July 2022

Volume 100 | Issue 7

People and Papers

Awards

Designing The
Londoner hotel

Industry CPD: structural

thermal breaks

Taking
inspiration
from the past
What lessons are there for today’s
climate-conscious engineers in the
materially efficient experimental
designs of yesteryear?

Cover_TSE July 2022_The Structural Engineer.indd 1 23/06/2022 10:07

 Jobs
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responses we received — and have even managed to
find a suitable candidate for a European office as

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TSE.July22_002.indd 2 21/06/2022 16:12

 46
Upfront
5 Editorial
6 News
8 People and Papers Awards 2022
10 Research update
12 New sustainability report template
complements Structural Plan of Work

Features
13 Kenneth Severn Award 2022

Professional
guidance 42
16 Construction products: changes to
certification rules in the UK
18 CROSS Safety Report: Rotting plywood
decking on grandstand

Industry CPD
22 Structural thermal breaks: design
considerations and certification

Project focus
26 Digging deep: design and construction of
The Londoner hotel

Opinion

8
36 Comment and reply: Time to be lean
38 Verulam

At the back
TENSILE STEEL LATTICE SHELL BY VLADIMIR SHUKHOV © ALAMY

40 Diary dates
42 Spotlight on Structures
44 Library update
Volume 100 │ Issue 7 │July 2022

46 The Drawing Board

48 Services Directory
49 TheStructuralEngineer Jobs

22 26
3
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Contents_TSE July 2022_The Structural Engineer.indd 3 23/06/2022 09:48

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 Editorial Upfront

PRESIDENT
Jane Entwistle
BSc(Hons), CEng, FIStructE, MICE

CHIEF EXECUTIVE
Martin Powell

EDITORIAL
HEAD OF PUBLISHING
Lee Baldwin

MANAGING EDITOR
Robin Jones
t: +44 (0) 20 7201 9822
e: [email protected]
Robin Jones Managing Editor
EDITORIAL ENQUIRIES
Will Brown

Looking back
t: +44 (0) 20 7201 9152
e: [email protected]

ADVERTISING
DISPLAY SALES
t: +44 (0) 20 7880 7632

to the future
e: [email protected]

RECRUITMENT SALES
t: +44 (0) 20 7880 6235
e: [email protected]

