The Auckland Structural Group (ASG)'s main focus through hosting events is to create an informal opportunity for people with an interest in structural engineering to see other interesting work and ideas taking shape in the Auckland region. It is a great opportunity to network and participate in the Auckland structural engineering community through the site visits and technical presentations. These can be counted toward Continuing Professional Development (CPD) as part of structural engineering and civil engineering chartership accreditation.
The Auckland Structural Group (ASG) is run by structural engineers as a voluntary organisation for the benefit of engineering in NZ.
Membership is FREE thanks to our friends at the Structural Engineering Society of NZ (SESOC).
Click here to become an Auckland Structural Group (ASG) member and be notified when new events are planned.
SITE VISITS
ASG typically host a site visit once a month during the summer. In the past such events have included:
- A walk through the Auckland Harbour Bridge Box Girders
- Queen's Wharf Party Central Shed 10 and Cloud
- Marine Events Centre during construction
- Manukau Harbour Crossing during construction
- Auckland Art Gallery
- Grafton Bridge during the re-strengthening
For more information on recent events visit our home page.
Typically the site visits are hosted jointly by the structural engineering Designers and Contractors. This provides a unique opportunity to hear first-hand the main design and construction challenges and successes tackled by these teams and more importantly it enables the wider community to share in any lessons learnt.
PRESENTATIONS
ASG typically host a presentation or seminar once a month during the winter. In the past such events have included:
- Lessons learnt from the Canterbury earthquakes
- How steel structures responded during the Canterbury earthquakes
- High performance concretes - Millau Viaduct
- Performance of Marine Structures
- Re-strengthening of Aotea Square and Grafton Bridge using FRP
Our presentations are delivered by experts in their chosen field and are hosted at the Auckland University faculty of engineering. The evening normally begins with a 30 minute "beer and pizza session" where members are encouraged to mingle and network amongst their peers. Talks last about one hour and are generally a very informal and friendly affair where members have the opportunity to ask our experts any questions they may have.
THE COMMITTEE
Sheri Javadian
Portfolio: Chairperson
Company: Concepsus
Contact: sheri.javadian@concepsus.co.nz
Bio: Sheri joined Auckland Structural Group Organizing Committee in June 2016 to take over the role of Secretary. Sheri is a principal structural engineer with over 16 years of experience working on residential, commercial, industrial and institutional projects in Iran and New Zealand and the Pacific Islands. Sheri is a Chartered professional Engineer (CPEng) and member of the Engineering New Zealand (CMEngNZ). Having completed her Master’s degree in Earthquake Engineering, Sheri is passionate about this topic and the latest advances in this area with focus on seismic assessment and strengthening of the existing buildings. Sheri currently holds the position of Chair in the ASG committee.
Enrique Del Rey Castillo
Portfolio: Vice Chair and University of Auckland rep
Company: University of Auckland
Contact: e.delrey@auckland.ac.nz / +64 9 923 8121
Bio: Enrique is a structural engineer with extensive experience in the seismic behaviour and strengthening of concrete structures, which was the topic of his Master and PhD projects. He is currently a Lecturer at the University of Auckland, where he teaches seismic design of concrete bridges to postgraduate students and supervises research projects on topics mainly related to strengthening and seismic behaviour of concrete structures, concrete bridges and sustainability of concrete. Outside of his academic career, Enrique has experience as a consultant engineer, expert testing witness and third-party advisor on a wide range of topics, mainly related to FRP and seismic behaviour of structures.
Emanuele Naccini
Portfolio: SESOC rep
Company: Ramsetreid
Contact: enaccini@ramsetreid.co.nz / 0274406878
Bio: Emanuele joined the ASG Committee in May 2019. Emanuele is a Structural Engineer who moved to New Zealand in 2015, after 14 years of practice as Professionally Charted Consultant in Italy. Experienced in structural design, non-destructive testing and structural assessment, in 2016 he joined ramsetreid as Project Engineer in Auckland and now he is the Technical Development Engineer for ramsetreid in New Zealand. Emanuele is currently a Member of Engineering New Zealand. (MEngNZ).
