Tom Barker obituary

My grandfather Tom Barker, who has died of cancer aged 84, was a pivotal figure in mechanical engineering. He collaborated with some of the world's best architects, putting heat, sound, light and air at the forefront of design. As director of Ove Arup & Partners (now Arup Group), the global engineering company, he was known for his work on the Pompidou Centre in Paris and the Lloyd's building in London, among many others.

Tom led Arup's engineering group for 26 years, designing for key projects such as the Menil Collection museum in Houston, Texas, and Kansai international airport in Osaka, Japan, with Peter Rice.