Our wonderful team are our greatest asset. Not only experts in transport, engineering and placemaking but also committed to delivering better places for people through high-level-service client experiences.

We’re very proud to continue to celebrate the faces behind the fast-growing international consultancy that we are today in our monthly feature ‘PJA People’.

Next up in our series is Principal Engineer, Barney Irlam, based in our Bristol office:

Tell us what you do at PJA

I am a Principal Engineering Geologist with broad geo-environmental experience having had exposure to a range of geotechnical, reclamation and remediation projects. I am based in the Bristol office but live in South Wales, working on several sites in the area.

Sites I have worked on include a former oil refinery complete with its own landfill and reservoir; a former chemical works (that was once considered as a set by Hollywood producers for a film set in a dystopian future – it didn’t happen); a canal in the Neath Valley (aka ‘waterfall country’), and a number of housing developments.

I would say I am a jack of all trades (but a master of none). I am more than happy to get involved with projects and tasks outside of my ‘day to day’ experience and I enjoy collaborating with other teams.  

What’s your career path so far?

I started my career in 2011 working as a Graduate Environmental Engineer at Parsons Brinkerhoff in Bristol. There I carried out several ground investigations on contaminated sites, mainly petrol stations and former gas works sites. At the time I was working all around the UK and abroad in Cyprus and Egypt.

After a couple of years, I moved to the position of Geotechnical Engineer at Capita Symonds in the Cardiff Office. There I developed my experiences further, having exposure to some more geotechnical projects. The most interesting of which involved the use of a directional drill rig to update a drainage system and stabilise a colliery spoil tip.

After that, I moved to Atkins to work on site at the former oil refinery at Llandarcy (a project I am still involved in). After a few years there in 2017, while looking for a change, I was given the opportunity at PJA, and here we are.

What do you enjoy when you’re not working?

I like to get outdoors when I’m not working. I enjoy hiking and mountain biking and I am a keen water sports enthusiast. One of my main hobbies is surfing but I have recently got into wing foiling; a sport like windsurfing but you use a handheld wing to harness the wind and power a foil board. The board has what is essentially a wing attached to the bottom that lifts the board up out of the water- so you are essentially flying about a foot above the water. It is as difficult as it sounds, and I honestly just spend most of my time splashing about in the water.

Are you a dog or cat person?

Definitely dog. We have one dog called Bo, she is a fantastic dog who often comes with me on my mountain bike rides.  We also have two cats, Puck and Oberon – they are tolerable.

What are you currently reading or listening to?

I listen to a variety of music, but I tend to listen to heavy music if its just me. If my family is in the car, we either listen to ‘nice music’, the Uncanny podcasts (ghosts and stuff on BBC sounds) or Welsh nursey rhymes.

Claim to fame?

I don’t think I really have one.

Barney Irlam, Principal Engineer

Barney is a geo-environmental engineer with 7 years’ of experience working on a range of geotechnical, remediation and reclamation development projects.

Get in touch with Barney: [email protected]

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