People News
Our People: Nikhilesh Patil.
A career that resonates.
Nikhilesh joined our Manchester office in 2018 as an Acoustics engineer specialising in Vibration after he completed a PhD in Acoustics and Vibration at The University of Salford.
Vibration is…
…an incredibly interesting area of building design because it is a niche, specialist field with many varied challenges. Vibrations that affect buildings can be produced by a variety of sources: from construction to road traffic or even sub-atomic disturbance.
Vibration has applications in multiple disciplines, and it is the perfect mix of physics, engineering, technology and data.
The most challenging project I’ve worked on…
…was the Laboratory of Verification and Validation. It was the first development I was involved with and, whilst it was demanding, I learnt a vast amount. Working on such a high-billed project was fantastic. The multimillion-pound, state-of-the-art test facility needed to host several environmental chambers for structural testing. My team and I were responsible for assessing the potential infrasound and vibration issues that were perceived by its users.
My work involves…
…undertaking detailed testing. On the Laboratory of Verification and Validation project our initial inspection found that a huge curtain wall separating the test and office areas was ‘visibly’ vibrating. It was clear that a thorough diagnosis and mitigation was necessary before the lab could become fully operational.
We adopted novel methods that were not ‘traditional’ in the consultancy world. We utilised multi-channel acquisition systems and instrumenting to measure the dynamic and operational behaviour. It was incredibly rewarding to see how our innovative solutions successfully diagnosed the root cause of this problem.
What excites me most about the industry today is…
…there are tremendous opportunities available, from homes and gyms to specialist science & research buildings. I am looking forward to playing my part!
It’s great that vibration is now recognised as an integral part of design from the get-go.
When I’m not at work…
…. I like to travel, enjoy the countryside and try new restaurants! In my free time, I also undertake my own research into developing diagnostic methods, product development and do coding for data analysis, and UI design.