About

My name is Oliver Broadbent. I am a writer, international speaker on creativity in engineering, award-winning design teacher and performer.

My vision is for engineers and other humans to use the best of the creative thinking to build the best possible world for future generations in the face of the climate and ecological emergencies.

My mission is to provide thought-provoking writing, videos, podcasts and training to help them get there and keep them happy,  and to make these resources as widely available as possible. 

In 2018 I founded Constructivist Ltd as a training company to help deliver this mission. With my colleagues we deliver training for leaders, organisations and teams to build their creative skills and capacity.

In 2020 I received the Sir Misha Black Award innovation in design education.

I also work as a trainer and facilitator to support organisations whose aims are similar to my own, including Constructive Collaboration, GIRI Training, the Institution of Structural Engineers and Useful Projects.

Since 2020 I have been the executive chair of Hazel Hill Trust. Our vision is to nurture Hazel Hill Wood as a thriving woodland to which people come to restore their connection to the land and each other.

For nine years I was director of Think Up, the design education arm of the Useful Simple Trust. There I led the development of over a 100 experimental projects in design and engineering education. 

Not just for engineers

I learnt my trade working with engineers, and trained as one myself, but most of what I write and train about creativity is universally applicable. I try to draw on those things that we as human beings are capable of doing, regardless of our role in life.

What happened to Eiffel Over?

This website started as a blog of a year living in France studying engineering. I gave it the name Eiffel Over because I like a pun, and the name stuck. Over the years it has become the space where I have captured a lot of my thinking about a wide range of topics, and has been where my writing about engineering, creativity and practical philosophy has coalesced. 

Over many years what started off as a side project has become the main focus of my work, and so it is time to associate this body of work with my real name and not my pseudonym.

Eiffel Over still remains, as my engineering clown alter-ego, and I am sure that he will emerge again in some form soon.

Biography for workshops

Oliver is a writer, international speaker on creativity in engineering, an award-winning design teacher and performer. Through his firm Constructivist Ltd. he works with leaders, organisations and individuals to build creative skills and capacity. 

He is one of the 2020 recipients of the Sir Misha Black Award for Innovation in Design Education. 

Through his website oliverbroadbent.info he shares writing, podcasts, videos and tools on engineering, creativity and practical philosophy for engineers and other humans. Follow him on @eiffelover_

Please use the photo below, photo credit Drew Cox.