Ian Firth

Ian Firth is a British structural engineer and bridge designer.

{{Infobox engineer

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|name = Ian Firth

|honorific_suffix = {{postnominals|country=GBR|size=100%|FREng|FICE|FIStructE|HonFRIBA}}

|nationality = British

|birth_date = 17 February 1956

|birth_place = England

|death_date =

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|education = The Pilgrims' School, Marlborough College, University of Bristol, Imperial College London

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|discipline = Structural Engineer, Civil Engineer

|institutions = Institution of Structural Engineers
Institution of Civil Engineers
Royal Academy of Engineering
Royal Institute of British Architects

|practice_name = Ian Firth

|significant_projects = Stonecutters Bridge Hong Kong, Strait of Messina Bridge Italy, Strengthening West Gate Bridge Melbourne, Pont Schuman Lyon France,{{cite web|url=https://www.vinci-construction.fr/construction-du-pont-schuman-lyon-69|title=Construction du pont Schuman, Lyon (69)|date=16 September 2014|access-date=29 June 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171204015723/http://www.vinci-construction.fr/construction-du-pont-schuman-lyon-69|archive-date=4 December 2017|url-status=dead}} University Swing Bridge Malmö Sweden,University Swing Bridge, Malmö, Sweden [https://structurae.net/structures/university-bridge-2004-malmo] Retrieved June 2018 Ting Kau Bridge Hong Kong

|significant_design = Bridge of Aspiration Covent Garden,Bridge of Aspiration Covent Garden [https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.2749/101686606778995092] Retrieved June 2018 Sail Bridge Swansea,Sail Bridge Swansea, [http://www.newsteelconstruction.com/wp/the-swansea-sail-bridge/] Retrieved June 2018 Third Way Bridge Taunton,Third Way Bridge Taunton [http://www.worldarchitecturenews.com/project/2012/20177/flint-neill-ltd/third-way-bridge-in-taunton.html] Retrieved June 2018 Lockmeadow Bridge Maidstone,Lockmeadow Bridge Maidstone [https://structurae.net/structures/lockmeadow-footbridge ] Retrieved June 2018 Inner Harbour Bridge Inderhavnsbroen Copenhagen,Inner Harbour Bridge Inderhavnsbroen Copenhagen, Zweite, :de:Hinterrheinbrücke Switzerland Retrieved June 2018

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Early life and education

Born in Sussex into a Royal Navy family, Firth was a chorister at Winchester Cathedral before going to Marlborough College{{cite web|url=https://www.marlburianclub.org/news/achievements|title=Marlburian Club - Marlborough College Alumni|website=www.marlburianclub.org}} and then to the University of Bristol{{cite web|url=https://bridgestoprosperity.org/teamleadership/ian-firth-ceng-freng-fice-fistructe/|title=Ian Firth, CEng, FREng, FICE, FIStructE - Bridges to Prosperity}} where he secured a First Class Honours degree in Civil Engineering in 1979.{{citation needed|date=May 2019}}

Career

Firth joined specialist consulting engineers Flint & Neill in London upon graduation, and initially worked on a variety of projects including tall radio masts and towers, chimneys and steel buildings, as well as the aerodynamic stability of box girder bridges. He then attended Imperial College{{citation needed|date=May 2019}} and obtained a further degree in Structural steel Design in 1982. Returning to Flint & Neill, he worked on the complex strengthening and upgrading of the Wye Bridge, a steel box girder cable-stayed bridge and part of the M48 Severn crossing.{{cite web|url=https://www.ingenia.org.uk/Ingenia/Articles/fab950de-9153-46bf-918c-42820e96d865|title=Articles - Copenhagen's 'kissing' bridge|website=www.ingenia.org.uk|accessdate=21 May 2019}} Since then he has directed several other similar projects involving strengthening of such structures, including the Erskine Bridge in Scotland and the West Gate Bridge in Australia. His other work on major long span bridges includes the independent design checks and investigations for the Tsing Ma Bridge, Kap Shui Mun Bridge and Ting Kau Bridge, all in Hong Kong. He was appointed as special advisor to the client for the longest span of them all, the Strait of Messina Bridge in Italy, which when built will have a main span of 3,300m.

Firth led the team which won the Poole Harbour Crossing bridge design competition in 1997,Poole Harbour Crossing [http://www.dw.dk/poole-harbour-crossing/] Retrieved June 2018 working with Danish architects Dissing+Weitling, and has subsequently won many other bridge design competitions. These include Lockmeadow Bridge in Maidstone, the Bridge of Aspiration for the Royal Ballet School in London, the River Oise bridge in Compiègne, France,River Oise Bridge, Compiègne, France [http://www.worldarchitecturenews.com/project/2012/20178/flint-neill-ltd/compiegne-bridge-in-compi-gne.html?sector=urban] Retrieved June 2018 the Pont Schuman in Lyon, France, and Inderhavnsbroen in Copenhagen.

He became partner in Flint & Neill in 1990, and when the firm joined COWI in 2008 he was appointed a director.{{cite web|url=https://www.istructe.org/structuralawards/judging |title=Judging - Awards - The Institution of Structural Engineers |publisher=Istructe.org |date= |accessdate=2018-06-29}} He retired from full-time employment in 2018 and now works as a consultant, continuing to provide bridge design and engineering advice, training and education.

Firth was president of the Institution of Structural Engineers in 2017{{cite web|url=http://www.architectsdatafile.co.uk/news/the-institution-of-structural-engineers-announces-2017-president-ian-firth-freng-fistructe-fice/|title=The Institution of Structural Engineers announces 2017 President: Ian Firth FREng FIStructE FICE - netMAGmedia Ltd|website=www.architectsdatafile.co.uk}} and is chairman of the British Group of the International Association for Bridge and Structural Engineering.{{cite web|url=http://www.iabse.org/IABSE/News/IABSE/bulletin/Bulletin_Board.aspx?hkey=bf24d6fc-2568-4917-adfe-6a620cb78449|title=Bulletin Board|first=Advanced Solutions International|last=Inc.|website=www.iabse.org}}{{cite web|url=https://www.bristol.ac.uk/engineering/news/2016/civil-engineering-students-and-alumni-awarded-runner-up-prizes-at-the-young-desi.html|title=2016: Civil Engineering students and alumni awarded runner-up prizes at the Young Desi - Faculty of Engineering - University of Bristol|first=University of|last=Bristol|website=www.bristol.ac.uk|accessdate=21 May 2019}} He is also a trustee of bridge building charity Bridges to Prosperity.{{cite web|url=https://bridgestoprosperity.org/firth-ted2018/|title=TED Talk: Bridges should be beautiful - Bridges to Prosperity|date=27 June 2018}}

Awards and honours

Firth is an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects.{{cite web|url=https://www.architecture.com/knowledge-and-resources/knowledge-landing-page/riba-honorary-fellowships-2018-announced|title=RIBA Honorary Fellowships 2018 announced|website=www.architecture.com}}

Selected projects

Lockmeadow Bridge, 1999
Halgavor Bridge, 2001{{cite web|url=https://structurae.net/structures/halgavor-bridge|title=Halgavor Bridge (Bodmin, 2001) - Structurae|website=Structurae}}
Swansea Sail Bridge, 2003
River Oise Bridge, Compiègne, 2011
Third Way Bridge, 2011
Inderhavnsbroen Copenhagen, 2009 – 2016