Engineering Journey

Engineering Journey

More than a career. The experience behind Bebbington Engineering Studio.

Carl Bebbington

Founder and Chartered Structural Engineer

BSc (Hons), MSc, CEng, MIStructE

07479 642697
bebbingtonengineeringstudio@outlook.com
Greater Manchester, United Kingdom

Every structure tells a story. So does every engineer.

Mine began in 2004, not in a design office, but on the workshop floor, learning how structural steel is fabricated, detailed, assembled and erected. Before I was calculating beams or leading multidisciplinary design teams, I was developing an appreciation of how engineering decisions affect the people who ultimately have to build them. That practical grounding has shaped my approach throughout every stage of my career.

As I progressed through structural detailing, engineering design, consultancy leadership and ultimately Technical Director, the scale and complexity of the projects changed — but the underlying philosophy remained the same. Good engineering should be technically robust, practical to construct and straightforward to communicate.

Every role introduced new challenges, new sectors and new opportunities to learn. From commercial developments and city-centre regeneration to petrochemical facilities, defence infrastructure, healthcare, advanced manufacturing and transport projects, each experience contributed to the knowledge and judgement that now underpins Bebbington Engineering Studio.

The timeline below is not intended to be a curriculum vitae. It is the story of how practical construction knowledge, engineering education, Chartered status and more than twenty years of project experience came together to create the consultancy that exists today.

The timeline

From the workshop floor, 2004 — one continuous journey.