Arsalan Niroomandi
Portfolio: IT Liaison and Membership
Company: Aurecon
Contact: arsalan.niroomandi@aurecongroup.com
Bio: Arsalan Joined the ASG committee in 2022. He has a PhD from the University of Canterbury and is currently working as a senior structural engineer for Aurecon. Arsalan has extensive experience in seismic behaviour of different types of structures based on displacement and performance-based methodologies. He is interested in resilient and low damage design of structures and also applying digital engineering tools (e.g. Digital Twin, Smart building, Structural Health Monitoring) in building/structures projects. Arsalan is a Chartered Professional Engineer (CPEng) and a current member of Engineering New Zealand, NZSEE and SESOC.
Gary Raftery
Portfolio: Secretary
Company: University of Auckland
Contact: g.raftery@auckland.ac.nz
Bio: Gary currently operates as the treasurer for the ASG committee. He previously held the role of the UoA liaison from 2017 to 2019. Gary is a senior lecturer in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at The University of Auckland and has keen interests in developments with sustainability and construction. He obtained his BE (Civil) with first class honours and PhD (Structural engineering) from the National University of Ireland. He has nearly two decades of experience in research and education delivery during which he has won several awards. He has previously worked in industry as a design engineer, technical consultant and project manager.
Henry Rowden
Portfolio: Treasurer
Company: Beca
Contact: Henry.Rowden@beca.com
Bio: Henry joined the ASG committee at the start of 2024. He has a BE(Hons) from the University of Auckland and is currently working in the Auckland Structural team at Beca. Henry has 4 years of industry experience, during which time he has worked on a number of commercial structures such as temples, multi-storey hotels, and healthcare buildings. He is particularly passionate about the technical aspects of structural engineering. Henry is also involved in the SESOC Emerging Structural Engineers (ESE) and Auckland University Engineers Association (AUEA) executive committees.
Anastasios Giouvanidis (Tasos)
Portfolio: University of Auckland rep
Company: University of Auckland
Contact: a.giouvanidis@auckland.ac.nz
Bio: Anastasios joined ASG in 2024. He has a PhD from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. He is currently a Lecturer in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Auckland. Before coming to New Zealand, Anastasios conducted research in the UK, Portugal, and Hong Kong. His research expertise lies within Structural Dynamics and Earthquake Engineering, focusing on the dynamic behaviour of bridges and masonry structures. From an academic perspective, he has taught postgraduate and undergraduate courses on Structural Dynamics, Statics, and Structural Mechanics.
THE COMMITTEE ALUMNI
Below are some of the past members of the committee who have helped ASG become what it is today. Apologies to all those not on the list as the alumni area only started in 2017.
Alex Leung
2018 - 2023
Alex has been a member of ASG between 2018-2023 as Secretary. Alex is a Structural Engineer and a Director at LWT Structures.
Kingsley Ukanwa
2019 - 2023
Kingsley has been a member of ASG between 2019-2023 as SESOC rep and IT Liaison and Membership. Kingsley holds a PhD in Structural Engineering and is currently a Principal Structural Engineer with Vistek.
Dan Shinnick
April 2016 - February 2022
Dan was previous Chair appointed in February 2020 and has served on the committee since March 2016, previously held positions include Treasurer and Event Co-ordinator. Since graduating in 2012 Dan has gained design experience in civil structures and commercial building structures.
Chris Mathieson
April 2018 - February 2020
Chris joined the ASG committee in early 2018. His current role is to update and maintain the ASG website and communication with ASG members. Chris holds a Masters degree in Structural Engineering and currently works for Holmes Consulting as a project engineer.
Namir Amso
April 2004 - February 2019.
Namir received an outstanding award from the ASG committee for dedicating 16 years of service to the Auckland Structural Group. He was Chairman taking over from Vijay for the start of 2017 till 2019, Namir was previously in charge of Membership from 2006 to March 2016. Namir is a Chartered Professional Structural Engineer (CPEng) and a current member of the Institute of Professional Engineers NZ (MIPENZ).
Jing Cao
2018 to 2019
Jing Cao joined Auckland Structural Group in May 2018, taking over role of Kevin Cowie from SCNZ, as a representative for the interest of NZ steel construction sector. Jing is a senior structural engineer working with Heavy Engineering Research Association (HERA) NZ, a non-profit member based organization.
