2017 40 Under 40: Andrew Coles, PEng, PE, 39

Senior Engineer, Jensen Hughes

By Jack Smith, Content Manager, and Amara Rozgus, Editor-in-Chief May 15, 2010

Andrew Coles, PEng, PE, 39

Senior Engineer, Jensen Hughes, Richmond, BC

BS Mechanical Engineering, MS Fire Engineering, University of Canterbury, New Zealand

Coles is a senior engineer at the Jensen Hughes Richmond, British Columbia, office. He began his career in Brisbane, Australia, and was based there for 2.5 years before relocating to San Francisco. He moved to British Columbia in 2011, where he joined JENSEN HUGHES. He leads a team of six engineers with a main focus on performance-based solutions using computational modeling and analytical methods. Coles has worked on many projects including low- and high-rise residential, multi-use developments, convention centers, casinos, transit, and road projects. His responsibilities include code consulting, fire and life safety strategies, developing and executing performance-based methodologies, detailed plan reviews, and design audits. Coles is active in the engineering community and has written various papers for conferences and peer-reviewed journals on the topic of risk assessment and flame-spread modeling. As part of the design team at Jensen Hughes, he helps deliver its fire and life safety engineering services to clients through his significant rail experience. He has a strong interest in research and contributing to the fire engineering community. While in San Francisco, he managed an internal research initiative to develop an understanding and modeling approach of flame spread with computer models. Coles enjoys spending time with his two young children and is an active participant in his son’s soccer team where he volunteers as an assistant coach. His daughter has a passion for dance, and he enjoys watching her thrive in that element. He enjoys the outdoors, and with the vast flora and fauna in British Columbia, there are many places to explore and camp, which he does with his family and friends. His other passion is playing touch rugby.