Authorized Person (HK), EUR. ING., B.E. (NZ), MICE., M.IPENZ.,M.ASCE., M.IASS.(Madrid), M.HKIE., F I E Aust. C P Eng

Graduating from the University of New Zealand in 1952, Peter Ellen dedicated his life to the behaviour of structures and the materials from which they are built. Peter's 40 plus year career was filled with many great achievements having designed more than 250 innovative structures in 14 countries.

In 1973, Peter moved to Hong Kong and established the design firm Peter Ellen & Associates Ltd. It was here he specialised in steel and concrete structures, particularly in the designing, full-scale testing, and construction of developments in Australia, the Philippines, Hong Kong, China and Japan.

Peter was an expert on the modes of failure in both high-rise and low rise buildings with reference to earth quakes. He was the author of over 80 technical papers and 15 unpublished reports of building failures and failure tests. Peter specialised in fracture mechanics of materials particularly concrete and developed new types of steel strand, reinforcing bars, and high strength concrete (over 200MPa). He was the holder of many patented structural systems.

Peter received many international awards and titles for his skills and accomplishments with post-tensioned steel and concrete composite structures.  One particular highlight was his radical post-tensioned steel and concrete yacht design (Helsal I) that went on to take line honours in the 1973 Sydney to Hobart race.

His bold engineering and adherence to fundamentals of materials and physics were inherent in his genes and subsequently instilled in his son, Murray Ellen.  He, like Gaudi was a man of actions not words.