Construcciones Yamaro: Nina Zundel: Founded on a love of buildings
An early pull toward buildings set Nina Zundel on a career path that has since expanded across states, sectors and structural disciplines.
When Zundel left home in North Queensland for Sydney to study civil engineering, she wasn’t sure where it would lead. What she did know was that she loved buildings. More than two decades on, that early instinct continues to sit behind her work as associate of building structures at Aurecon.
Structural engineering was the area that made the most sense to her. Architecture had surfaced as a possibility, sparked by work experience at a firm during high school, but engineering aligned closely with her strengths in maths, science and analytical thinking.
“I didn’t always know exactly what I wanted to do, but I’ve always loved buildings,” she says. “My father suggested engineering because his friend was an engineer, and that nudged me in the right direction.”
After graduating, Zundel moved into consulting in Sydney, developing early skills on building projects before relocating to Melbourne a few years later. Melbourne became the base for the next two decades of her career, and it was there she moved through Tier 1 consultancies and gained the depth that comes from long-term exposure to different types of structures and delivery conditions.
“I’ve spent my whole career as a structural engineer in building construction,” she says. “It really has been a traditional path, gradually moving up through the levels and working across a number of consultancies over the years.”
That progression brought its own education. Commercial projects sharpened timelines. Heritage work demanded precision. Health and education projects called for careful staging around services. Large industrial structures left little margin for error. Each environment added another layer to how she now approaches delivery.
As her career grew, her family grew alongside it. Becoming a mother to two children, now five and eight, brought two pregnancies, two periods of maternity leave and extended time away from the industry. Returning part time brought its own challenges. Projects rarely pushed her, and the pace she had once maintained no longer felt sustainable. Momentum slowed, and so did confidence.
“I felt like I plateaued. I was doing projects that maybe others didn’t want and I didn’t push for more. I just felt grateful to have a job,” she says. “My advice now would be to advocate for yourself, but also not be too hard on yourself. You’re exhausted, you’re not sleeping and everything is different. Motherhood is the biggest transition. You come back from leave and people expect you to be the same, but you can’t be the person who stays until six or seven anymore.”
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Later, the opportunity to join Aurecon full time arrived – a move that, in some ways, felt like returning to familiar ground. Zundel had begun her career in the company’s graduate program when it was still Connell Wagner in Sydney. She moved on after a short stint, but years later a former colleague encouraged her to return, speaking highly of Aurecon’s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion. When the right role appeared, she applied and rejoined the business in Melbourne.
Today, Zundel works as the company’s associate of building structures and team leader, with responsibilities that span technical delivery and leadership. She still leads structural packages and remains involved in project work but is gradually moving toward project management and team support, stepping back from the purely technical focus that characterised her earlier years. She speaks about her achievements with modesty, but the breadth of her experience and the varied pressures that have formed it stand out.
“I’ve worked across many sectors, including data centres, health, education, commercial buildings, industrial work, residential projects and heritage structures,” she says.
One project remains memorable: the Royal Hobart Hospital redevelopment in Tasmania.
“It was a constrained site where an existing hospital building was being demolished and replaced with a new one, all within a live hospital environment,” she says. “I designed the basement retention walls, the ground floor suspended slab and carried out various checks on the secondary steel work and the non-load-bearing precast façade. It was a complex project, but one I really enjoyed.”
Her recent work includes Defence and a data centre program spanning two templates, each with three buildings, across six sites – environments where coordination and security requirements dictate how structures are conceived and delivered.
She is also working on the purpose-built Australian Institute for Infectious Disease (AIID) project located in the University of Melbourne’s Parkville campus. The AIID will house the three Foundation Partners – the University of Melbourne, the Peter Doherty Institute and the Burnet Institute – to enhance Australia’s capability in infectious disease and public health research. The 15-storey, two-basement building also contains connections to the adjacent Peter Doherty Institute to further develop relationships and partnerships with the wider Parkville Biomedical Precinct.
“I have been the structural lead in the detailed design phase,” she says. “I am excited to see this project proceed into the construction phase in the future and come to life.”
Alongside project work, Zundel has reached key professional milestones, including chartership with Engineers Australia – an achievement reached at the time she was pregnant with her first child.
“I remember feeling nauseous at the interview because I was pregnant, but I knew my whole world was about to change and I really wanted to achieve it,” she says. “It gives you confidence when you reflect on the competencies they assess and realise you can talk to all of them. When they said I’d passed and was now a chartered engineer, I cried. It was emotional and a big milestone.”
More recently, she joined the Australian Steel Institute’s Victorian Technical and Construction Committee. Being the only woman in the room was initially daunting, but the group has been supportive, and the role has broadened her perspective on national issues such as imported prefabricated steelwork and industry advocacy.
With experience across many environments, she says it’s the variety as well as the culture at Aurecon that she enjoys most. She also hopes to be a role model for younger female engineers, having not always found it easy being one of the few.
“I enjoy working with the younger team members, but also the whole team,” she says. “The culture at Aurecon is great and we work on amazing projects. Our values are about bringing ideas to life, and our clients have complex problems that we help solve.”
Zundel now thinks often about what might help others coming through the industry. She encourages people to stay present and keep building momentum. Technical capability matters, she says, but communication carries equal weight. Speaking up when something feels uncomfortable can take courage, yet even a simple request for someone to repeat themselves can shift a conversation. She believes in asking questions, continuing to grow and finding at least one supportive person who can help steady the path.
“I’d also encourage others, men and women, to get involved with the National Association of Women in Construction,” she says. “They provide great support and host networking events for women in the industry. And we certainly need more men involved as allies.”
All in all, Nina Zundel is still driven by what first drew her to construction: a love of buildings. Now she carries that passion forward with the perspective of someone intent on strengthening the industry around her.
The post Nina Zundel: Founded on a love of buildings appeared first on Inside Construction.
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