Jing graduated from University of Southampton, the UK with a PhD degree in civil engineering. With couple of years of consultant experience in the UK, Australia, and New Zealand, his work is now focused on design, research and product development for steel-concrete composite structures and project management for levy funded projects. Jing is also a Chartered Professional Engineer (CPEng), a member of Institute of Professional Engineers New Zealand (CMENGNZ) and Engineers Australia (MIEAust).
Rick Henry
2010 to 2018
Rick was a member of the ASG committee since July 2010. Rick is a lecturer in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Auckland. Rick also recently completed his PhD, investigating the seismic performance of self-centering precast concrete walls. As a lecturer, Rick is responsible for teaching both concrete materials and advanced concrete design courses, in addition to conducting research into concrete materials, reinforced and pre-stressed concrete design, and the seismic behaviour of concrete structures. Rick enjoys travelling and in particular visiting both ancient and recent engineering marvels constructed around the world.
Karl Dawe
2012 to 2018
Karl was our main interface with the Structural Engineering Society of NZ (SESOC) and represented ASG interests at the quarterly SESOC board meetings. Karl joined the ASG committee in early 2012. Karl is a Structural Engineer and an Associate Director at Buller George Turkington, he also manages Quality Assurance processes within the firm. Karl has delivered a range of major projects in many sectors including high rise residential and low-medium rise healthcare, education and commercial buildings. Most recently Karl has been involved in the design of ASB North Wharf in Auckland – the new $150M HQ for ASB Bank. Karl is a Chartered Professional Engineer (CPEng) and a current member of the Institute of Professional Engineers New Zealand (MIPENZ).
Kevin Cowie
2014 to 2018
Kevin re-joined the Auckland Structural Group committee in February 2014. Kevin is a structural engineer working with Steel Construction New Zealand Inc., a member based association representing the interests of the local steel construction sector. He has assisted New Zealand consultants in the preparation of many multi-level steel construction design options and developed design and estimating guides for construction professionals. Kevin is a Chartered Professional Engineer (CPEng) and a current member of the Institute of Professional Engineers New Zealand (MIPENZ).
Dan Crocker
2010 to 2016
Dan was with ASG since 2010 and was the Chairman from 2011 to March 2016. After handing over the reins to Vijay, Dan was responsible for maintaining and keeping the ASG website up-to-date and keeping the content relevant and interesting for our members. Dan was also a joint ASG account holder along with Vijay. Dan is an Associate Engineer specialising in bridge design. Dan is a Chartered member of the UK's Institute of Civil Engineers (ICE) and is an NZ CPEng Engineer. Dan runs DC Structures Studio focusing on architectural bridge design and also runs High Living Design creating custom balustrades for bridges and buildings. Dan has worked on bridges and structures in Europe, Asia, Australasia, and Central America. Dan's passion is architectural bridge forms that push the envelope and offer exciting new challenges for engineers. linkedin.com - DanCrockerNZ
Vijay Patel
2011 to 2016
Vijay was the ASG Chairman in 2016 and was previously the Treasurer for the ASG committee from 2011 to March 2016. Vijay is an Associate Engineer working for Beca, specialising in Commercial Structures. Vijay has worked on an extensive range of projects, ranging from very tall towers to low lying structures. He has experience with a wide range of buildings, from apartments and hotels, to commercial office spaces, to storage facilities, hospitals, sports stadiums and residential buildings. Vijay is a Chartered Professional Engineer (CPEng) and a current member of the Institute of Professional Engineers (MIPENZ). Vijay.Patel@beca.com.
Anna Crowther
2016
Anna was part of the Auckland Structural Group from March 2016 to December 2016. Anna was actively supporting the ASG events. Anna is a structural engineer with over a decade's worth of experience working on commercial and industrial projects in UK and New Zealand. Anna is a Chartered Professional Engineer (CPEng), current member of the Institute of Professional Engineers New Zealand (MIPENZ) and IntPE(NZ). Anna is passionate about state of art engineering and heritage and where possible combining the two to provide unique solution.