Ben started his defence journey designing upgrades at HMAS Stirling, a naval base near Perth, and then moved on to RAAF Learmonth, where he designed building foundations and structures, before taking his experience globally.

Strengthening ties and global collaboration between ArchTam’s Australian and United Kingdom Defence teams, Ben was seconded to a major project in the UK, at Western Europe’s largest naval dockyard. After 12 months of learning from some of the best mentors in the world, Ben is back in Perth, bringing his international experience and highly specialised skills to major local projects.

Tell us about your career journey at ArchTam, what projects have you been involved with?

I was lucky to be part of the Metronet project in Perth, working on the Thornlie-Cockburn Link and Yanchep Rail Extension. I designed some large elements for the additional stations; retaining walls, columns, shell beams, steel superstructures and canopies.

I also contributed to one of the biggest megaprojects in the world, NEOM in Saudi Arabia, which ArchTam is involved with worldwide in many ways. I helped design the basement structure of The Line. It’s amazing to think that as a Mandurah, WA local, I was working on something of that global scale.

How did you get involved in Australian Defence work?

Defence has always been close to my heart because of my family. Due to my father’s work at ASC, I even toured Collins-class submarines. So, when the chance came to work on a project at HMAS Stirling, I jumped at it. We worked on a range of upgrades across the base, and I gained experience in defence operations and infrastructure.

Defence bases are like mini cities. They have all the services, facilities and master planning needs you’d expect, so you gain a wide range of skills and experience. I also worked at RAAF Learmonth, on the north-west coast of WA, designing foundations and structures for new buildings. This gave me deeper insight into the unique engineering challenges of remote and Defence infrastructure.

How did this lead to working in the UK?

ArchTam was working on a submarine construction yard in South Australia, and there was an opportunity to strengthen ties with our UK team through a 12-month secondment in Plymouth. The role involved design engineering on a nuclear safety-rated structure, which was a whole new level of complexity, designing for seismic loads, meeting strict compliance standards, and understanding the intricacies of this specific infrastructure.

It’s a defence project of enormous scale and multiple components that must come together as a solution to meet a new capability. I learnt so much technically and professionally. Working under the UK Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) as the safety design authority, opened my eyes to new design approaches and guidelines, very different from what I was used to in Australia. The relationships I built with our UK colleagues will be invaluable as Australia ramps up its local programs. I’m excited to bring those skills back and help grow our local capabilities.

However, I’ll forever miss the history of the old structures that surrounded me in the Dockyards in the UK, which date back to the late 1600s, and have been operational for hundreds of years.

How will you apply your global defence experience to local projects?

I’m moving back to WA and will be working on projects that leverage my new highly specialised skills, applying everything I’ve learned over the past year, supporting future opportunities. I’ll be working with my colleagues to interpret and harmonise cross-regional nuclear submarine safety regulations.

The UK has been designing nuclear safety-related structures for decades, but this is an emerging area in Australia. I’ve learnt practical skills from those who have decades of experience in making sure these structures are safe for the community, effective and capable.

The post From Fleet Base West in WA to Western Europe’s largest naval dockyard: Ben Graham’s global defence engineering journey appeared first on Blog.

Working in a region known for its “Very High Hazard” seismic zone and marked by extreme tropical weather — including typhoons — Pete is highly skilled in effectively addressing the complexities of remote Pacific projects. From managing long lead times for materials and equipment to overcoming labor shortages driven by the ongoing military construction program to relocate U.S. Marines to Guam, Pete’s expertise continues to drive impactful projects in the Pacific region and his award-winning leadership is a cornerstone of ArchTam’s operations in Guam.

Tell us about what inspired you to join the industry.

Growing up in Guam, the beaches and reefs were an integral part of my life. I have vivid memories of swimming and playing in areas full of coral and sea life, and in other areas that were impacted by pollution, yet we continued to visit and swim because being in the water was such a fundamental aspect of island life. Those experiences left a lasting impression on me. I often thought about the impact of pollution and how it could be addressed to preserve our environment for future generations. This reflection sparked my interest in finding ways to improve environmental conditions, particularly through engineering.

My focus naturally gravitated toward water and wastewater treatment — areas where I saw an opportunity to make a tangible difference. My father, a civil engineer specializing in roadway and stormwater management, also influenced my path. While I initially thought our interests diverged — his were in infrastructure and mine were in environmental preservation — I later realized how interconnected these fields are. Civil engineering, in all its facets, plays a critical role in protecting and enhancing our environment.

This realization solidified my commitment to the engineering field, where I could combine my passion for environmental stewardship with technical expertise to create meaningful change. It’s a journey that continues to inspire me every day.

What is your favorite ArchTam project that you’ve worked on and why?

One of my favorite projects has been working with the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps on their drinking water compliance programs in light of legally enforceable drinking water standards in various locations, including Japan, Singapore, and Diego Garcia. These projects have been particularly rewarding because they combine technical challenges with the opportunity to travel and experience different cultures. Each location presents unique requirements for compliance, as these bases operate outside the U.S. and must comply with the Navy’s Overseas Drinking Water Program, modeled after USEPA national policy and state regulatory programs.

The complexity of addressing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) to ensure that service members and their families have access to high quality drinking water, whether it’s produced locally or sourced from a host nation, is both challenging and fulfilling. It’s about bridging the gap between local practices and U.S. standards to protect human health. These projects have allowed me to apply my expertise in water systems while also gaining insight into diverse operational environments.

Traveling for these projects has been an incredible experience, taking me to places like Guam, Hawaii, Japan, and Diego Garcia. It’s inspiring to see how our work positively impacts communities and supports the well-being of those serving abroad. The blend of technical problem solving and cultural exploration makes these projects some of the most meaningful of my career.

Share a piece of career advice.

My favorite piece of career advice came from my dad. While some parents push their kids to strive for a doctorate, my dad would often say, “Be P.H.D.” He meant, Be Poor, Hungry, and Driven. Not to be poor financially, but to always remember to be humble and remember where we came from. Not to be hungry in terms of food, but to have a strong desire for improvement and success. And to always be driven, to accomplish new goals and strive for bigger and better things.

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