Structural Futures Committee

Our Structural Futures Committee studies trends that may impact the structural engineering profession and develops related resources and events.

The Committee considers how structural engineering's approach, skills and knowledge base will need to change in response to an evolving industry. This is achieved by working closely with the Engineering Leadership Group to determine strategic priorities: how, where and when to supply members with related resources, training and events. Topics include:

  • Evolving technologies
  • The climate emergency
  • The role of the structural engineer in the future

The Committee also provides direction and oversight to the Digital Workflows and Computational Design Panel.

 

Committee structure:

The constitution of the Committee aims to reflect the diversity of the Institutions membership and to provide different perspectives.

  • Chair
  • Vice Chair
  • Chair of the reporting Panel
  • Up to 28 other members (including members of various grades and those based in different locations)

Get involved:

We invite expressions of interest in Committee membership each September, contacting all members except Student Members.

Members of the Committee are expected to fully participate in supporting and driving the Committee's activities forward.

There are many ways that you can contribute to the activities of the group, and you will be expected to do some work outside the meetings, for example drafting or reviewing guidance and keeping up to date on the latest developments around the topics the Committee is involved with.

The Committee meet four times a year. A maximum of one meeting will be in person at Institution HQ, whilst all other meetings are held online. Online access to meetings is always available.

Contact the committee if you have questions about their work.
 

Contact the committee

Looking for an event or training?

Explore our range of online training, recorded lectures and up and coming events.

Read more Looking for an event or training?

Featured events and resources

The Structural Engineer
Blockchain technology illustration

Rebuilding trust with blockchain technology

Rebuilding trust with blockchain technology

Alastair Low-Macrae argues that blockchain technology may hold the key to some of the issues around trust and transparency that the industry is currently grappling with, particularly in the context of BIM.
Date – 1 February 2022
Author – Alastair Low-Macrae
Price – £9.95
Blue abstract blocks

The ACORN, the SQUIRREL and the OAK

The ACORN, the SQUIRREL and the OAK

The poster of the 2021 Coolest Concrete Award winner, Robin Oval, Postdoctoral Research Associate at University of Cambridge.

Date – 7 February 2022
Author – Robin Oval
Price – Free
Report
Blue abstract blocks

Thin-shell textile reinforced concrete floors for low-carbon buildings

Thin-shell textile reinforced concrete floors for low-carbon buildings

The poster of the 2020 Coolest Concrete Award runner up, Will Hawkins.

Date – 7 February 2022
Author – Will Hawkins
Price – Free
Training
Blue abstract blocks

Circular economy panel debate

Circular economy panel debate

A technical debate around practical approaches towards implementing the circular economy within structural engineering and the construction industry.
Date – 7 January 2022
Author – Laura Batty, Andrea Charlson, Penny Gowler and Charlie Wedgwood
Price – 0
The Structural Engineer

Viewpoint: Embracing probability: could big data spell the end of safety factors as we know them?

Viewpoint: Embracing probability: could big data spell the end of safety factors as we know them?

Arthur Coates calls on structural engineers to push for the adoption of post-monitoring sensors to provide better data on building performance and, ultimately, more accurate loading predictions.
Date – 31 March 2021
Author – Arthur Coates
Price – £9.95
Blog
View of a complex road junction from above

Should COVID-19 change society's direction of travel?

Should COVID-19 change society's direction of travel?

What we can learn from the COVID-19 pandemic? Kate Leighton gives an opinion from a UK perspective.
Date – 30 March 2020
Author – Kate Leighton FIStructE
Price – 0
Blog
Homes in Goldsmith Street, Norwich

Innovation in house design

Innovation in house design

Richard Lankshear MIStructE discusses the Stirling Prize winning Goldsmith Street and how evolving home design will require the specialist skills of the structural engineer.

Date – 11 October 2019
Author – Richard Lankshear MIStructE
Price – 0
The Structural Engineer

Viewpoint: Which way now for codes and standards: Prescription, performance-based or what?

