After graduation, I had accepted a role in the CIOB Oxford Branch Committee, and taken the opportunity to organise a Continuing Professional Development (CPD) event of my own. A lecture, to 250 students and professionals in the main lecture theatre at Oxford Brookes, featured 2 guest speakers; the late John Eynon, a founding member of the UK BIM Alliance, and Prof. Joe Tah, Head of the Department of Real Estate and Construction at Oxford Brookes. I took to the stage too, demonstrating ArchiCAD by modelling a building from scratch on the lecture theatre screen – the audience prompting its design. A Syrian student, Tariq, had seen my lecture and had recommended me to his work-placement employer, who introduced himself at the next CIOB event. Ex-marine, Joe Miles. Every project in portfolio was brought to me by Joe Miles. I am extremely grateful to Joe, who has a perhaps unique ability to harness my goodwill.

Chartered Engineer, landlord, developer and building technology entrepreneur, Joe Miles is a Mining Engineering graduate of Cardiff University. He joined The Marines, but after suffering injury, he returned to Cardiff, to invest in the extremely run-down area of housing next to the University; Cathays. Joe worked on oil-rigs with Shell for months at a time, using his earnings to fund his companies Miles Properties, and Cowboy Builders, who had painted in reverse on the front of their van You’re Next! Joe was systematically improving and letting out houses in the terraces of the area, which is now extremely sought after for student lettings.

Joe’s property business expanded to Hammersmith in London, and his collective portfolio was sufficient to give rise to a new company; Atlas Controls. As a landlord-developer, Joe had frustrations that no commercially available Building Management System (BMS) was suitable for use in his properties. Joe committed to developing his own BMS. Atlas Control’s product, Atamate, uses AI to find new levels of energy efficiency and health in buildings by monitoring air quality, and responding with heating and ventilation. The system also integrates fire alarms and security etc. Atamate has been awarded several Innovate UK grants, and Atlas Controls is actively working at various levels of government to evolve the building regulations to take account of the new technologies for heating and ventilation management that are being developed in the UK.