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How Mass Concrete shapes the next generation of designers
Festival of Design & Engineering 2026 – Bournemouth University
Every year, Mass Concrete opens its doors to one or two placement students. And many times, what happens next is something we are deeply proud of
This year at the Festival of Design & Engineering 2026, three people connected to Mass Concrete have been part of the festival, showing their amazing design jobs, and supporting the event from the Institution of Mechanical Engineers committee. First, a product designed to save lives in cold water, then a concrete fire pit built to bring families back together, and finally, the Head of Design and Engineering who started his journey in the same place as them, six years ago.
| 9+
Years of placements Supporting Placements students since 2020 |
14+
Placement students Across design, engineering and marketing departments |
1
Awards won at FDE 2026 By former Mass Concrete placement student Rupert Murphy |
Rupert Murphy – Product Design Student – Re-Warm
Rupert Murphy arrived at the Festival of Design & Engineering 2026 with a product that could one day save lives. His final year project is a system designed to treat and prevent hypothermia in cold water immersion casualties. Provides warm, humidified air to users in some of the most extreme environments imaginable.
The project caught the attention of the RNLI, and Rupert left the festival with one major award: the Institution of Engineering Designers Best Final Year Award with Excellence.
Before all of this, Rupert did his placement at Mass Concrete.
“Working at Mass Concrete helped me massively. I learned how to work in the industry, how to efficiently use CAD software, and how to produce technical drawings. I am so grateful for that opportunity. I would highly suggest anyone with the chance to do a placement to take it.”
Rupert Murphy, Product Design Student, Bournemouth University
The skills Rupert developed during his time at Mass Concrete include precision, technical drawing, and working under pressure in a professional environment. Are part of the skills that help him to build his professional career and the knowledge to continue creating.
Harriet Tatham – Product Design Student- ReKindled
Harriet Tatham’s final year project, ReKindled, is a bespoke concrete tabletop fire pit designed with a very specific purpose: to bring families together and help combat loneliness in teenagers.
Built around the symbolic power of fire as a source of warmth, safety, and shared storytelling, ReKindled includes an integrated light system that changes colour to prompt different conversation topics, a subtle, considered way of sparking connection in the moments that matter most.
Harriet chose concrete as her primary material, not by accident, but because of what she experienced during her placement at Mass Concrete.
“I love how versatile concrete can be. Its colours, textures, and the way it can simulate the natural feeling of the stones you find around a real fire. My time at Mass Concrete completely changed the way I think about the material.”
Harriet Tatham, BA Product Design Student, Bournemouth University
Harriet also left her placement with a deeper understanding of sustainability. The use of recycled water, the aggregates embedded in concrete such as recycled glass and waste shells. These principles became part of how she thinks about design.
Mousa – Head of Design & Engineering, MASS Concrete
Six years ago, Mousa walked through the doors of Mass Concrete as a placement student, just like Rupert and Harriet. He graduated, returned as a permanent CAD designer, progressed to engineer, and is now the Head of Design and Engineering.
His journey is the clearest possible answer to the question of what a placement at Mass Concrete can lead to.
“We take students on and we help them develop and learn how to work within a professional, high-pressure environment. What we look for is the attitude and the hunger to learn. The teaching and the expertise come from us, and that’s what we like to see.”
Mousa, Head of Design & Engineering, Mass Concrete
Mousa attended the Festival of Design & Engineering not as a former student, but as a member of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers committee, a judge, and a representative of Mass Concrete. In this role, he supported students in the same way he was once supported.
The MASS Concrete Approach to Placements
At Mass Concrete, we don’t see placements as a transactional arrangement. We see them as the beginning of something.
“We look at this as the initial seed that we plant, and we like to see the tree grow. We get to the point where we call it the fruition, and that’s where we are here.”
Mousa, Head of Design & Engineering, Mass Concrete
Every year, we take one to two students from Bournemouth University into our design and engineering teams. We give them real work, real pressure, and real mentorship. We look for attitude and hunger. The rest, we teach.
The results let us see award-winning products, creative and inspirational new designs, and the proud feeling of being part of the process. And in Mousa’s case, a Head of Department who started exactly where every placement student starts.
Working With Us
If you are a student, educator, or institution interested in a placement at Mass Concrete, we would love to hear from you. And if you are an architect, designer, or contractor looking for a team that brings this same level of care and precision to every project, get in touch.
Bespoke concrete. Crafted in Bournemouth.