Amplified: Enda Grimes – Engineers Ireland

Strata Founder and Director Enda Grimes recently joined Dusty Rhodes on AMPLIFIED, the podcast from Engineers Ireland. He spoke about his career journey and how his passion for scheduling shapes Strata’s engineering led and digitally enabled approach.

With more than two decades of experience, Enda has delivered projects ranging from Formula One theme parks in Dubai to Sweden’s European Spallation Source and Dublin’s Criminal Courts Complex. He explains that even billion euro programmes succeed when they are broken into smaller, team owned parts.

Solid engineering principles, he says, are the foundation of effective time planning. They help planners link technical challenges to realistic and trusted schedules.

Enda also describes how BIM based digital rehearsals allow project teams to “build it twice”, first in a digital model, then on site. This method helps teams plan logistics, equipment movements and interfaces safely before construction begins. Strata also uses AI enabled data analytics to study project information, compare durations and constraints, and make smarter predictions for new projects.

The discussion also covers careers and leadership in engineering. Enda stresses the importance of practical site experience, international exposure and communication. He believes that being able to talk, listen and bring teams together is vital. In today’s hybrid working world, he says these human skills will define the next generation of leaders in construction.

The interview, AI Construction Planning Future, is available on Engineers Ireland’s AMPLIFIED podcast. It is available to Engineers Ireland members this month before being released publicly in December 2025.