For 35 years Clive Hargreaves has helped maintain the unique facilities that make Imperial's civil engineering research among the best in the world.

How did your Imperial journey start?

After graduating from Aston University with a Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering I went onto to study for a Master’s in Structural Engineering at Imperial in 1974 and it just mushroomed from there.

In the early days I was working exclusively on research projects. It was a very exciting time because the Department played a big role in national and global challenges in the field of structural and civil engineering. Over the years the Department has continued to maintain this research-driven role and the laboratories have played an important part in this.

For example in the early 1970s a number of bridges collapsed during construction as a result of failure of the box girder elements − the Cleddau Bridge in Wales (left) is typical of this. A ban was placed on building with box girders until the problem could be resolved. The Department was involved in a significant amount of research leading to the development of new design rules and this involved the testing of large scale box girders.

The Department then became heavily involved in offshore platform work involving curved plate elements. Much of this followed from when oil started flowing from the North Sea. This generated a large number of laboratory tests on curved structures typical of the construction of offshore platforms. We were also involved in repair work and I can remember spending a very cold week in Inverness taking real-time measurement on an offshore structure know as a tension leg platform being constructed. Another cold job involved spending about a month on one of the piers in the middle of the river on the Thames Barrier (below) helping to resolve problems they had during construction.

My final period of lab work revolved around the problem of engineering seismicity for the UK and in particular for the UK nuclear power industry. It was during the Thatcher administration when power plants were being built at Heysham and Torness and the need was for them to withstand a 1 in 10,000 year earthquake with the obvious aim of preventing serious damage to critical plant. We had a shaking table in the Department in those days capable of biaxial motion with a payload up to 5 tonnes. This could reproduce a variety of motions including real time seismic events.

How did research differ then? 

The means of measuring, storing and analysing data were nowhere near as good as they are today. I can remember when I first joined the Department and we had two networked telex machines in the building with remote access to a mainframe computer. Compare that with at least one computer on every desk today.  Experimental data were recorded and stored on punched paper tape – there were no floppy disks and certainly no memory sticks. I can remember getting in a real jumble with the tape on one occasion and I had to stretch it out down the length of the corridor to try and get the thing in the right order. I ended up punching holes in it by hand just to get it to read properly.

We take the equipment we have today for granted but it is worthwhile remembering the experimental advances that were made by the Department when enhanced levels of control and measurement became available. In many ways it’s much easier to perform research now but we have to be careful not to overlook how we obtain information and to ensure it is relevant.

Then you changed direction somewhat?

Yes, I took on the role of Technical Services and Facilities Manager in 1993, which I have performed to this day. In doing so I stepped away from doing the research itself and accepted the challenge of trying to make research actually happen in the first place − or at least facilitating it and putting in place the infrastructure to enable it.

Structures Lab

My role entails overseeing our five very unique and diverse laboratories. Many people when they think of a lab picture bench top equipment and test tubes or a room full of high performance computers, but we’re really quite different. We have the Structures Lab with its cathedral-like proportions; the Hydrodynamics lab with its visual wave tanks; the Geotechnics lab conducting controlled tests on soils; the Environmental laboratory (the successor of the old Public Health lab) and the new Intelligent Infrastructure Transport Systems lab engaged in work across several disciplines.

Hydrodynamics Lab

Because of the nature of these facilities the researchers are not able to do all the research themselves and consequently rely on technical staff. This is much more so in this Department given the size of the models we build with many models taking upwards of two technicians to assemble. It’s my job is to make sure that those projects get through the system and that the technical staff are in place and available at the right time.

What are the challenges?

We’ve been fortunate that during my tenure we’ve been able to totally refurbish all of our laboratories – in effect rebuilding, and in some cases relocating, labs entirely. That process involves a lot of discussion and asking searching questions: What are we trying to achieve? How much money have we got? How much more can we get? Then it’s about trying to define what your goals are for the next ten years or so, which is near impossible but you have to make a good guess at it. And with those goals in mind what equipment and facilities you need in the laboratories? A lab design might easily take you a year to plan but hopefully what we have put in place will help us maintain our elite status.

Also, constraints on College space are never ending – you’re continually having to manage the space you use. We did give up the concrete lab in its previous guise on level 0 which is now a group of lecture theatres. But we ended up getting about £2 million for new equipment for a new lab elsewhere so it’s a trade – it’s all an iterative process of finding opportunities and seizing them.

Any Imperial highlights?

Honestly the whole lot, as pompous as it sounds. A technician once said to me: ‘it’s a great place to work, we should be paying them − they even provide heating and lighting!’ We certainly don’t have a cushy time; we all work very hard and put the hours in. But I think it’s great fun. I have never had a Monday morning feeling in my life. Never. I enjoy coming to work − I’m just getting too old for it now. The mind is very willing but the body is giving up.

When did you hear about your nomination for the British Empire Medal?

At the end of November. It was funny I’d gone for a walk one morning, past the Cabinet Office and then a few days later I received a letter from the Cabinet Office and my first thought was ‘what have I done?’ My second reaction was this must be an almighty big tax bill so I thought I’d better open it. That’s when I found out I had been recommended for the award, which would be reviewed by the Queen.

I had a strong suspicion that former Head of Department Prof David Nethercot had a big hand in this. The honours were formally announced at 10.30pm on Wednesday before the New Year and at 11.15 I had a congratulatory email from David. I have since found out that others also played a part in this but they all kept me in the dark.

The separate investiture and a Royal Garden Party at Buckingham Palace are in May. I can’t think what two new outfits for my wife are going to cost me and now I find my daughter is also invited!

You are know for being unassuming and modest but this recognition must be satisfying?

I think all of the people I have worked with over many years in the Department have in some ways helped me to obtain this award. The Department has always been very good at recognising and rewarding staff achievements and this honour is a good example of that.  I wouldn’t have been able to deliver the job without the hard work other people have done - it’s as simple as that.

What next for you?

Well, probably retirement but that’s a bit embarrassing having just been nominated for a medal.

There’s a joke going round the Department that they only did this to keep me here. I think getting Her Majesty and the Government to participate in this plan is a bit over the top.