Chartership · 2022

Chartered Structural Engineer

CEng MIStructE

IStructEMember

2004
William Hare Group
Plater / Welder · Bury, UK
The journey began on the workshop floor, fabricating structural steelwork. Learning how steel is cut, formed, welded and prepared for erection created an understanding of tolerance, access and sequencing that no drawing board can teach.
- Qualification · 2004NVQ Levels 2 & 3 Fabrication & Welding
  Alliance Learning. Practical grounding in fabrication, welding and steelwork preparation, completed alongside full-time workshop employment and served before any academic study.
- Award · 2005Fabrication Apprentice of the Year
  Alliance Learning — Engineering, Fabrication & Welding Apprentice of the Year, awarded in recognition of outstanding performance during apprenticeship training.
2007
William Hare Group
Structural CAD Technician · Bury, UK
Moving from the workshop into detailing meant translating design intent into information the fabrication shop could build from. Part-time study began alongside full-time work — the first academic step, taken only after the practical grounding was in place.
- Promotion · 2007Structural CAD Technician
  Moved off the shop floor into structural steel detailing, taking responsibility for fabrication and erection information rather than the physical work itself.
- Qualification · 2007ONC Civil Engineering
  Bolton Community College — Distinction. First formal academic step, studied part-time alongside full-time detailing work.
- Qualification · 2009HNC Civil Engineering
  University of Bolton — Distinction. Structural analysis, materials and design fundamentals applied directly to live steelwork packages.
Project milestones
2011
William Hare Group
Structural Design Engineer · Bury, UK
Design responsibility on large-scale steel frames — commercial towers in London, petrochemical and energy facilities overseas. Working within a fabricator meant every design decision was immediately tested against how it would be made and erected.
- Promotion · 2011Structural Design Engineer
  Took design responsibility for steel frames and connections, owning analysis, member sizing and the interface between design intent and fabrication.
- Qualification · 2014BSc (Hons) Civil Engineering
  University of Bolton — First Class Honours. Completed part-time while carrying full design responsibility on major steelwork packages.
Project milestones
2015
Capita Real Estate & Infrastructure
Graduate, then Structural Engineer · Cheadle Hulme, UK
The move into consultancy brought a different discipline: designing for clients and architects rather than for a fabrication line, and taking responsibility for the whole structure rather than one trade package.
- Award · 2015IStructE Lancashire & Cheshire Regional Student Prize
  Awarded by the Institution of Structural Engineers for the highest achievement in Structural Engineering & Design in the region.
- Promotion · 2017Structural Engineer
  Progressed from graduate to full design engineer, leading structural packages and client-facing technical correspondence.
- Qualification · 2017MSc Structural Engineering
  University of Salford — Distinction. Advanced analysis, stability and structural behaviour, completed part-time alongside consultancy work.
Project milestones
- Project milestone · 2016
  Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre (DMRC), Stanford Hall
  Stanford Hall, Nottinghamshire
  National defence rehabilitation facility set within a sensitive historic estate.
  Employer at the time: Capita Real Estate & Infrastructure
  View project →
Midway
Engineering Philosophy
Leadership, chartership and independence.
Every stage of my career has reinforced one consistent belief. The most successful engineering solutions are rarely the most complicated. They are the solutions that balance structural efficiency, practicality, buildability and collaboration.
Beginning my career in structural steel fabrication provided an appreciation of construction that continues to influence my engineering today. Design decisions are never made in isolation. They must work for clients, architects, contractors and the people responsible for building the project.
That philosophy underpins every commission undertaken by Bebbington Engineering Studio.
2017
Curtins
Project, then Senior Structural Engineer · Manchester, UK
City-centre Manchester work at scale — high-rise residential, commercial and stadium projects delivered on constrained sites, alongside operational buildings that could not be taken out of use. Leading design teams became as important as leading calculations.
- Promotion · 2018Senior Structural Engineer
  Took responsibility for project delivery and design team leadership, mentoring engineers and owning technical decisions across whole schemes.
Project milestones
2021
WML Consulting
Project Structural Engineer · Cheadle Hulme, UK
A period focused on education, heritage refurbishment and heavy industrial work — quarry processing structures and mill conversions that demanded pragmatic, buildable solutions on constrained existing structures.
Project milestones
- Project milestone · 2021
  Bayston Hill Quarry
  Shrewsbury, Shropshire
  Quarry processing and conveyor transfer structures in an operational environment.
  Employer at the time: WML Consulting
  View project →
- Project milestone · 2021
  Our Lady's RC High School
  Blackley, Manchester
  Education works delivered around an occupied school estate.
  Employer at the time: WML Consulting
  View project →
2021
Renaissance Associates Limited
Senior Structural Engineer · Manchester, UK
Infrastructure and residential work in parallel, including two distinct structures within the Stockport Interchange development. Chartership followed during this period, formalising the judgement built over the previous seventeen years.
- Professional recognition · 2022Chartered Structural Engineer — CEng MIStructE
  Awarded by the Institution of Structural Engineers following professional review and examination — formal recognition of independent engineering judgement.
Project milestones
2023
Clancy Consulting
Associate, then Technical Director · Manchester, UK
Technical leadership across advanced manufacturing, defence and hospitality commissions — setting technical standards, mentoring engineers and remaining closely involved in the detail of design delivery.
- Promotion · 2023Associate Structural Engineer
  Associate-level responsibility for technical quality, commission delivery and the development of engineers within the structural team.
- Promotion · 2025Technical Director
  Appointed Technical Director, setting technical standards across the structural discipline while remaining hands-on in design delivery.
Project milestones
- Project milestone · 2024
  Perspex International
  Darwen, Lancashire
  Manufacturing facility expansion delivered around an operational industrial process.
  Employer at the time: Clancy Consulting
  View project →
2025
Bebbington Engineering Studio Ltd
Founder & Chartered Structural Engineer · Greater Manchester, United Kingdom
The studio was established so clients work directly with a Chartered Structural Engineer from first enquiry to completion — the natural conclusion of twenty years spent in workshops, on sites and in design offices.

The Journey Continues

Bebbington Engineering Studio represents the next chapter of that journey.

The consultancy has been established with a simple ambition: to provide thoughtful, practical and technically excellent structural engineering through direct Chartered Engineer involvement, collaborative working and a genuine understanding of how buildings are designed and constructed.

The journey began in a fabrication workshop in 2004. Every project, every role and every challenge since has contributed to the engineer I am today.

The next chapter is now being written through every client, every collaboration and every new engineering challenge.

Have a project to discuss? I'd be pleased to hear about it.

Discuss Your Project →

Carl Bebbington

From the workshop floor, 2004 — one continuous journey.

William Hare Group

William Hare Group

William Hare Group

Capita Real Estate & Infrastructure

Engineering Philosophy

Curtins

WML Consulting

Renaissance Associates Limited

Clancy Consulting

Bebbington Engineering Studio Ltd

The Journey Continues