About
Fortis Facades has been founded upon lineage from the first generation of façade engineering, or at least when the discipline was officially established. Our vision is to build upon the fundamentals and contribute to the second era of building envelope sciences.
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We understand total façade delivery and our aim is to bring our clients and design teams along a journey where there are more ways to establish longevity through the comprehension of materials and their performance capabilities when used in combination.
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Our approach is to provide a new format to façade engineering; one which adopts traditional best practice and, a reformed method of documenting accountability of environmental and safety aspects.
Our People
Here are the people that make Fortis Facades
David Kelly
Managing Director
David is the Managing Director of Fortis and one of the founders. He believes that technical excellence is the driver for positive change and strides to provide this through façade consultancy.
David offers a rare quality through his lineage that comprises of working for international world leading contractors as well as consultancies. This allows him to offer insight and value through multi-perspective thinking whilst demonstrating comprehensive understanding. His experience extends through the UK, Europe, Australasian and the Emirates markets and across public, health, residential, commercial, defence, government and education sectors.
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He has a passion for working along side his staff, whilst adopting a stance of encouragement for further learning through continued development for the employees of Fortis. This is key to ensuring people grow and enjoy the balance of a career in façade engineering.
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Chris Tucker
Associate Director
Chris celebrates hands on façade consultancy. Whether attending workshops assisting with buildability, attending site-based façade inspections or troubleshooting dissimilar material joinery. He also has a passion for historic restoration and retention of façade vernacular and the way in which investigations are executed. His career started working for specialist façade sub-contractors and in later years, moved to consultancy which provides a genuinely helpful blended approach to facades.
Specialising in mechanical engineering with a focus on manufacturing processes, he has incorporated this into façade engineering. Providing advice from advance material science to physical production type and setup along with quality assurance as the principle binder for delivery. He then went on to work for one of the largest producers of structural steel in North America where he furthered his knowledge in manufacturing methods and design techniques for use in super high-rise construction. Chris complimented this not only with the ability to refine the primary materials but also the specialist temporary works that allowed the installations to commence.
Chris returned to the U.K. to reside, where he designed and oversaw the production and installation of complex free-flowing forms of GRP façade systems and other, more standardised works. He is familiar working as a lead consultant at façade consultancies and now brings his diverse experience, technical approach and character to Fortis.
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Saba Rokni
Façade Engineer
Saba has worked in Southeast Asia, the wider Asia Pacific and now Europe/UK for the last 15 years. She brings not only an appreciation for region specific construction methods but the understanding of procurement routes and the accompanying standards.
Refreshingly when Saba came to us, she requested to be on our sites as much as possible which aligned perfectly with our tenet; can’t be tied to the screen whilst working with product that is designed for the outdoors.
Saba has BSc. in Civil Engineering and MSc. in Sustainable Concrete Structures with Construction Management.
Thomas Ashfield
Façade Meteorologist & Climate Consultant
Tom joins the dialogue between façade engineering and our planet’s atmosphere. This is fundamental, not only in relation to sustainability in short and long-term environmental impacts but also for developing an accurate resilience design framework; after all, our buildings sit within the atmosphere.
Tom and the team pioneer analytics of our atmospheric conditions on façade materials across all biomes, not only through physical elemental influences, but across the spectrum. He develops specifications that are reflective and that respond to the present, whilst providing technical comprehension of climatic future trends and the associated positive and negative effects on façade fabric.
Whilst Tom specialises in meteorology and climatology, it was his broader understanding of the environment and a very rare desire to connect the built world to more realistic environmental considerations. He has an exceptional research capability which has led to his focus on paleoecology, palynology, and geological aspects of his previous works. He has worked on behalf of and with the Royal Geographic Society, Charlton Kings Flood Action Group and the British Antarctic Survey.
Mark Chapman
Stone Specialist & Façade Consultant
Mark is, in our opinion, one of the keystones in the world of masonry façades with his unique career working with stone spanning over 35 years.
Starting out as a stonemason, physically crafting and installing stone before entering consultancy, he has the rare qualifications that allow him to not only consult on UK and international procurement but provide insight on design and manufacturing best practice. Mark’s appreciation of the way in which we ascertain stone data, conduct testing, and carry out real-world design and installation offers very honest and exact advice on masonry construction; we place this at the centre of consultancy as the approach celebrates the minutia detail and techniques that are not always available in guidance or code, offering more balanced engineering.
His masonry work on The Bank of England can still be viewed today, whilst his input into Bart Square, Goldman Sachs HQ and Cambridge University are also still appreciated through the stone vernaculars.
Mark oversees our stone and general masonry component at Fortis, managing new and heritage works along with R&D. Mark also helps develop drivers for more sustainable practices in relation to the procurement and utilisation of stone.
Lovely Regacho
Façade Engineer
Her unitised curtain walling and off-site optimisation knowledge allows for accountable feedback not only in relation to material selection and operations but also embodied carbon within procurement, facilitating more complete decision making.
Lovely assists with our bespoke glass engineering along with window, custom stick system design across all material mediums and stone façade engineering. She also works with the development of our climatic studies in relation to pressure equalisation and delimiting device design for legacy and updated atmospheric profiles for current market systems; as the planet’s climate changes our building fabrics must accommodate accordingly.
