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 the structural engineer Peter Rice.
Born in Beverley, Yorkshire, the son of Charles Barker, a soldier, and his wife, Elizabeth (nee Mowatt), Tom – named as Charles but always known as Tom – was educated at Bridlington school. He started his career at Woods Ventilation Systems in Colchester, Essex, and graduated with an engineering diploma from the National College for Heating and Ventilating Engineering in 1963.
After working on projects in Australia, the Middle East and South Africa, Tom joined Ove Arup & Partners in 1971. He led a team working on the Pompidou Centre for five years until its opening in 1977. During this time he worked closely with the architects Renzo Piano and Richard Rogers and was a friend and regular collaborator with both for the rest of his career.
Tom’s design group was responsible for the Royal Concert Hall in Nottingham, the Staatsgalerie and theatre in Stuttgart and Qatar University in Doha. He consulted on work for the Sydney Opera House, assisted the architect Ricardo Bofill Leví with the conceptual design of the new music school at Rice University in Houston and with Richard Rogers on Heathrow’s Terminal 5.
Tom was passionate about the next generation of engineers and encouraged them to pursue innovation. Early on, he identified the need for low-energy and green design and established Arup’s building services as a leader in sustainable design.
He retired as a director in 1988 but continued working as a consultant to Arup. In 1990 he established the company’s US practice. He was also director of Arup Japan. He was a chartered engineer and an honorary fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects.
In his 60s Tom returned to studying and completed a BA in French studies and an MA in modern history.
He was known for his extensive knowledge and dry Yorkshire humour; in later life could always be found with his beloved dogs.
Tom married Gill Kent in 1985. He is survived by Gill, by his son Stephen, from his previous marriage to Heather Lamond, which ended in divorce, and by four grandchildren, Gabriel, Ava, Max and me. His other son, Paul, died in 2015.