DESIGN
SENIOR DESIGNER
Nicholas Daley

PRODUCTION JUNE SAW ANOTHER step towards a post-Covid structural thermal breaks (page 22), an update on
PRODUCTION DIRECTOR
Jane Easterman
‘normal’ with the return of the Institution’s People product certification in the UK (page 16), a CROSS
and Papers Awards ceremony to its usual position report on rotting plywood decking on a grandstand
EDITORIAL ADVISORY GROUP
Will Arnold MIStructE
in the calendar following postponements in the (page 18), as well as our usual Verulam (page 38),
Premma Makanji MIStructE past two years. The annual lunch is a celebration Diary dates (page 40) and Spotlight on Structures
Allan Mann FIStructE
Chris O’Regan FIStructE of the various ways in which members – and non- (page 42) pages. We also bring you a Library
Angus Palmer MIStructE
Simon Pitchers FIStructE
members – contribute to the Institution’s activities, update on seismic design (page 44) and the latest
Eleana Savvidi MIStructE recognising achievers both at the beginning of their winners of The Drawing Board (page 46).
Subscription prices careers and with a lifetime’s work behind them, both I hope you enjoy the issue.
Institutional: £479
Personal (print only): £110
in the UK and internationally. Find out who won
Personal (online only): £110 what this year on page 8. Corrections
Personal (Student Member): £45
Among the annual prizes is the Kenneth Severn 1) ‘Proposed changes to the Institution Bye-
Single copies: £25 (incl. p&p) Award – an essay competition in which young Laws: a summary for members’, June 2022
Printed by engineers respond to a question set by the In Figure 1 of the above article, the grade
Warners Midlands plc
The Maltings, Manor Lane Bourne,
President. This year’s winner, Andrew Blackie, ‘Associate-Member (AMIStructE)’ was incorrectly
Lincolnshire PE10 9PH considers how construction can reduce its carbon presented as ‘Associate (AMIStructE)’. A
United Kingdom
footprint by learning from the past with a new corrected version of the article is available online.
© The Institution of Structural Engineers.
The Structural Engineer (ISSN 1466-5123) is approach to materials, efficiency
published by IStructE Ltd, a wholly owned
subsidiary of The Institution of Structural
and reuse, underpinned by data 2) ‘Concrete-encased
Engineers. It is available both in print and online. collection and an understanding steel frames, 1900–70:
Contributions published in The Structural of statistics (page 13). I hope
you find Andrew’s ideas as
CONSTRUCTION considerations in
their assessment and
CAN REDUCE
Engineer are published on the understanding
that the author/s is/are solely responsible for the
statements made, for the opinions expressed interesting as our judging refurbishment’, May 2022
and/or for the accuracy of the contents.
Publication does not imply that any statement or panel did. ITS CARBON A production error led to
opinion expressed by the author/s reflects the
views of the Institution of Structural Engineers’
Elsewhere in the issue, our
project case study is of The
FOOTPRINT the wrong diagram being
published as Figure 4 in the
BY LEARNING
Board; Council; committees; members
or employees. No liability is accepted by such
persons or by the Institution for any loss or Londoner hotel development above article. A corrected
damage, whether caused through reliance on
any statement, opinion or omission (textual
or otherwise) in The Structural Engineer, or
in the capital’s West End. The
article illustrates the considerable
FROM THE PAST version of the article is
available online.
otherwise.
technical challenges the project
The Institution of Structural Engineers
International HQ
team overcame in designing and constructing a
47–58 Bastwick Street basement over 30m deep on a city-centre site, but ut
London EC1V 3PS
United Kingdom also highlights the embodied carbon of this type
t: +44 (0)20 7235 4535
e: [email protected]
of development and the extent to which this is
influenced by the brief (page 26).
The Institution of Structural Engineers
Incorporated by Royal Charter For those of you grappling with the challenge off
Charity Registered in England and Wales number
233392 and in Scotland number SC038263
working towards lower-carbon designs, I’d like to
draw your attention to the new sustainability report rt
template developed by the Sustainability Panel and d
Climate Emergency Task Group to complement the he
Structural Plan of Work. Find out more on page 12. 2.
Other content includes a CPD module on

5
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 Upfront News

IIndustry news
N
New framework
aims to improve
a
construction site
c
productivity
p
The Construction Productivity Taskforce – a
UK industry initiative bringing together clients,
contractors, supply chain and consultants – has
