Ian Firth

Ian Firth is a British structural engineer and bridge designer.

Early life and education Born in Sussex into a Royal Navy family, Firth was a chorister at Winchester Cathedral before going to Marlborough College and then to the University of Bristol where he secured a First Class Honours degree in Civil Engineering in 1979.

Career Firth joined specialist consulting engineers Flint & Neill Since then he has directed several other similar projects involving strengthening of such structures, including the Erskine Bridge in Scotland and the West Gate Bridge in Australia. His other work on major long span bridges includes the independent design checks and investigations for the Tsing Ma Bridge, Kap Shui Mun Bridge and Ting Kau Bridge, all in Hong Kong. He was appointed as special advisor to the client for the longest span of them all, the Strait of Messina Bridge in Italy, which when built will have a main span of 3,300m.

Firth led the team which won the Poole Harbour Crossing bridge design competition in 1997, working with Danish architects Dissing+Weitling, and has subsequently won many other bridge design competitions. These include Lockmeadow Bridge in Maidstone, the Pont Schuman in Lyon, France, He retired from full-time employment in 2018 and now works as a consultant, continuing to provide bridge design and engineering advice, training and education.

Firth was president of the Institution of Structural Engineers in 2017 and is chairman of the British Group of the International Association for Bridge and Structural Engineering. He is also a trustee of bridge building charity Bridges to Prosperity.

Awards and honours Firth is an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects. He was awarded the Prix Albert Caquot in 2019.

Selected projects Lockmeadow Bridge, 1999 Swansea Sail Bridge, 2003 River Oise Bridge, Compiègne, 2011 Third Way Bridge, 2011 Inderhavnsbroen Copenhagen, 2009 – 2016