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Manchester, UK Rail Projects Lead To New Leadership Role For BDP’s Peter Jenkins

Manchester, UK Rail Projects Lead To New Leadership Role For BDP’s Peter Jenkins
Written by Amy

 

Major rail developments in the city pave the way for worldwide group expansion

 RAIL design and engineering projects in Manchester are providing a platform for expansion for the international integrated design group BDP Nippon Koei.

The importance of the rail sector to the combined companies has been underlined with the announcement that Peter Jenkins, Architect Director in BDP’s Manchester studio, will assume the  role of head of transport  for the whole practice.

BDP is the second largest practice in the AJ100 league table with a 2017 income of £79.5m; founded in Preston in 1961, the company has studios across the UK, Ireland, Netherlands, the MENA region, India, and China, with opportunities emerging for more locations due to its merger with Nippon Koei in 2016.

BDP Chief Executive John McManus said: “We are now embarking upon a new and ambitious international development plan that will not only strengthen and consolidate the practice’s current international studio network but will lead to the establishment of more BDP studios outside the UK.

“Our partnership with Nippon Koei will increase the significance of the transport sector for the practice over the coming years and I am very happy to advise that Peter Jenkins has agreed to assume the leadership role for the sector.”

Rochdale-born Mr Jenkins is widely experienced in rail related transportation work including acting as lead architect on major, completed rail station projects such as Piccadilly and Victoria stations in Manchester which have both won numerous awards.

Peter Jenkins is also the lead architect on the massive civil engineering project the Ordsall Chord which will link the two stations for the first time.

 The site has recently been visited by the Chairman of Nippon Koei Mr Noriaki Hirose, (see photo) who was given a tour of the Ordsall Chord site by Mr Jenkins to view progress on the scheme, which will unlock new routes and improve connections and journey-times across the north of England.

BDP’s Manchester studio is designing all the major architectural and urban realm elements of the project, including the landscaping and lighting to the important public spaces and heritage features beneath the bridges and viaducts.

Mr Jenkins, BDP’s Transport Architect Director, says: “I’m very proud to have been part of the team which has designed, developed and constructed the Ordsall Chord, this massively significant project for Manchester and the north of England.

“It’s a matter of great professional pride to take the leadership role for the rail sector in the practice and our work on the Ordsall Chord is opening up rail infrastructure opportunities for BDP Nippon Koei around the world.”

Mr Jenkins has designed the recently installed single-span network arch bridge which is the second-longest in the world to carry twin heavy-rail tracks.

The bridge will feature distinctive twisting, sinuous steel elements nicknamed ‘the cascades’ – these will be installed on the morning of Sunday August 6th.

 

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Amy