published a practical seven-step framework to
improve construction site productivity.
Measuring Construction Site Productivity: A
seven-step framework for success has been
produced to help businesses within the sector
collect the relevant data and measure productivity,
in order to increase efficiency and improve
performance on sites. The framework has
been designed to support the work of all major David receives the
contributors to the construction industry, including 2015 President’s
clients, contractors, designers and those within the Award from Tim Ibell
supply chain.
The methodology behind the framework draws Industry news
on the learnings and good practice gained from the training courses he runs to develop graduates’
two live UK pilot project sites: Landsec’s The Forge
Institution Fellow recognised in
understanding of structural behaviour. David
in Southwark and Norton Folgate, British Land’s Queen’s Birthday Honours
devised his ‘Brohn Method’ for the development
Blossom Street development. The document Dr David Brohn FIStructE has been made an of a sound, reliable and effective basis of an
offers two highly detailed and practical case MBE for services to structural engineering in the understanding of structural behaviour in the 1970s
studies per site, clearly demonstrating how the Queen’s Birthday Honours. following testing of graduate engineers at Arup.
seven-step framework proposed by the taskforce David is the founder of E-Training Systems David was previously awarded the IStructE
can be implemented. Ltd and is well known to many members as the President’s Award in 2015 in recognition of his
Findings from the pilot sites suggest that author of Understanding structural analysis and for teaching methods in structural engineering.
productivity can be significantly enhanced via
increased automation, use of digital technologies,
improved management, upskilling and reduced
Industry news
waste, among others. Penny Gowler wins WICE award for work on sustainability
Congratulations to Penny Gowler MIStructE, who has won the Award
Download the framework document at for Best Woman in Environment and Sustainability at the Women In
https://media.bethebusiness.com/ Construction & Engineering (WICE) Awards.
documents/BtB_Measuring_Construction_ Penny is a Director and Head of Sustainability at Elliott Wood, and was
Productivity.pdf. recognised for work that includes developing the IStructE’s Structural
Carbon Tool in partnership with Elliott Wood, and spearheading the Full
Circle to Reuse guide developed by Elliott Wood and Grosvenor.
Industry news
Updated Tata Steel app and
design guide examples highlight Read more about Penny’s commitment to sustainability and
the circular economy in a profile published in the June issue
carbon emissions of The Structural Engineer: https://istructe.info/profile-penny-
Tata Steel’s hollow sections business has gowler.
launched an updated app and set of design
examples that helps engineers to minimise
embodied carbon when using its Celsius hot
finished hollow sections. Industry news
The Celsius design app has been updated
Modular construction can cut carbon emission by up to 45%,
to include data on carbon emissions for each
section, to demonstrate the carbon benefits of
study finds
section choice. The new design guide examples Research by academics at the University of Street, Croydon, UK, found that the modular
show the use of high-strength S460 steel in Cambridge and Edinburgh Napier University schemes saved a combined total of
some simple designs giving benefits against the has found that factory-produced homes can 28 000t of carbon compared with traditional
standard S355 grade. emit up to 45% less carbon than traditional construction methods, with the emissions
Using the app, engineers can see how they methods of residential construction. reductions a result of units being completed
can save 20% of the emissions from the steel The researchers studied two modular off site in a controlled assembly line
sections they might otherwise have chosen in the housing schemes designed by HTA Design, environment and taken to site in one delivery.
standard grade. The design guide examples also consisting of a total of nearly 900 homes: The research was carried out by Dr
show the same benefit by increasing the strength Ten Degrees in Croydon – a pair of 44- and Tim Forman, senior research associate at
grade to S460NH. 38-storey towers, and The Valentine, a University of Cambridge, and Professor
10-storey student accommodation block in Francesco Pomponi and Dr Ruth Saint
Find out more at Redbridge. of Edinburgh Napier University. The study
www.tatasteeleurope.com/celsius. The report, Life Cycle Assessments of was managed by HTA Design for Tide
The Valentine, Gants Hill, UK and George Construction and Vision Modular Systems.

