Tim Bamford was recently appointed the new executive director of Major Projects Victoria (MPV). He has a background in engineering and experience in other management positions, including chief executive officer of the Australian Grand Prix Corporation.
Architecture & Design (A&D) spoke to Bamford about working on the 2009 bushfire clean-up, the Flinders Street Station re-design and what he hopes his legacy for MPV will be.
You have quite a varied background — from engineer to CEO of the Australian Grand Prix Corporation. How do you think your background and experience will influence your position as executive director?
I think the common theme in my career so far, from construction projects to the Grand Prix, has been that they are all about improving the community in some way, albeit via different methods.
At Major Projects Victoria I’m looking forward to working on projects that make a difference to people’s lives — making a tangible contribution is very important and satisfying to me.
What have been some of the most interesting projects you have been involved with?
The most interesting project I’ve been involved with was the clean-up of the 2009 bushfires working for the Reconstruction Authority.
Public projects are usually about meeting a community need that is often indirect and long-term, but in the case of the bushfires, the community’s need was raw personal and immediate. Everyday I was in direct contact with the people who needed the job done and while it was very challenging, I found it very emotionally rewarding as well.
The Melbourne Park redevelopment is another project close to my heart. It is really interesting to be so closely with maintenance and development of one of Melbourne’s most unique and valuable assets. No other city in the world has such a collection of sports and entertainment facilities so close to the city centre and working to make the precinct even better was great fun.
What are some up coming projects you are looking forward to being involved with?
The Flinders St Station Design Competition is very exciting. It is a chance to completely re-think a Melbourne icon. The station is a building that touches a lot of people’s lives everyday. It’s probably our most used public building so any changes to it are really important to the community. I’m really looking forward to finding out what designers from around the world come up with and then seeing how people react to the ideas.
What would you like your legacy to be for Major Projects in Victoria?
The reason people like to work at Major Projects Victoria is because our projects make a positive difference to Victoria, economically, culturally or environmentally. If you look back at the things MPV has helped to build over the last two decades, such as Federation Square or the Melbourne Exhibition Centre, it is hard to imagine life before them. I’m happy to be a part of that and continue a great Victorian tradition of excellence in public buildings.
