Civic, a team of system thinkers in the built environment, has appointed Rob Harris as Director of Building Services and Sustainability at its London studio. In this role, he will lead the expansion of Civic’s building services team across London and the South East. His focus will be on creating a fully integrated engineering service that bridges disciplines to deliver high performing, cohesive, next-generation sustainable projects tailored to meet the demands of a rapidly evolving market.
With over twenty five years of technical, performance and leadership experience in the built environment, Rob brings an impressive track record to Civic. He has held senior roles at respected firm Elementa Consulting, now known as Introba, where his work earned industry recognition for innovation in sustainable engineering and design. His achievements include leading the detailed production design of 2 Trafalgar Way in London, which will become Europe’s tallest PassivHaus-certified tower, optimising energy efficiency and buildability while reducing complexity for the client in this next generation of tall tower ambient loop projects. At the W Hotel in Edinburgh, situated in Edinburgh St James Quarter, he delivered high-profile, mixed-use developments, and his work alongside Civic on net zero and whole-life carbon at the Shugborough Estate for the National Trust highlights his ability to align sustainability with heritage conservation, a feature that has been a theme throughout his career.
As a Chartered Engineer and Fellow of the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE), Rob is known for driving technical excellence and real world performance, while fostering a collaborative, people-focused work environment, which aligns with Civic’s values and conscience which prioritises people, planet and purpose.
Speaking about his appointment, Rob said: “What excites me most about this opportunity is the chance to build an integrated engineering and consultancy team that challenges conventional approaches to building services and aligns with today’s new ways of working, data, research, building and thinking. Civic’s ethos of system thinking aligns perfectly with my belief in breaking down silos and designing projects that truly deliver value—whether that’s technical, operational, environmental, social or economic. I’m looking forward to helping Civic make an even greater impact across London and beyond.”
Welcoming Rob to the team, Stephen O’Malley, CEO at Civic, commented: “Rob understands the importance of integrating engineering and sustainability disciplines to create seamless, efficient projects that benefit our communities and clients. His leadership will further Civic’s ability to take on larger and more complex regeneration projects, particularly in London, where his expertise will help deliver tangible social and environmental benefits. This appointment demonstrates Civic’s commitment to being system thinkers and having an even greater impact while remaining true to our values and conscience.”
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