CONSTRUCTION OF THE BASÍLICA DE LA SAGRADA FAMÍLIA BEGAN IN BARCELONA IN 1882. DESIGNED BY RENOWNED ARCHITECT, ANTONI GAUDÍ, IT HAS BECOME ONE OF THE BEST-KNOWN AND MOST WIDELY VISITED CHURCHES IN THE WORLD. BUT IT IS STILL NOT FINISHED.

In 2015, Tristram Carfrae was commissioned to help complete the Basílica by 2026, the centennial of Gaudí’s death. Not everyone would have accepted the challenge. But Tristram, a multi-award-winning structural engineer, has a reputation for taking on difficult work, challenging accepted methods and designing better buildings.

Over the past four decades, he has contributed to the design of numerous prestigious buildings, including six structures that have won Special Awards from the Institute of Structural Engineers, the world’s premier structural accolade. In 2018 he became only the fourth Briton to receive the IABSE’s International Award of Merit in Structural Engineering in its 42-year history.

Due to the lockdown we had to postpone our original U+I Think with Tristram in March, and so this event will now be hosted digitally. Tristram will explain how he is tackling Sagrada Família, devising new techniques that combine digital technology and traditional craftsmanship to dramatically reduce the weight, cost and time required for this extraordinary project.