Meet the Team: Antonio Savinelli

How long have you been working for Buckland and what do you do? 

I’ve been working here since October 2018 and I’m a Structural Engineer. I mainly do design, reports, site surveys and technical advising. 

Do you have specific qualifications for your job? 

I have a Bachelors in Civil Engineering and a Masters in Structural and Geotechnical Engineering. 

Why did you decide to go into this industry? 

I originally wanted to be an architect and do more with design but I realised I was Maths and Physics and the structural side was more challenging.

I worked in Italy with a small firm then I moved to work with huge steel structures, then moved to a small company dealing with concrete structures. I was really keen to work with glulam because it was the one material I hadn’t had experience with.

What does your job involve? 

I’m mostly working on the design of the main structure taking lots of things into consideration. I also deal with customer calls giving technical advice and I conduct site surveys, do drawings and cost estimates.

What’s a favourite project you’ve worked on?

My favourite project to work on was Abbey Court because it involved making some connections to the steel structure below which is quite unusual. The top part was glulam and all the posts needed to be fitted with cantilever connection to the structure below. 

What skills do you use in your work? 

Mathematics and Physics are the basics. Also a tridimensional understanding of drawings and an ability to find a better way to do something in a short space of time. The first step is always done with pen and paper and after this, I use 3D analysis software so I need knowledge of the software too.

What are the best things about the job? 

I focus most of the time on designing, finding solutions and problem-solving which is the most interesting part of the job for me. It is improving my skills but also allows me to help others improve. Robin is a great manager who always gives me feedback. 

What is the worst thing?

Sometimes I miss Italy. But now I’m in Italy, I miss Devon!

What do you like doing in your spare time? 

I work out a lot and play tennis. I enjoy cooking (I’m best at pizza and pasta) and watch movies, read and do puzzles in my spare time. My favourite directors are Kubrick, Wes Anderson and Tarantino and I enjoy books by Bukowski, Erri De Luca, Pirandello Vonnegut.