Old Stamfordian Awarded Medal

An Old Stamfordian has been recognised with a Medal for his role in the Geotechnical Engineering Community.Congratulations to Old Stamfordian, David Beadman (OS 75), who has been awarded the John Mitchell Medal for his role in the Geotechnical Engineering Community. The award was first launched in 2008 after John Mitchell of Arup (who was a Geotechnical engineer) was unfortunately killed while observing piling work at a central London site in 1990.The John Mitchell Medal award celebrates the careers of individuals in the field who have made significant contributions through their work.David’s speciality is the design of piled foundations and embedded retaining walls, which tend to be used for city deep basements and metro stations. Early in his career, David worked on the stations for the Jubilee Line Extension in London and the Copenhagen Metro. David also co-authored a design guide for embedded retaining walls which is used in the UK and around the world.More recently, David’s journey in the field of civil engineering has seen him embark into the unknown; joining 'ByrneLobby' in 2008 as a Director to open their first office in England. Helping the company to grow, one of David's first projects included designing the piled foundation and the basement retaining wall for the Shard in London.In addition to his day job, David has acted as a reviewer for the Institution of Civil Engineers’ (ICE) chartered professional review, sitting on the editorial panel of the Geotechnical Engineering Journal and on the Professional Development Panel of the ICE. David has also provided day courses on geotechnical design for the ICE, and describes himself as 'a real supporter of building the foundations and knowledge of those interested in this area of work': “Every project provides different challenges; understanding the particular soil conditions on a site, adapting a design to suit the soil conditions or to suit the abilities of the machinery available, or finding a construction sequence to safely and economically achieve what the client desires.”David is delighted and honoured to receive the John Mitchell Medal, and told us: “it is always nice to receive recognition for one’s efforts, particularly when it comes from one’s peers”."The technical challenge is what I enjoy most, and seeing a design being built. Geotechnics is particularly challenging given the variability of the ground, designing structures that support the ground and rely on the ground for support. It was also hugely satisfying to develop a business that was profitable, won interesting projects and trained some very talented young engineers”. David attended Stamford School from 1966-75, enjoying maths and physics, Latin and Greek. David said: “I knew I wanted to do something related to construction, so maths and physics were the obvious choices. The most important thing that Stamford gave me is that love of maths. Mr (‘Jock’) McKenzie taught in the Sixth Form and I enjoyed his lessons and his weekly tests."Please click here for a link to David's recent lecture with the ICE.