Structural Engineering in a Changing World. The Role of the Institution in a Time of Change

Verulam today This 75th Anniversary issue of The Structural Engineer provides us with an excuse for considering briefly the purpose of the Verulam column and what we are aiming to achieve. Verulam

Origins In the earlier days of civilisation, the safety of a structure depended entirely on the designer’s and builder’s intuition and experience. Many fine structures were built, some of which stand today; but there were many failures and these served to develop the designer’s understanding of structural behaviour. The Rt. Hon. the Lord Penney

One of the primary reasons for the existence of our Institution is to serve the structural engineering interests of our society in the best possible way. We certainly have other objectives, and I know that these objectives have been expressed on a number of occasions and in a number of different ways. I think that they are best embodied in our definition of structural engineering, as ‘the science and art of designing and making, with economy and elegance, buildings, bridges, frameworks, and other similar structures so that they can safely resist the forces to which they may be subjected’. Peter Dunican