New Director for Board of Building Research

News Release 28 November 2005

New Director Appointed to the Board of Building Research

Building Research has announced the appointment of Mark Batchelar to their Board, effective immediately. Mr Batchelar is an Institution of Professional Engineers New Zealand nominee to the Board.

Mr Batchelar is the principal of Mark L Batchelar Consulting Engineers; an Auckland based general structural design company who specialise in timber engineering.

Steve Gentry, the Building Research Board Chairman said “Mark brings over 33 years experience in engineering and we are delighted to have a director with such skills on the Board. He has significant, practical knowledge of building, engineering and design, both here and overseas, and his extensive experience will be of huge benefit to Building Research”.

Mr Batchelar started Mark L Batchelar Consulting Engineers in 1985. They specialise in the design of timber structures and collectively the team has over 40 years experience in the field. The company undertakes work both in New Zealand and overseas and their international achievements include the design of structures in Asia, the Middle East, Australia and throughout the Pacific Islands. They have won a number of design awards for their work.

Mark received his Bachelor of (Civil) Engineering in 1972 from Auckland University and his Masters of (Civil) Engineering in 1973 from Canterbury University. He was appointed as the inaugural Timber Engineering Research Fellow at Auckland University in 1979, an industry funded teaching and research position that he held for four years. As well as being a Fellow of the Institution of Professional Engineers New Zealand, he is a member of the Institution of Engineers Australia and is a Chartered Professional Engineer.

Mark is a widely published author of many articles on timber engineering and has presented papers on timber engineering at a number of national and international conferences. He has been on the New Zealand Timber Certification Board since 1997 and the New Zealand Structural Engineering Society Management Committee since 2002. He has also been involved on NZ Standards committees in the revision and development of timber related standards.

Mark’s hobbies include participating in water sports and music; he is a keen guitarist. He lives in Glendowie, Auckland, with his wife and the youngest of their four children, who range in age from 16-25.

Building Research is an independent entity with a primary role of investment in research, technology transfer and scholarship activities. The Building Research Board is drawn widely from the building and construction sector, comprising nominees of the Property Council of New Zealand, Building Industry Federation, Registered Master Builders’ Federation, Institution of Professional Engineers New Zealand, New Zealand Contractors’ Federation, Local Government New Zealand, Business New Zealand, New Zealand Institute of Architects, Housing New Zealand Corporation and New Zealand Building Subcontractors’ Federation. The Board is responsible for determining how the Building Industry Research Levy funds are invested.

ENDS

© Scoop Media