Engineers are well known as a straightforward and practical bunch, but that doesn’t mean they cannot appreciate the finer things in life.

For Leonie Baker, the chance to use her technical skills to boost the cultural mlife of Buckinghamshire is just the type of project she has spent years preparing for.

In September 2004 Baker joined engineering consultant Whitbybird — now RambollWhitbybird — after being impressed by the variety and scope of the projects undertaken by the company and the creativity of the work involved.

With her interest in the history of art, the galleries and theatres that had been designed at the company also held a special appeal.

It offered a good training scheme, which Baker is taking advantage of as she works towards her goal of achieving chartered status next year.

Baker joined as a graduate engineer in the special projects team. At the time, the team was involved in a number of contracts such as the Hepworth Gallery in Wakefield, designed by internationally renowned architect David Chipperfield, and the renovation of the Derry Playhouse in Ireland, working with Andrzej Blonski Architects.

She found herself involved with the redevelopment of the Aylesbury Theatre, mpart of Buckinghamshire Council’s Waterside Scheme — a project to develop Aylesbury town with a shopping area, a multi-storey car park and more than 200 homes.

The architectural design of the theatre was created by architects Arts Team. Its concept was inspired by local features: the undulating roof reflects the shape of the neighbouring Chiltern Hills and the use of timber columns is reminiscent of the surrounding woodland areas.

‘In keeping with the concept, the structural design combines a timber frame with a concrete core that houses the auditorium, which stands at the heart of the building,’ said Baker.

The shape of the building fits neatly on to a compact site, with a glazed facade that is supported by external timber fins. Tree-like, these taper outwards from base to crown and support a stainless steel clad roof overhang. The fins are restrained in places by fixed timber louvres.

The roof structure incorporates windcatchers to ventilate the front-ofhouse areas and external plant rooms on either side of the concrete fly tower (the space above the stage).

Baker worked on the design of the theatre with the architects right from the feasibility stage, and has been involved with the project ever since.

‘When I first started I was involved in the early design work which I then took through detailed design. Now we are at the building stage,’ she said.

She has been tracking the development of the theatre through from the Royal Institute of British Architects project stages from inception to construction, ensuring that the design was developed sufficiently to allow preliminary tenders to be obtained for construction of the theatre to begin.

‘Even before the architecture was finalised, we were called upon to make suggestions as to where timber in the building might be most suitably deployed from a structural perspective,’ said Baker.

For the theatre’s timber structure, spruce was initially considered, but this was rejected in favour of a more durable wood that would reduce maintenance as well as remove the need to add any preservatives or additional treatments to the timber.

‘So we designed the structural mwooden elements in larch as well as glulam, a manufactured timber where strips of wood, such as larch or pine, are taken and glued under pressure to make a composite structure that will eliminate any of the structural defects that you would normally find in a plain timber beam,’ said Baker.

Once the timber structure and the concrete core had been agreed, Baker and her team were called upon to develop structural models for both. A basic finite analysis was performed on the wooden structural elements of the theatre, while a more intricate finite element (FE) analysis was demanded for the concrete part of the structure.

‘The concrete core of the building is a somewhat complex structure that involves large cantilevering balconies all at different levels. So we created a 3D structural model in CAD to visualise the architectural intent, as all the sections are different.

‘We then exported this model into the FE analysis software, which could then be used to accurately design the concrete reinforcement. The output from the FE model was then used to create the RC detailing drawings for the concrete structure,’ said Baker.

The theatre is expected to be completed next autumn, when it will be equipped with a motorised floor in the main hall that can be raised for different performances, as well as a lighting and sound rig and the auditorium itself, which will be able to accommodate 1,200 people for seated events or 1,800 for standing events.

The theatre will also contain a 220-seat adaptable studio, suitable for smaller drama productions.

‘Main construction work, which began in August 2007, is expected to take two years to complete. The superstructure contract is currently being negotiated and involves the construction of the entire theatre above ground and the installation of specialist theatre equipment,’ said Baker.

With construction under way, Baker is now spending a couple of days a week on site. The basement is completed and Baker has been visiting the site to ensure the reinforcement is being correctly fixed as detailed, and also to be on hand to answer any questions the contractors might have.

‘Seeing things that you have worked on over the past two years actually come to fruition is the most interesting part of the job for me,’ said Baker.

Her academic background is well suited to her role. She found a perfect fit to pursue her interests in both architecture and civil engineering when she was accepted for a place on Manchester University’s MEng degree in structural engineering with architecture.

The four-year undergraduate masters programme provides students with a single degree suitable as a first step towards a career in either civil or structural engineering with an appreciation of the architectural design process.

Accreditation by both the Institution of Civil Engineers and the Institution of Structural Engineers also means the degree course does not limit those on it to a specific structural or a civil engineering career path once they graduate.

‘There were only a few courses at the time that offered structural engineering with architecture, and so it wasn’t particularly hard to decide which course was right for me,’ said Baker.

She is looking forward to becoming involved in developing yet more interesting architectural buildings.

‘Each project is not only different on its own merits but also different because of the people that you work with. This has its advantages - people always bring different experiences and ideas to projects,’ she said.