Mike Lester, Founder and Technical Director of MakMax Australia has received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Lightweight Structures Associations of Australasia (LSAA).
Lester has been highlighting the limitless possibilities of tensile membrane structures for over 40 years, beginning his work with tensioned fabric structures in 1988 where he designed and managed the construction of a membrane grain silo at the Primary Industries Pavilion for the Work Expo ’88 in Brisbane.
In the early 1990’s, Lester joined Peter Kamols (a former client) as a shareholder in an up-and-coming membrane business – Shade Structures Pacific. Mike’s projects at Shade Structures Pacific took him all over the world, working on a range of International Projects in Singapore and Malaysia, Hong Kong, China, Korea, UAE, Lebanon and USA, as well as successfully delivering a range of tensile membrane structures here in Australia for the Sydney 200 Olympics.
From working on some of the world’s most iconic stadiums, to managing global projects and being an engineering and business leader for Taiyo Kogyo Corporation / MakMax Group, Lester not only pioneered the tensile membrane industry in Australia, but has also helped to build a successful global company that has become the market leader in the design, engineering, fabrication and installation of custom fabric structures.
His experience, innovation and engineering knowledge have contributed to an extensive project portfolio of prominent domestic and international projects including Metricon Stadium, Queensland State Velodrome, La Plata Stadium, JNS Stadium, and Perth Stadium.
Image: Supplied