6
July 2022 | thestructuralengineer.org

News_TSE July 2022_The Structural Engineer.indd 6 22/06/2022 16:06

 thestructuralengineer.org/jobs
The Structural Engineer Jobs is the official jobs board
for The Institution of Structural Engineers.
The perfect place to find the latest

350
structural engineering vacancies.
posted on
jobs average
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 Upfront People and Papers Awards

People and Papers

Awards 2022
Congratulations to all the winners of the Institution’s People and Papers Awards 2022. The awards
were presented by President Jane Entwistle at a ceremony held at the Royal College of Surgeons in
London on Thursday 9 June.
The People and Papers Awards recognise outstanding contributions to structural engineering and
to the Institution’s work, through innovative education initiatives, papers published in The Structural
Engineer and Structures, lectures, regional group activity, and much more. They cover the whole
range of Institution life, from outstanding young professionals to those recognised for a lifetime of
achievement and service.

PAPERS AWARDS AWARDS FOR YOUNG ENGINEERS

Murray Buxton Award Young Structural Engineering
Diploma: Wong Seng, Heng Kim Huat, Professional Award
Maey Leow Geok Mui, Tan Teng Hooi, Winner: Ishan Abeysekera
Chew Keat Chuan and Tan Chong Lin Runner-up: Lauren Barnes
‘Concrete prefabricated prefinished
volumetric construction for two high-rise Kenneth Severn Award
blocks in Singapore’ Winner: Andrew Blackie
Commendation: James D’Ambrosio
Diploma: James Kitchin, Rosie Goldrick Commendation: Ying Xuan Chian
and Kelly Alvarez Doran
‘Rwanda Institute for Conservation Young Researchers Conference
Agriculture – climate-positive design using Prizes
locally sourced materials’ Presentation winner: Kamil Riedel
‘Enhancing the robustness of PBBS
Guthrie Brown Award precast concrete systems’
Medal: Mathai Mathew
‘Analysing existing structures: a brief Sir Arnold Waters Medal
introduction’ Marcos Sanchez and Lucio Blanco Martin
‘Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Bridge over the
Derrington Construction Award River Barrow’
Diploma: Andrew Robertson and Eric Sturel
‘1 Triton Square, London – low-carbon STRUCTURES PRIZES
development through reuse of an existing Best Research Paper Prize
building’ Travis Thonstad, Marc O. Eberhard and
John F. Stanton
Husband Prize ‘Design of prestressed, jointed columns
Finn Graham and Ben Curry for enhanced seismic performance’
‘Design and construction of Hams Way
Footbridge, Worcester’ Best Research into Practice Paper Prize
Smail Kechidi, Aires Colaço, Pedro Alves
Clancy Prize Costa, José Miguel Castro and Mário
Medal: Scott Brookes Marques
‘Historic plaster ceilings. Part 1: ‘Modelling of soil-structure interaction
Development and causes of failure’ and in OpenSees: A practical approach for
‘Historic plaster ceilings. Part 2: Survey, performance-based seismic design’
assessment and methods of conservation’
EDUCATION AWARDS
Diploma: Claire Young Award for Excellence in Structural
‘Upgrading the IMAX theatre at London’s Engineering Education
Science Museum’ Winner: Cian Farrell
‘Virtual industry visits as a hybrid
Oscar Faber Award educational tool for enhancing engagement
Medal: Sam Youdan and Michael Brooks and interaction in engineering education’
‘Battersea Power Station: Refurbishment
of an Icon’ Commendation: Maria Teresa Lombardo
‘Structural feeling and conceptual design
Diploma: Steve Williams and Andy – an integrated learning framework to
Herrmann promote creativity and engagement in
‘Florida bridge collapse: lessons learnt’ first-year students’

8
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 People and Papers Awards Upfront

Presentation runner-up: Lefteris Service Award

Koutsoulakas Peter Finnegan
‘Smart net-zero energy structural control’ Timothy Jack Pope
Angelo Manesero
Presentation runner-up: Javier Cañada John Theodore
Pérez-Sala Gurney Plummer
‘Structural behaviour and design criteria Robert John Mitchell
of segmental high-speed railway bridges’
Keith Eaton International
Poster winner: Bintian Lin Award
‘Bipedal inverted pendulum for modelling Shalini Jagnarine-Azan
vertical pedestrian-structure interaction
on footbridges’ Lifetime Achievement
Award
Poster runner-up: Kostas Kalfas Christopher John
‘Pressurized sand damper as a Bolton
sustainable solution for the response Shapour Mehrkar-Asl
modification of structures’ PEOPLE AWARDS
Lewis Kent Award Honorary Fellowships
Poster runner-up: Hasini Weerasinghe Rossella Nicolin Kate Simonen
‘Web crippling strength and behaviour Tristram Edward James Hope Peter Oborn
of cold-formed thin-walled channels with Phillip Nelson Neil Gibbins
web openings’ Chi Wang James Lau Peter Wilkinson

Jess Foster collected a Clancy Prize on behalf of her The Kenneth Severn Award essay competition for Kamil Riedel took first place in the presentation
colleague, Claire Young young engineers was won by Andrew Blackie category at the Young Researchers Conference

Rossella Nicolin received a Lewis Kent Award for her Phillip Nelson collected a Lewis Kent Award for his Peter Finnegan was the recipient of a Service Award
dedicated service to the Institution dedicated service to the Institution for his support of the Republic of Ireland Regional Group

Angelo Manesero was given a Service Award for his Peter Oborn was made an Honorary Fellow in recognition An Honorary Fellowship was bestowed on Neil Gibbins
support of the United Arab Emirates Regional Group of his key role in the creation of the UK Built Environment in recognition of his work in championing fire safety in
Advisory Group engineering

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 Upfront Research update

Research update
In the first instalment of a new feature in collaboration with the IStructE Research Panel, we
discover how graphene is being used to enhance concrete at the University of Manchester,
and learn about a new approach to the documentation and assessment of masonry structures
using geometric digital twins which has been developed at the University of Leeds.

