Realising the dream – Performance based design

Dr Leroy Gardner and Dr Jeanette M. Abela describe the opening and facilities of the new Structures Laboratories at Imperial College London.

With basic wind speeds for conventional buildings in Saint Lucia increasing by about 12-14% with a corresponding 25-30% increase in forces, national codes are being revised. This raises the question of whether national codes in other countries may be based on out-of-date wind speeds.

This address explores how explains and explores how structural engineering knowledge is developed, managed, and passed to future generations.