WDS 2016 - Featured speaker - Dr Jan Kupec
03 June 2016
Dr Jan Kupec, who will present on earthquake zones and other high-risk demolition sites, lives in Christchurch, New Zealand, where he works as a technical director with the global engineering company Aurecon.
He is contracted to the New Zealand central government agency overseeing the demolition of buildings damaged by the Christchurch earthquakes.
Many of these buildings are located on top of cliffs, on landslides triggered by the earthquake and within rockfall corridors.
Jan’s team must manage high to extreme health and safety risks which pose significant technical challenges but in turn drive innovative approaches to demolition.
Jan graduated in Germany with a Civil Engineering degree where he majored in project management, structural and geotechnical engineering.
He then completed Masters and Doctoral degrees in geotechnical engineering and was a lecturer in Scotland teaching Advanced Engineering Materials, Geotechnical Engineering and Engineering Geology.
In New Zealand he specialises in geotechnical engineering, risk management and solves complex engineering problems.
Jan uses his research and practical experience as an advisor and subject matter expert.
He has published more than 60 technical papers on various aspects of engineering design and research and presents regularly at national and international conferences and professional meetings.
Jan has been intimately involved in the Christchurch earthquake recovery and he will draw on his experience as an engineering specialist to the New Zealand Fire Service Urban Search and Rescue team and chief technical advisor to the New Zealand central government.
The World Demolition Summit, organised by Demolition & Recycling International magazine in co-operation with the National Demolition Association, takes place in Miami, USA on Friday 14 October. The headline sponsor is Volvo Construction Equipment. Other sponsors are OilQuick (silver) and Arden, Jewell, McCloskey and Stanley Infrastructure (bronze). For more details please visit www.demolitionsummit.com
