I lead the Smart Space team at BuroHappold Engineering. We are all about using advanced data analytics and visual simulations to transform buildings and urban spaces into inspirational, safe and inclusive places.

We develop and exploit sophisticated simulations that analyse the interaction of People with Spaces and Processes, with a view to optimizing the design and operational logistics. This 'people-cantered design’ approach uses our insights into people’s behaviour, activities and journeys to maximise space utilization, wayfinding, circulation efficiency, retail footfalls, operational effectiveness, resilience, and ultimately visitor experience.

Our tools fuse the process of design optioneering, predictive modelling and decision making. Using intuitive, dynamic, immersive and interactive visualisations our modelling tools respond to the user in real time, right within the 3D CAD / BIM / GIS platforms. The idea is to hide the complexity of number crunching in the background and put the decision maker in control. Leaving the designers and operators to assess the impacts of a vast array of their decisions, to carry out a lot of what-if analyses, ultimately to generate better informed and evidence based buildings and urban spaces.