Stellar Engineering is the structural engineering practice of Ronan Hunt. I work with architects and designers to provide beautifully resolved structures.
Chartered structural engineer
CEng MIEI MIStructE
Kerry, Ireland
Tensegrity prism
Three struts held apart by nine cables. It finds its own shape as the page loads, using the same solver as the experiments below.
Selected work
The Den
A demountable timber theatre. I did the detailed structural design, from the stability of the dome to its bolted connections.
Timber gridshell study
A thought experiment in timber gridshells, from form-finding to analysis.
Lah Contemporary, Bled
A concrete art gallery in Slovenia. I led the Stage 3 structural design coordination in 2018 and sketched options for an amphitheatre roof.
Delivery
Ambitious structures only count if they get built. I carry designs through to construction, with details a contractor can price and build and calculations that stand up to checking. How I deliver
Experiments
Alongside project work I build small structural experiments that run in your browser. The tensegrity prism at the top of the page is one of them. They are for exploring ideas, not for design.
The blind-check duel
Two independently written beam solvers give the same answer. Plant an error in one and see the check catch it.
Timber gridshell
Move the supports of a hanging net, then turn it over into a compression shell.
About
I’m a chartered structural engineer based in Kerry. I have worked for practices in Dublin and London on pavilions, galleries, footbridges, timber gridshells, listed buildings and large industrial facilities.
- Structural design
- For architects, from early concept through to construction detail.
- Lightweight structures
- Gridshells, tensegrity, cable nets and timber structures, where form and force are closely linked.
- Existing buildings
- New work in old and listed buildings, done with care for the original fabric.
- Analysis tools
- Analysis models and software automation that make the engineering quicker to check.
I studied Structural Engineering with Architecture at University College Dublin, where my master’s thesis looked at finding tensegrity forms. I have been a visiting design tutor at UCD since 2020. Away from structures, I’m an astrophotographer.
Contact
To talk about a project, email ronan@stellareng.ie