Viewpoint: Which way now for codes and standards: Prescription, performance-based or what?

Stuart Matthews considers the potential benefits – and difficulties – of developing performance- or outcomes-based codes of practice and standards.

Date – 1 May 2019
Author – Stuart Matthews
Price – £9.95

Explore our training, events and resources to support you throughout your career and membership journey.

Related resources and events

Conference
A modern, multi-story building with curved white balconies and lush green plants, surrounded by trees and a paved path.

Sustainable Structures of the Future Conference

Sustainable Structures of the Future Conference

Co-organised by the Institution of Structural Engineers and the Structural Engineering Institute (SEI) of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE).
Date – 5 November 2026
Location – Institution of Structural Engineers London HQ and online
Price – £25 - £325 + VAT
Course
Amesbury School detail, wooden structure

Eurocode 5: the essentials of timber design - October 2026

Eurocode 5: the essentials of timber design - October 2026

This one-day, online course offers an introduction to timber design to Eurocode 5.
Date – 19 October 2026
Location – Online
Price – £315 - £465 + VAT
Course
Looking up to glass roof within a building

Understanding structural behaviour - October 2026

Understanding structural behaviour - October 2026

This two-day course shows engineers how to arrive at a qualitative solution to both create a structure and check computational results.
Date – 13 October 2026
Location – Online
Price – £565 - £835 + VAT
Lecture

Efficient tall building design: challenges, opportunities and lessons

Efficient tall building design: challenges, opportunities and lessons

This technical lecture will explore explore how to achieve structural efficiency whilst unlocking highly constrained sites and responding to the urgent challenge of reducing carbon through integrated, multidisciplinary optimisation.
Date – 15 July 2026
Location – Online
Price – Free
Regional
EASEC-19 conference banner with title, dates, location, and theme over a city skyline.

East Asia-Pacific conference on structural engineering and construction

East Asia-Pacific conference on structural engineering and construction

A conference on advancing sustainability in structural engineering and construction through emerging technologies.
Date – 13 July 2026
Location – Renaissance Kuala Lumpur Hotel & Convention Centre Corner of Jalan Sultan Ismail and Jalan Ampang, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 50450
Price – 650 USD
The Structural Engineer
Four scanning electron micrographs show cement mortar and aggregate interfaces with varying pore and crack formations.

Spotlight on Structures (July 2026)

Spotlight on Structures (July 2026)

Associate Editor, Man-Tai Chen, has chosen a paper investigating the axial stress-strain behaviour of carbon fibre-reinforced polymer-confined recycled fine aggregate concrete as the Featured Article for Volume 87 of Structures .
Date – 2 July 2026
Author – The Institution of Structural Engineers
Price – £0
Training
A large empty space surrounded by meeting rooms. The space has a curved wooden ceiling with hexagonal cut outs.

The Structural Futures forum

The Structural Futures forum

This on-demand forum will address the trends, technologies and challenges shaping the future of structural engineering practice.
Date – 2 June 2026
Author – Various
Price – Free
The Structural Engineer
A multi-panel image showing the failure modes of steel tubes and sandwiched concrete under various conditions.

Spotlight on Structures (June 2026)

Spotlight on Structures (June 2026)

Associate Editor, Lin Hai-Han, has chosen a paper examining the post-ire behaviour following tests on concrete-Filled double-skin steel tubular members as the Featured Article for Volume 85 of Structures .
Date – 1 June 2026
Author – The Institution of Structural Engineers
Price – £0
Training
Construction of Rwanda Institute for Conservation Agriculture

Building for impact: lessons from the Rwanda Institute for Conservation Agriculture campus

Building for impact: lessons from the Rwanda Institute for Conservation Agriculture campus

This lecture explores the delivery of an award‑winning, earthquake‑resistant project in rural Rwanda, examining context‑specific challenges of working with local materials in a seismic zone while building skills, supply chains, and lasting community impact.
Date – 21 May 2026
Author – Various
Price – Free