The President 1989 - 90

The last paragraph of Professor Michael Horne’s feature in The Structural Engineer for 10 January 1989 explains that other Heads of Civil Engineering Departments in universities and polytechnics will be invited to contribute on the same theme, discussing general matters within the context of solutions and attitudes adopted in their own departments. It will be appropriate, therefore, to use the same thematic headings where possible, though not necessarily in the same order, introducing others as may be necessary. Professor R.T. Severn

Draftsmen-how are they to be got? Mr A. J. H. Davison ’S letter in our issue of 15 August has aroused varied comment. Mr P. Nuttall of Ashford, Kent, agrees with Mr Davison, urging a return to the education and training of corporate structural engineers via the route formerly so common, i.e. from the drawing board and on through day release study: Mr Davison courageously points to one reason for the calamitous situation regarding draftsmen. There appear to be two distinct problems: one-the source of detail draftsmen-was, I believe, intended to be solved by the Engineering Technician scheme. What has happened? As to the other, I too have long been convinced that the profession took the wrong road in requiring graduate entry. Verulam

Tobacco Dock, in the Port of London, was originally constructed from 1811 to 1814. This paper describes the renovation of its timber, cast iron, and brickwork, from 1986 to 1989, to form a modern ‘leisure shopping’ centre. M.A. Courtney and R.J. Matthews