Chris Bakkala
Chris Bakkala, Managing Director of Bakkala Consulting Engineers, has over twenty years experience with top engineering firms designing efficient, economical tall building structures throughout the world.
Chris became a master of engineering in 1990, after studying at the Cooper Union for Advancement of Science and Art in New York. After his education, he started working at Thornton-Tomasetti Engineers in New York and Shanghai. He did various projects as he advanced to senior project engineer. After working here for ten years, he moved to Ireland where he joined Buro Happold, helping to establish the structural engineering group in Dublin, a group he led from inception in 2000. Some of his key projects here included long span roof structures for airport terminals in Cork and in Jin An, China; high rise projects including the Landmark in Abu Dhabi, Lamar Towers in Jeddah, Aurora Tower in Belfast; and masterplanning of brownfield sites including Heuston Gateway and Connolly Station in Dublin.
In 2008, Chris moved to the Walsh Group in Dublin, where he worked briefly as a director of Walsh Goodfellow and high rise director within the Walsh Group before establishing his own practice, Bakkala Associates, in 2009, providing high rise engineering expertise to collaborating companies in the Netherlands, the UK and the middle east.
In 2010, Chris reached agreement with Pieter van Boom, managing director of Bartels Consulting Engineers to increase their collaborative working by joining forces. Bakkala Associates transformed into Bakkala Consulting Engineers, and Chris and Pieter are the Directors of the Company.
Bakkala Consulting Engineers is a member of the Bartels Group of Companies.
Chris' current projects include coordination of multidisciplinary value engineering for the Warsaw Spire in Poland; structural and civil engineering for the Connolly Quarter redevelopment in Dublin; and sustainable drainage and natural wastewater treatment systems for a scout camp serving up to 1000 scouts in rural County Cavan.