Welcome to the Team: Meet Peterside Ahiwe, Our New Design Engineer

We are delighted to welcome Peterside Ahiwe to Crafter Engineering, who joined us in October as a Design Engineer. Peterside brings experience from both site and design roles in Nigeria and the UK, along with a real enthusiasm for learning temporary works. Jessica sat down with him for an informal chat to find out more about his journey into engineering, what motivates him, and what he enjoys away from the drawing board.

Engineering Runs in the Family

Peterside was born and raised in Nigeria, where he completed his first degree in civil engineering. Construction has always been part of his family, although not always through engineering, and he says that growing up around people who built things made the path feel natural. "Construction is just a part of us," he explains.

What first drew him in was seeing ideas on paper turn into something that makes a difference to people's lives. "You see a bush or a forest, and suddenly there is a tall building there, and it has all been done by engineers. You can see it, you can feel it. It's not hidden." Along the way he met engineers who made confident decisions on the spot, and he wanted to be like them. That was the inspiration for his goal of becoming a structural engineer.

From Lagos to the UK

Peterside began his career in Nigeria, where he spent three and a half years in engineering roles before moving to the UK. As a site engineer, he worked on an oil and gas storage facility in Lagos, one of four contractors on site, and gained early exposure to working with specialists from different countries and backgrounds. He later joined a second company working on commercial projects such as hotels and shopping complexes, where he was involved in both design and construction, including setting out.

After moving to the UK, Peterside completed his Master's degree and gained site experience alongside his studies. He then joined his first UK consultancy, where he spent three years fully involved in design work, inspections, drawings, calculations and reports, before joining us at Crafter.

A Project He is Proud Of

Peterside's proudest project is the Lagos oil and gas storage facility. Working close to the river and the sea, the soil was weak and the foundations were a major challenge, which meant finding a suitable foundation solution on site and building specialist knowledge at an early stage in his career. With several large contractors working in the same space, communication was key. "Every time you need to do something, you have to involve other people as well," he says.

What he is proudest of is the quality of the work. The team was laying pavement across a very large area, and the client wanted to start using the facility as soon as possible. "Everyone can see our work. It is a very large area that you can't really mess up." The project was delivered ahead of schedule.

Explaining Engineering

We asked Peterside how he would explain his day-to-day work to someone with no engineering background. "First of all, we solve problems," he says. It starts with the client and understanding what they want and the constraints involved, which often means working with architects and other engineers and visiting site to inspect and measure. From there, the team develops a solution and presents it through drawings, calculations and reports, making sure it complies with building regulations and the right standards. Once construction starts, the job is to make sure the information is clear enough for the builders, that health and safety risks are outlined, that the sequence of work is stated, and that there is room for further communication during the build.

Accountability and Responsibility

Asked about the most valuable lesson he has learned so far, Peterside points to accountability. "Every design decision we make has consequences, and I take pride in knowing that people's safety and lives depend on my work." For him, being accountable and responsible for every decision, and committing to the safety of others and the environment, are the two biggest principles of his engineering work.

Why Crafter Engineering?

Peterside was drawn to Crafter by the chance to work alongside experienced engineers who bring a different approach from what he has seen before, and by our focus on letting engineers concentrate on engineering and finding solutions to problems. Career development was also a key factor. He values the opportunity to progress towards chartership and the investment the company makes in its people. Within his first couple of weeks he has already taken ownership of projects and begun taking on leadership, which is exactly how engineers grow. "The room to grow is here," he says.

What He Hopes to Bring

Peterside hopes to bring fresh ideas to the team, work collaboratively to deliver high-quality work, seek feedback from other engineers and communicate his ideas clearly. He is especially keen to develop his knowledge of temporary works. "It's a fantastic opportunity to be here with engineers that have been doing this for years and years and years."

Looking Ahead

Over the next five years, Peterside would like to work towards chartership and be able to deliver projects independently, meeting clients wherever the work takes him, in the UK or overseas.

Beyond the Office

Outside of work, Peterside is a big fan of fitness and sport. He loves football, basketball and combat sports.

A Surprising Talent

Finally, we asked Peterside what might surprise his new colleagues. It turns out he is a very good chess player. He used to compete at university and even helped organise a local competition. "They might not know yet, but they will soon." We are hoping this might lead to a Crafter Engineering chess club one day.

Please join us in giving Peterside a warm welcome to Crafter Engineering. We are excited to have him on board and look forward to the valuable contributions he will make to our team and projects.