Speakers

Kelly Harrison BEng (Hons) CEng MIStructE

Director | Whitby Wood

“We need to decarbonise. Now is the time to make a real difference.”

Director Kelly Harrison is a dynamic leader in the industry’s move to sustainable construction and a member of the Whitby Wood management team. She is excels in the design of timber and hybrid structures, refurbishment and retro-fitting, adaptations, extensions and basements, and working in heritage contexts.

Kelly’s skills in fostering strong team and client relationships underpin her 15 years’ experience in successfully developing detailed design for projects in the residential, commercial, education and cultural sectors at all scales. Before joining Whitby Wood in 2020, she had a key role in project-led timber research, following through with in-house knowledge sharing.

Notable current projects include Anthony Timberlands center for Design and Materials Innovation at the University of Arkansas, USA, showcasing mass timber construction and Human Nature’s Phoenix development of 750 low-carbon homes in Lewes, UK.

Kelly is a Member of the Board of Timber Development UK (TDUK, formerly TRADA) and sits on the editorial advisory committee of New Steel Construction magazine. She promotes engineering at industry events, speaks at conferences and symposia, judges technical, structural and architectural competitions, and contributes to university activities including tutoring at Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London, and lecturing at the Universities of Arkansas, Liverpool and Newcastle.

In 2020, she was named in the Top 50 Women in Engineering: Sustainability list by the Women’s Engineering Society. In 2021, she joined New London Architecture’s Expert Panel on Work. She is currently partnering with UK FIRES and University of Bath for a PhD focused on minimising the carbon footprint of refurbishing existing buildings.