Graphene enhanced concrete 50 28 days 7 days

As the home of graphene, the University of 45.6
Manchester hosts the National Graphene 45
40.7
Institute (NGI) and the Graphene Engineering and 38.9 38.5
40
Innovation Centre (GEIC). This puts the university
in a unique position with access to the broadest 35
graphene science base and the most extensive
30
links with industrial stakeholders.
A number of research projects are ongoing 25
to investigate how graphene can be used to
improve the performance of different construction 20
materials. This article introduces two graphene- 15
enhanced concrete products – Concretene
and graphene green concrete (GGC) – which 10
are ready for exploitation by the construction
5
industry.
0
Concretene NAC GGC
Working in collaboration with colleagues at GEIC
and industry partners Nationwide Engineering FIGURE 2: Characteristic strengths of C40 natural aggregate concrete and GGC
(Innovate UK project no. 99366), researchers
have developed a graphene admixture, known
as Concretene, which can generate major applications, including several ground slabs (up 100mm and that of the C40 NAC is 120mm.
enhancements of any given concrete base to 1100m2; Figure 1), and suspended slabs The chloride ion penetration results for GGC and
mixture, including increases in flexural and in combination with composite metal decking. the C40 NAC are 14.1kΩ.cm and 16.4kΩ.cm
compressive strengths, early-age strength gain, These trials have demonstrated consistency of respectively, belonging to the same durability
and reductions in permeability and porosity. the product at scale, overcoming a major hurdle class (moderate).
These enhancements allow removal of rebar or in the adoption of graphene-enhanced concrete. The research has been funded by an Eli and
reduction in concrete depth. Britt Harari Graphene Enterprise Award (2020)
In the Innovate UK project, Concretene was Graphene green concrete and supported by the Innovate UK ICURe
successfully deployed in a number of field GGC is a sustainable concrete product in programme (2021).
which the addition of a tiny amount of graphene
enables 100% replacement of natural aggregates Further information:
FIGURE 1: Ground slab incorporating Concretene with low-quality recycled aggregates. This Professor Yong Wang
produces a concrete that has comparable or ([email protected])
better engineering properties than C40 concrete
at a competitive price and with a greatly reduced
environmental impact. The graphene is dispersed Submit your research
in water and used as an admixture, enabling
If your department would like to put
the concrete to be made without changing the
forward a research project for inclusion,
existing manufacturing method.
please submit a short summary to
Extensive laboratory experiments have
confirmed that the characteristic seven-day and [email protected] for
28-day compressive strengths (95% confidence) consideration by the Research Panel.
of GGC are 40.7MPa and 45.6MPa, higher than We’re particularly keen to hear about
the respective values of 38.5MPa and 38.9MPa research with a clear pathway to
for a nominal C40 normal aggregate concrete application by IStructE members.
UNIVERSITY OF MANCHESTER AND
NATIONWIDE ENGINEERING (NAC) (Figure 2). The slump value of GGC is

10
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 Research update Upfront

Geometric digital twins FIGURE 1: Workflow of documentation and assessment programme

