Friday 20 October 2023
Sligo native Eoin Casserly has been awarded Engineers Ireland’s prestigious Chartered Engineer of the Year Award, supported by Arup.
Casserly is the principal and founder of VOLUTA, a specialist structural engineering consultancy operating internationally, based in Sligo. He has held structural engineering positions in Paris, New York, and Stuttgart and has designed advanced structures such as gridshells, cable nets, facades, stadia, and artworks in over 20 countries, working through six languages.
L-R: Shirley McDonald, Engineers Ireland membership director; Damien Owens, director general; Eoin Casserly, Chartered Engineer of the Year; Dr Edmond Harty, president of Engineers Ireland; and Joe Burns, Ireland country leader at Arup.
The largest botanic garden in the world
Some of his most notable projects include the highest observation deck in the western hemisphere, the world’s first cable net with curved glass, the largest-spanning glazed roof in South America, and gridshells for the largest botanic garden in the world.
Casserly is a regular contributor to books, conferences, and journals, with a focus on glass structures, complex facades, long-span structures, and the architectural response to the climate crisis.
He also lectures at ATU in Structures, Computational Design, and Advanced Technologies. His current research combines pre-industrial materials with innovative construction and analysis techniques.
Eoin Casserly is pictured with his wife, Adriana Casserly.
Casserly was one of five Chartered Engineers shortlisted for this year’s Chartered Engineer of the Year Award and was presented with the prestigious title following an interview process and competition final, held in Engineers Ireland’s headquarters in Dublin on Wednesday, October 19.
Damien Owens, director general of Engineers Ireland, said: “Achieving the Registered Professional Title of Chartered Engineer is an important goal in a professional engineer’s career and a mark of professional excellence.
"Achieving this title is a public statement of an engineer’s competence to practice as a professional and a commitment to the continuing development of their professional expertise and ethical practice.
“On behalf of Engineers Ireland, I would like to congratulate Eoin Casserly and each of this year’s exceptionally talented finalists. I would also like to express my sincere thanks to Arup for their continued support for this award.”
High calibre
Joe Burns, Ireland country leader at Arup, added: “Arup is proud to partner with Engineers Ireland to support the Chartered Engineer of the Year Award. This award recognises the high calibre of Ireland’s talented Chartered Engineers and celebrates the accomplishments of engineers who design, create, and innovate to shape a better world.
“On behalf of Arup, I would like to offer my sincere congratulations to Eoin Casserly on being awarded the prestigious title of Chartered Engineer of the Year and applaud each finalist shortlisted for this year’s award.”
Engineers Ireland's Chartered Engineer of the Year Award finalists - Daniel Keating, Catherine Hurley, Eoin Casserly, Ilaria Bernardini and Oliver Hearn.
Eoin Casserly said: “I’m delighted to receive the 2023 Chartered Engineer of the Year Award. It’s great to be in my home town of Sligo and designing innovative structures around the world with my company, VOLUTA.
"When I was starting out in Paris, I learnt that the root of the word ‘engineer’ comes from ‘ingenuity’. Ingenuity is what we should always aim for as engineers, to not accept the status quo and to always be creating something new. Creativity is needed now more than ever to face the climate crisis and to ensure we leave the earth in a better condition for future generations.
"Thanks to Engineers Ireland for this honour, the adjudicators for their time, my fellow engineers who were shortlisted for the award, and to Arup for sponsoring the event.”
For more on the Chartered Engineer of the Year award, visit: https://www.engineersireland.ie/Professionals/Events/Featured-events/Chartered-Engineer-of-the-Year
To find out more about VOLUTA, visit: https://www.voluta.net/about