drainage, signalization and landscaping improvements. The project was prepared in accordance with AASHTO guidelines and Federal Specifications Standards. GHD was responsible for the design of the geometry, utility relocation, drainage, signalization and traffic studies. This project required extensive coordination with the Commonwealth Utilities Corporation, the Saipan Department of Public Works, and the Office of the Governor Planning Office. Construction documents included culverts, street paving and sidewalks, signalized intersection, landscaping features, signing and striping.

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Grand Hyatt Resort

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GHD is the principal consultant for the design of this high profile five-star tourist resort. The architecture and services are designed in modern Qatari style and provide a solution to the harsh desert environment.

The Grand Hyatt development, commissioned by the Tourism Investment Company, is a luxurious resort complex comprising a 250-suite hotel and fully serviced five-star holiday villas. Located along the Arabian Gulf, the innovative cluster layout concept maximises the view of the beach from each villa, while retaining privacy. The design engenders the site’s characteristics, that of the collusion of water and the desert.                                     

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Henderson Champion Arch Residential Development

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This project is a large residential development in Changsha and is being developed by Hong Kong Henderson Land Development Company Ltd. The development has a land area of 241,038sq m and a total building area of 442,000sq m. GHD has undertaken the architectural design in phase one of the project working on a building area of 240,000sq m.

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Highbrook Business Park

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Highbrook Business Park in New Zealand is nearing completion after a twelve-year involvement by GHD.

GHD was part of a team of international designers who developed the concept for the 190ha Highbrook Business Park, adjacent to Auckland’s Southern Motorway. Highbrook Business Park has attracted tenants from a wide range of businesses and will eventually accommodate up to 12,000 employees in 550,000sq m of industrial and commercial floor space.

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Hyne Upgrade – Timber Processing Mill

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Hyne's timber processing mill at Tuan, Queensland is undergoing major upgrades to increase the mill's efficiency and processing capacity. GHD has worked closely with Hyne to achieve the desired outcomes and to minimise operation disruptions for this major supplier of timber products. 

GHD has provided planning, structural and civil design, documentation and inspection services. The major components of this upgrade include a shavings shed with associated ductwork replacing an existing open conveyor system, kilns and reconditioners for drying green timber products, and large areas of heavy industrial pavements.

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"Koola" Beach Apartments

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The Bargara Beach region is an increasingly popular destination for holiday makers. The Koola Beach project provides a contemporary beachside apartment lifestyle.

The Koola Beach apartments complex is constructed at Bargara Beach approximately 15km east of Bundaberg. The project delivers five levels of beachside apartments together with pool, landscaped areas and basement car parking.

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Leanyer Water Park

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The vision for the Leanyer Recreation Park project was to create a facility in a natural environment that will provide the Darwin community with diverse, challenging, fun and safe recreation and education opportunities.

GHD undertook stage one of the design in 2003. This involved redevelopment of the site of the former Leanyer Lake into a multi-use recreation area. The centrepiece of the project is a 2000sq m walk-in swimming pool with cascading paddle pools and a 500sq m wet deck area equipped with various water play installations.

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Melbourne Mausoleum

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GHD provided the structural and civil designs for the Luciano Rossetti mausoleum at Melbourne’s Springvale Botanical Cemetery. GHD worked closely with the principal designer, Harmer Architecture, to deliver this landmark structure.

GHD’s design featured shaped precast concrete panels for the external vertical structure; cast in-situ concrete crypt cores designed to extend the service past 100 years; an efficient steel framed roof; unusual angular plan form; rainwater harvesting and special features such as the steel framed glass wall, reflection ponds and skylit galleries. GHD also designed all crypt cores, and gallery slabs have been designed as suspended structures for a long and trouble-free service life for the building complex.  

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Mountainview High School

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RoseWater GHD provided plans and design of drainage, grading, paving, utilities, and temporary erosion and sediment control (TESC); and construction observation and support for a new
193,000 square feet high school in Auburn, Washington.

The development on the 40-acre site consists of buildings, paved pedestrian areas, parking lots (providing a total of 650 spaces), a bus drop-off area, four ball fields, a soccer/football track and field, and seven tennis courts.

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Printing Press Building for Hobart Mercury

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The new AUD $9 million high-speed facillity, located in the Hobart Technopark, was designed by GHD, which provided the architectural detailing, structural and geotechnical engineering, all building services engineering, planning, environmental and traffic assessments. The EGO Group and Cardno Low and Hooke also contributed to the design.

Most notably, the new equipment allows the Hobart Mercury to output its own colour printing for the first time, avoiding the current need to fly in colour work overnight from Melbourne.

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Santa Clara County Housing Authority Improvements

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GHD was responsible for the electrical, structural, mechanical, and design and commissioning for this 35,000 square foot renovation with a final construction cost of USD5.2 million.

The project included a planning phase, design phase and phasing for construction. Energy efficiency of the facility was improved dramatically, with over USD35,000 per year in estimated energy cost savings. GHD assisted in the application for a substantial utility rebate that the client received through PG&E’s Non-residential Renovation Rebate program.

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Section B: Cooroy to Curra, Sankeys Road to Traverston Road

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GHD was engaged in the contract management of Cooroy to Curra Section B, a 12km stretch from Sankeys Road to Traveston Road.

