EEFIT Research Grant application

The award of this year's IStructE Gold Medal to Tina Vejrum not only boosts the representation of women on the prestigious roll call, it also signals a nod to the specialist long-span bridges sector. Helena Russell finds out about her career so far.

From 1st October, the publisher of the Inventory of Carbon & Energy (ICE) database, Circular Ecology, are updating their database to Version 5, which is free only for Educational-Use. As a result, users of the Institution’s How to Calculate Embodied Carbon guide and Structural Carbon Tool should review their approach to sourcing carbon data and ensure the figures used remain up to date and appropriate for any commercial or non-educational use. Circular Ecology have released a new database suitable for all commercial and professional use cases, this is called the IC+ Database. Should users wish to publish their projects carbon data externally, consideration will be needed as to whether you will need to purchase the IC+ Database, however alternative sources such as Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) and other carbon databases remain available, and can be used as alternatives to the IC+ database. The Institution’s Climate Committee is currently reviewing the implications of these changes and the impact on future updates to IStructE’s recommended embodied carbon factors.

This past paper includes questions on a heritage castle access bridge, an aircraft hangar, and a mixed-use city centre development.