All the articles published in the April 2016 issue.
Publish Date – 1 April 2016
Traditionally, extreme events were predominantly considered for structures where there was a high probability of such events occurring, due to their type and location, or where their failure would have a major consequence e.g. offshore structures or nuclear reactors. Clients for such structures are knowledgeable and confident in defining the event parameters and the performance requirements of their structures both during and just after hazard events. This is based on a rigorous understanding of risk, consequence and the costs associated with lack of resilience and post-event clean-up.
Stakeholders and clients fresh to the subject can struggle to assess the criticality of their asset and set appropriate design requirements for extreme events such as an earthquake, flood, extended fire and explosion, without understanding the subtleties of designing for resilience. Neglecting to engage with this at project inception, before design requirements are determined and procurement is initiated, can lead to unrealistic or caveated tender returns and ultimately fail to achieve a resilient infrastructure solution.
66 Queen Square in Bristol was the first private development financed by Skanska in the UK. The project on a 1225m2 site in the city centre included the refurbishment of a Grade II listed building and the addition of a new five-storey office, plus basement. The Grade A office has achieved a BREEAM score of “Excellent” and has been designed and constructed using as many Building Information Modelling (BIM) tools as practicable. Despite being on a relatively small site, the building incorporates striking features, components such as reinforced and post-tensioned concrete and an intricate steelwork frame, and a full refurbishment in a conservation area. 66 Queen Square won the BIM Project Application Award at the British Construction Industry Awards in 2014.
Institution Past President, Graham Owens, introduces the new Essential Knowledge Series and explains its value to students.
The latest article from insurance broker Griffiths & Armour sets out simple steps which engineers can take to assist with defending a claim.
With Nicaragua planning a new canal to link the Atlantic and Pacific, Sean Brady considers the lessons of the Panama Canal when engineers face up to nature on such a grand scale.
In this article, we summarise the latest CROSS newsletter from Structural-Safety.
This article shows how day-to-day good housekeeping on construction sites is necessary to ensure that slip or trip hazards are minimised.
Tim Claremont of law firm Browne Jacobson provides an update and advice on dealing with payment applications.
Historic buildings and structures, like any other, move to some degree, whether due to thermal effects, changes in moisture levels in the structural fabric, influences on the founding subsoil, or environmental forces. The key question for the conservation engineer is to determine whether the movement is progressive and presents a risk to the structure.
This article introduces engineers to the various techniques available to monitor movement in historic structures, from simple manual techniques which are less commonly used today, to sophisticated electronic systems. The form of monitoring will depend on the nature of the assumed movement, the funds available, and the possible consequences if the movement is progressive.
Martin Knight is one of the UK’s leading bridge architects and has spent 20 years working with engineers on what are the most expressive of structures. What has he learned? He tells Jackie Whitelaw.
Dwight Patten of ACE encourages UK businesses to sign up to the Prompt Payment Code and commit to improving the payment culture in the construction industry.
Andrew Minson of the MPA describes the work of the UK concrete and masonry industry to encourage common formatting of non-3D product data for BIM models and asks readers how this journey can be shortened.
Tom Shire finds the “less is more” approach of this book appealing to students looking for a straightforward and accessible textbook, but suspects UK undergraduates would prefer a book written specifically for a British audience.
This holistic introduction to the design, fabrication and welding of steel structures is both a useful textbook for students and reminder for experienced designers, concludes Thomas Cosgrove.
This month's letters consider the division of responsibilities when designing steel frames and connections, as well as ways to attract school-leavers to the structural engineering profession.
Upcoming events at Institution HQ and around the regional groups.
Members who do not have access to the IHS Construction Information Service or are looking for earlier versions of documents are reminded that the Institution Library holds an extensive collection of current and past technical guidance reports published by such bodies as the BDA, BRE (formerly BRS), CIRIA (formerly CERC and CERA), The Concrete Centre, The Concrete Society, SCI (formerly Constrado) and TRADA (formerly TDA).
In this section we shine a spotlight on papers recently published in Structures – the Research Journal of The Institution of Structural Engineers. Structures is a collaboration between the Institution and Elsevier, publishing internationally-leading research across the full breadth of structural engineering which will benefi t from wide readership by academics and practitioners. Access to Structures is free to Institution members (excluding Student members) as one of their membership benefits, with access provided via the “My account” section of the Institution website. The journal is available online at: www.structuresjournal.org
This month we bring you a question from the Institution’s new Structural Behaviour Course. The topic is trusses. Answers will be published in the May issue.