The second package of the contract involved the construction of a 2 km deviation at the southern end to divert Bruce Highway traffic and allow for the construction of Skyring Creek Bridge in Package 3. Package 3 works includes the construction of bridges and drainage structures and the remainder of the works including pavement, road furniture, asphalt, landscaping and safety features (guardrail, signage, line marking, help phones and lighting). This will alleviate a known accident black spot section on the National Highway and provide benefits to the community, travelling public and road freight industries. Funding for the project totalling $613m is a joint exercise from the Federal Government ($488m – Australia’s National Building Program) and the Queensland State Government ($125m).

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Sharjah Airport Expansion

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The proposed expansion and redevelopment of Sharjah International Airport is an exciting architectural opportunity. The project involves expansion of the transit area through the creation of three new gate lounges with new air bridges and increased access through the duty free area, transfer counters and cafeterias. The design also includes extension of the arrivals area (with an in-bound baggage system), arrivals concourse, customs areas, immigration pod, renovation and upgrade of driveways and substantial external landscaping. GHD was responsible for the total project solution, including: 

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Silver Sea, Residential Building

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Situated along the waterfront in West Kowloon, Silver Sea is a luxurious residential development, comprising seven 46-storey towers that rise above a six-storey podium. GHD delivered a range of sustainable building services designs for this structure. Designs took into account providing residents with panoramic ocean views and several key amenities, such as a well-appointed foyer area, clubhouse and large car parking six-storey podium.

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Sino Iron Ore Project

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The Sino Iron Project is Australia's first major magnetite project and the second largest project currently under construction in the Pilbara.

Due to its remote location 1200 kilometres north of Perth in Western Australia, the client CITIC Pacific Mining Management Pty Ltd required the development of dedicated infrastructure to support the USD3.5billion greenfields sino iron project.

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Sound Transit D755 Link Light Rail

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RoseWater GHD prepared utility, drainage and temporary erosion/sediment control designs for the five-mile long D755 segment of Sound Transit’s Link Light Rail project in Tukwila, Washington.

Services were provided for the construction bid documents and included drawings, specifications, Drainage Design Report, Utility Design Report, and quantity estimate. The project included aerial and at-grade sections of guideway, street improvements and parking lot redevelopment for a new station.

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SRLE Roofing Project

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A GHD project team from our Wollongong office has been working with Wingecarribee Shire Council to provide engineering support to assist in the delivery of the Southern Regional Livestock Exchange (SRLE) roofing project located in Moss Vale, NSW.

The AUD4.8 million project incorporated a number of environmental initiatives including thermal insulation, solar panels, and a rainwater harvesting and re-use system that is expected to save 1.8 million litres of water annually.

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St Patricks College Gympie Building

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GHD has worked closely with St Patrick's College Gympie to build a new science and languages building including classrooms and landscaping.

St Patrick's College is located in Gympie on the top of Calton Hill. Building on the relationship with the college and their graphics staff, GHD was able to assist with providing support to the school with computers and graphics training, also providing St Patrick's College with a school traineeship program. GHD was involved with the design development, contract documentation, contract administration, architectural design and landscaping projects in relation to the science building. The classrooms were completed in July 2010, in time for Semester Three.

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Sunshine Coast Airport

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GHD was commissioned to undertake design and documentation of the Sunshine Coast Airport departure lounge upgrade and terminal extension for the new baggage handling facility.

GHD undertook the design, documentation and post contract engineering services for the redevelopment of the terminal departure lounge at Sunshine Coast Airport.

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Swansea Bridge Cathodic Protection Work

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Swansea Bridge at Lake Macquarie in New South Wales is an opening bridge to allow vessels to pass underneath and was constructed in the mid 1980’s. Since then, harsh marine exposure conditions had resulted in corrosion and bridge deterioration. A solution was needed to increase the longevity of the bridge.

Working with the Roads and Traffic Authority NSW (RTA), GHD helped develop a long-term, environmentally-sustainable durability solution to be adopted  which would increase the bridge’s longevity plus minimise community disturbance and achieve best value for money outcomes.

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The Darra to Springfield Transport Corridor

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The Darra to Springfield Transport Corridor is the first large-scale integrated road and rail project for South East Queensland.

The purpose of the AUD1.5 billion project is to improve road, rail and public transport links between Darra and Springfield to service the growing population centres along the corridor and will be built in two stages.

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Third Rail Receival Facility

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GHD designed the third rail receival facility as part of the AUD750 million expansion of the RG Tanna Port in Gladstone Queensland.

The design and construction of the third rail receival facility in Gladstone is a unique engineering feat due to the challenging design requirements, difficult site conditions and fast track construction.  

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Traeger Park

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Traeger Park sporting complex is the main sporting facility for Alice Springs and is a leading Australian venue for national and international sporting events.

In 2003, GHD prepared the master plan for the redevelopment of Traeger Park. This process involved public consultation, scoping and concept development for any future upgrading of the facility.

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Jorge Pautasso

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Jorge Pautasso is GHD’s Service Line Leader for Structures. He leads the knowledge leverage and innovation effort of more than 400 structural engineers worldwide.

With more than 25 years of experience in structural design and design management, Jorge has led many challenging projects, incorporating communication, delivery and management. His strengths are based on an inherent ability to communicate and coordinate multidisciplinary teams, combined with his structural design skills which resonate particularly with the Energy & Mining and Heavy Infrastructure industries.

Jorge leads the GHD Building Information Modelling (BIM) team, rolling out Information Modelling across disciplines and the business globally.

Position: Service Line Leader, Structures
Tel: +61 2 4979 9999

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