People Spotlight: Meet Matthew Fast
Our People Spotlight series gives you an inside look at our technical experts around the world. This week, we are highlighting a civil engineer from our Water business line in Glasgow and providing an insight into their inspiration and work.
Matthew Fast is a member of the Caledonia Water Alliance (our joint venture with Morrison Water Services) design team working across wastewater and clean water programs for Scottish Water. He specializes in hydraulic design for wastewater and clean water systems, emphasizing safety and carbon reduction. Matthew develops spreadsheets to optimize design processes and quickly generate bills of quantities with a focus on reducing carbon to protect the environment.
What inspired you to join the industry?
From a young age, I have been fascinated by the way water flows and its impact on communities, especially in regions where water is scarce, like South Africa. This early interest, combined with my love for technical design, naturally led me to pursue civil engineering.
I studied civil engineering in South Africa thanks to the scholarship provided by AECOM and worked for the Dams and Hydropower regional team after graduation. While in South Africa, I also had the opportunity to work remotely for our Water business line in Glasgow.
Driven by a passion for water infrastructure and a desire to solve complex problems, I found my calling in the water sector. Providing water security to communities is what interests me the most about my work.
I enjoy working alongside my team to optimize work approaches and leverage innovative technology and software to make a meaningful impact.
From a young age, I have been fascinated by the way water flows and its impact on communities, especially in regions where water is scarce, like South Africa. Driven by a passion for water infrastructure and a desire to solve complex problems, I found my calling in the water sector. Providing water security to communities is what interests me the most about my work.”
What is your favorite AECOM project that you’ve worked on and why?
I have worked across multiple teams in different countries and markets. So, my experience is diverse, ranging from ensuring water security in Mozambique to Bertha Park in Scotland.
My favourite projects have been Corumana Dam in Mozambique which was essential to ensuring water security for the people of Mozambique’s capital city, Cwm Taf in Wales, and Bertha Park in Scotland. I have enjoyed the challenge these large-scale projects have presented.
As the designer on the Bertha Park project, I handled a range of responsibilities including general design work, CAD, and ensuring safety throughout the design and construction phases. One of the primary challenges was designing the large-scale wastewater reinforcement sewer, which is the joint largest wastewater pipe in the UK. This involved meticulous planning to avoid impacting underground utilities and addressing issues related to road works and working in confined spaces with key stakeholders. Despite these challenges, the project is still ongoing and remains my favourite due to the complexity and variety of elements it required me to consider. Its completion is crucial for preventing flooding in Perth.
As the designer on the Bertha Park project, I handled a range of responsibilities including general design work, CAD, and ensuring safety throughout the design and construction phases. Despite the challenges involved, the project is still ongoing and remains my favourite due to the complexity and variety of elements it required me to consider. Its completion is crucial for preventing flooding in Perth.”
Tell us a story of how your work positively impacted the community.
As much as I enjoy the large-scale big budget projects I have worked on, I also fondly think of the smaller-scale projects where I was able to engage with the local communities more frequently and see the drastic changes water security brought to them.
For example, some projects in South Africa, where water is a scarce resource, involved providing taps to the communities that didn’t have access to clean running water and ensuring them with water security for years to come.
As much as I enjoy the large-scale big budget projects I have worked on, I also fondly think of the smaller-scale projects I have worked on where I was able to engage with the local communities more frequently and see the drastic changes water security brought to them.”
Share a piece of career advice.
Get experience in as many different areas as you can early on in your career so that you can find what interests you most.