Akrocuh Joins Hayward Baker

Hayward Baker Inc. (HB), North America’s leader in geotechnical construction, announced the addition of Ghassan Akrouch, Ph.D., as Design Engineer to the company’s regional office in Tampa, Fla.  Dr. Akrouch will focus his efforts in HB’s Southern Region, a dynamic and challenging region for the company.

Southern Region Chief Engineer Dr. Edward Garbin, stated, “Dr. Akrouch’s welcome addition to our engineering team adds another layer of technical expertise to an already talented group, and allows us to better offer our clients efficient, high quality solutions for their projects.”

While earning a B.S. degree in civil engineering from the Lebanese University in Roumieh, Lebanon, Akrouch began his career as a geotechnical design and site engineer for the International Institute of Geotechnics and Materials (I-IGM) in Beirut, Lebanon. He was responsible for foundation design of tall buildings and bridges, design and supervision of earth retention systems, analysis of geotechnical laboratory and in-situ test data, and the preparation of geotechnical design reports.

Akrouch earned his Ph.D. degree in civil engineering from Texas A&M University. While studying there, he received the Texas A&M Energy Institute ConocoPhillips Fellowship, rewarding his excellence in geothermal foundations research.

Significant papers on which Akrouch has collaborated include “Thermo-Mechanical Behavior of Energy Piles in High Plasticity Clays” and “Energy Piles for Heating and Cooling Purposes.

In addition, Akrouch contributed to “Energy Geostructures: Innovation in Underground Engineering” on the topic of energy geostructures in cooling-dominated climates, as well as “Materials and Processes for Energy” on the topic of heat propagation around geothermal piles and implications on energy balance.