Job title: Associate Employer: Arup
Please introduce yourself.
My name is Kelvin Wong. I have over 20 years of industry experience and am now working at the Arup Shenzhen Office as a Fire Engineer. I am also responsible for managing the business in Southern Mainland China.
Tell us about your career to date.
After I graduate from university, I joined Arup as a Graduate Fire Engineer. This provided a wide range of opportunities and resulted in me moving and working on projects in several different locations around the world, including Hong Kong, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Shanghai and Beijing. These projects have included super-high-rise buildings, airport terminals, stadiums, retail malls, hotels, theatres, theme parks, border crossings, racecourses, casinos, nuclear power plants, pier terminals, cable car systems and rail stations.
Can you describe a typical working day?
A typical day for me includes understanding the challenges and client needs on the various projects I am involved in, brainstorming with colleagues to develop innovative strategies, and working with my team to present the proposed solutions and how they will be implemented.
What do you find most enjoyable about your job?
There is always something new that I encounter in my daily work which means I am constantly learning new things. This can include structural design requirements when we are working to optimise steel beam fire protection, passenger flow prediction principles when we are calculating the airport arrival hall occupant loads or façade mullion configurations when predicting the possibility of vertical fire spread. I am very lucky that every day I am excited to go to work. Fire is a multi-disciplinary subject that enables us to understand a wide range of knowledge to propose an integrated fire safety solution.
Is there a great professional achievement that you would like to tell us about?
I have been fortunate to work on several high-profile projects from the design to commissioning stages across different countries and cities. These include the Beijing Daxing International Airport, Beijing CITIC Tower, Watercube Winter Olympics Conversion, Shenzhen DJI Headquarters and Abu Dhabi Aldar HQ.
Are there any particular challenges or unusual aspects to your role?
There are always innovative design features or functional requirements that bring new fire safety challenges that are not prescribed in the statutory fire codes. As Fire Engineers, we always need to understand the fundamental design requirements and develop new strategies to tackle these emerging fire safety challenges. We are also currently generating ideas on how our fire safety design can help to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals and we are exploring how digital technology can help to accelerate our work and enhance the fire safety of buildings.
What inspired you to become an engineer?
From a young age, I liked to investigate the mechanism of mechanical components, thinking about how things work, and how to break and assemble them again. I have always found the process of defining a problem, investigating it, and then finding a solution to be very enjoyable. I chose to study a degree in Mechanical Engineering at university and finally became a Fire Engineer when I joined Arup after graduating.
What contributed to your decision to gain IFE membership?
IFE membership is recognised in the engineering community and in professional society. Becoming a member is a great way of demonstrating my fire engineering design and management skills.
How do you benefit from being a registrant with the IFE?
I benefited from a salary increase and promotion.
Would you recommend joining the IFE?
Definitely, as it is recognition of your professional skills and competence.
Is there any advice you would pass on to someone considering IFE membership?
Ask other members or professional organisations like the IFE for advice and guidance. They can work with you to plan a path for how to achieve membership and professional registration.