Meet The Team
Jonathan Khoo
Structural Engineer
I’ve been working with Arup for a while now, but my first experience with the company was on a vacation placement.
I started on rotation through the different functions of the business and soon found myself helping out on the structural design of an oil platform. I wasn’t expecting to get so much technical experience and hands on work, yet here I was contributing to a real project where my work had a bearing on the outcome. It was excellent. It gave me an insight into how the industry really works – very different to the way we run projects at Uni.
I also found that people really wanted to help out and share their knowledge, even with a vacation student. In fact from day one I was treated like a regular engineer.
Today I take architects’ drawings and model them, making calculations on the technical aspects of a project, and work with the design team to see what is structurally feasible. I’m working on a number of building projects throughout Australia, in particular some redevelopment work of an existing office building. As a global company, there is always something interesting to work on and new challenges.
I’ve definitely developed technically in terms of my design ability, but also in terms of confidence in my knowledge. It’s surprising how fast the greater responsibility and control over projects has come (although that’s a good thing!) The chance to work on a great number of projects, to develop my skills in a variety of fields and benefit from the support of staff means I can see myself advancing quickly here. I’m glad Arup was where I started my career.