Her appreciation of Middle Eastern building techniques and understanding the regional differences of both contemporary and heritage construction bring context to the practice.
Reason
The ability to design and engineer is wonderful, the ability to use these skills to help others is meaningful.
Values
Our core principles encompass;
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Solidarity. We do not leave staff or clients in isolation. We are here to keep projects moving forward together.
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Accountability. We do not have a blame culture at Fortis. It is not tolerated.
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Integrity. Our principles for the delivery of unbiased façade consultancy govern our work. Safety is foremost.
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Equality. No one individual is more important than the next regardless of race, sexuality, social class, disability or faith. Our focus is on talent.
Purpose
Part of our culture is to ensure we contribute to the environment we live in.
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We recognise that this is not a one dimensional mindset relating to business only, but multi-facetted, external and should influence other aspects of the world we inhabit.
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To provide façade engineering that can be measured with future generations in mind.
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To offer work experience for young adults that have had to defer their college or university enrolment due to cancer. No young person should have to worry about having a disrupted education. Once they have finished treatment or feel strong enough during, there's a place at Fortis for them to come and grow.
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To contribute to the environment, the staff of Fortis have the opportunity to assist in the planting of flora that is designed to sequester carbon.
Ethics
We understand the nature of our business is one of the key components of a market that currently in 2021 contributes to 40% of the UKs carbon footprint. Typically after super-structure, facades are the next largest contributor.
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We are acutely aware of the way in which façade fabrics are procured, particularly raw mineral extraction, fabrication and international trade paths prior to delivery and installation. Our business ensures that on every scheme that the client is aware of the environmental impacts associated with their product selection, allowing more sustainable decisions to be made.
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We also help clients ensure that materials are responsibly sourced not only in the way in which they are extracted but complete diligence on corporate ethics.
Mark Delas Alas
Head of Façade Engineering - UK & Europe
Mark is all the brilliant things about engineering. He is the definition of balanced, his insight and composure match his ability to rationalise, prove and sometimes disprove through engineering theory. He has a wonderful aptitude that offers joined-up façade engineering that is not just desktop centric but genuinely helpful for those relying on validation as well as procurement, fabrication and installation.
Mark has an extensive experience of 12 years in the façade industry and has been involved with one of the largest façade manufacturing companies worldwide prior to joining Fortis. He has in depth technical experience in engineering design and analysis of glass, aluminium, unitized and stick curtain wall, skylights, glass fins, point-supported wall, balustrades, bricks, cladding, architectural steel structure as well as external building features like canopies and louvers. Mark has experience in the UK, Europe, Asia, Middle-east and North America codes and standards.
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He is proficient in several structural analysis and thermal analysis software. He is committed to broadening his knowledge of engineering and different façade system types.
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Jyoti Joshi
Façade Consultant
Jyoti, brings over 13 years of extensive experience in façade industry, leaving an incredible mark on the skyline of both Dubai and India. Her career trajectory has evolved from her early days in design to becoming a proactive and determined façade technical coordinator working for façade sub-contractors, exhibiting a positive approach to collaborative work within multidisciplinary teams.
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With over 7 years of on-site construction experience, Jyoti brings an invaluable advantage to the table. Her hands-on involvement in actual construction processes has provided her with keen insight into the practical challenges that can arise on-site. This foresight allows Jyoti to implement necessary precautions and effective remedies, thereby adding an extra layer of value to every project she undertakes.
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Her educational background in both architectural and civil engineering equipes her with a unique ability to comprehend intricate geometries and possess an in-depth understanding of building. This blend of knowledge empowers her to bridge theoretical expertise with practical application, serving as a testament to her holistic approach towards delivering excellence.
Sophia Yu
Architectural Consultant
We welcome Sophia to the practice as a resident Architectural Consultant. Her arrival brings some fantastic insight into the wider methods utilised in the regeneration of cities with her experience in South Korea and China revitalising and repurposing industrial sites, offering a tangible approach to advancing urban sustainability.
Seoul's Mapo Cultural Depot, unveiled in 2017 following an international competition in 2014, stands as an exemplary preservation of industrial heritage. The development gained international recognition owing to the rejuvenation of disused oil fields and Sophia’s contributions through the competition stages are well worth hearing about as we don’t often get to work with re-claimed oil tanks.
Sophia has also assumed lead design for the façade on hotels in Shanghai where she managed and produced façade 2D and 3D detailing, led client communications and critical coordination with super-structures teams.
Sophia’s experience in Asia and now London brings an attention to detail we’re very appreciative of, along with combined design cultures.
However, whilst we’re very excited to have Sophia with us, the arrangement is part time. Fortis are supporting Sophia as she returns to work, but her dream is to work within an architectural practice. Fortis have agreed to advance her exposure to façade design and engineering whilst she converts her qualifications to RIBA status. Therefore, this is also an open advert to architectural friends and peers looking for an architect that has first-hand façade experience in the minutiae detail… What an acquisition! Please get in touch if you’re in need of someone like this. Though Fortis will try and turn Sophia to the engineering world, she has our full support on whichever path she decides to follow.