Presidential Address Progressive Collapse Revisited (the Problem of Structural Behaviour)

Christmas test For students this is the time of year for Christmas assessments and, for qualified engineers, the time for riddles from Christmas crackers. Here is an assessment for you all! Please note the time allowed and check your answers. Verulam

The role of Codes as an aid in achieving good construction is much in dispute. Should they be somewhere between recent research and standardised proven requirements, telling engineers what is good practice, or should they be precise documents that set out how the task should be handled? Assuming that such precision is even possible, is it in fact desirable, or will innovation and flair be stifled? Are they a guide to the knowledgeable or a safety net for the amateur? If precise in their demands, should such Codes be the means of meeting statutory requirements? J.G. Sunley and R.G. Taylor

When a house or some other form of property changes hands, the buyer usually commissions a survey of it; or, if a mortgage is negotiated, the Building Society will give instructions for a surveyor to establish value. Whoever undertakes a survey is legally responsible for what is said in the report to the client.