of masonry structures for
documentation and structural 1) Image capture 2) Import to Image2DEM
assessment Capture an image using either a DSLR camera The image selected is then imported to the
Masonry infrastructure, such as bridges or a smartphone. Any image from any source program to detect and extract the masonry
and viaducts, forms a significant part of the can be used. Images that include background micro-geometry. The algorithm provides
UK’s critical infrastructure stock: there are (random objects, sky, ground, etc.) are also reliable detection using AI. Convolutional
more than 70 000 masonry arch bridges compatible. Orthorectified images (with equal neural networks (CNN) are used to identify
in the country. The majority of the UK’s height/width scale) and good resolution are the location of masonry units and cracks,
masonry infrastructure is ageing, often preferred, but are not essential. with ~96% and ~80% accuracy, respectively.
well over 120 years old, and is showing Furthermore, background elements (non-
significant signs of deterioration and masonry) are filtered out automatically.
damage.
Weathering, demands of increasing load
intensity and axle loads, plus factors such
as increased frequency of flood events
due to climate change, have introduced
extreme uncertainty in the long-term
performance of such infrastructure assets.
Therefore, there is an urgent need to better
assess the in-service performance of
ageing masonry infrastructure stocks, and
to provide detailed and accurate data that
will better inform maintenance programmes Image 2
and asset management decisions. DEM
Assessing the structural performance of
ageing masonry infrastructure is a complex
task. Over the past three decades,
significant efforts have been devoted to
the development of numerical models
to represent the complex and non-linear
behaviour of masonry structures subjected
to external loads. However, a vital aspect
in the analysis of these structures is the
accuracy with which the geometry is
transferred to the numerical model.
To date, this geometry has been 4) Numerical analysis in UDEC/3DEC 3) Documentation
captured with traditional techniques, such The geometry extracted is converted to a The geometry is extracted in the form of
as visual inspection and manual surveying, UDEC/3DEC model for numerical analysis simplified lines to improve efficiency and
but these methods are labour-intensive using DEM. Furthermore, the mesh generated reduce computational effort. Blocks, mortar,
and error-prone. Recent advances in allows investigation of separation (loss of and cracks are assigned to different layers
remote sensing and computer vision have contact) during the analysis. To enhance automatically. The mesh is optionally generated
drastically changed the building industry simplicity, the elements are allocated to for blocks, mortar, and cracks. The output
by allowing us to remotely capture digital different groups depending on the layers is provided in DXF format for compatibility
records of objects with an excellent degree assigned on the CAD file. between different programs.
of accuracy. Modern applications can
therefore be applied to both improve the
accuracy, and automate the process, of units (i.e. bricks, stone) and perform damage Further information:
documentation and structural assessment assessment, using state-of-the-art artificial | Kassotakis N. and Sarhosis V. (2021)
of existing structures. intelligence and image-processing algorithms. ‘Employing non-contact sensing techniques
Researchers from the University of This process fully automates the ‘scan-to- for improving efficiency and automation in
Leeds, in collaboration with researchers damage-assessment’ and ‘scan-to-structural- numerical modelling of existing masonry
from Hanze Institute of Technology in the analysis’ procedures. structures: A critical literature review’,
Netherlands, have developed algorithms According to Dr Vasilis Sarhosis, this Structures, 32, pp. 1777–97; https://doi.
capable of automatically identifying cracks transition from the physical to the digital org/10.1016/j.istruc.2021.03.111
and generating the geometric digital environment has the potential to provide a | Kassotakis N., Sarhosis V., Peppa M.V. and Mills
twins of existing masonry structures for better understanding of the ‘as is’ condition of J. (2021) ‘Quantifying the effect of geometric
documentation and structural assessment. existing masonry infrastructure and uncertainty on the structural behaviour of arches
Images captured from any source revolutionise the way structural analysis is developed from direct measurement and
(smartphone, DSLR camera, drone, performed. Structure-from-Motion (SfM) photogrammetry’,
etc.) are imported into the ‘Image2DEM’ The technology is already available to use. Engineering Structures, 230, 111710; https://
software developed to acquire the precise Some codes, data and networks can be found in doi.org/10.1016/j.engstruct.2020.111710
geometry of existing masonry structures the GitHub repository:
(Figure 1). The developed framework is github.com/dimitrisdais/crack_detection_CNN_ Dr Vasilis Sarhosis
able to detect the location of masonry masonry. ([email protected])

11
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 Upfront Sustainability report template

New sustainability report

template complements
Structural Plan of Work
To help engineers design construction and use, while supporting circular in the latter case that key report information is
sustainably and communicate economy principles included in an executive summary to ensure
| inform those constructing, using, retrofitting effective communication.
this to their clients, the and deconstructing the structure, to unlock
IStructE Sustainability Panel every environmental benefit of the design Sustainability checklist
and Climate Emergency Task | promote the sustainable specification and The report is accompanied by a sustainability
procurement of materials, and sustainability checklist (www.istructe.org/sustainability-
Group have worked together to considerations in tendering processes. checklist). Mirroring the sections of the
publish a sustainability report sustainability report, the checklist prompts
template and sustainability The report has five key sections, summarised actions throughout each design stage in
in Table 1. support of key sustainability requirements.
checklist under wider updates
The template is available as a Word document, This will guide engineers towards a design
to the Structural Plan of Work. allowing companies to use it with their own process that supports sustainable solutions
company branding. It features: while prompting material to populate the
Introduction | general narrative text to give a consistent sustainability report. The checklist may also
With increased focus on the climate and message to clients and save authoring time aid planning of project-stage deliverables and
biodiversity emergencies, structural engineers | boxes for engineers to add project-specific activities; ensuring that time and resource are
are now expected to hold a much broader and information under key headings made available for pursing sustainable designs.
deeper knowledge of sustainability and the | guidance in the comments column to help the
environmental impacts of their work. Associated engineer complete project-specific information. Conclusion
client needs are also continuing to increase. The engineer should print without comments to Although good progress has been made
To help structural engineers manage these omit guidance from the report when publishing. towards a more sustainable built environment,
growing demands, a structural sustainability the climate emergency is accelerating and we,
report is included in the Structural Plan of Work The report should be started at the earliest as engineers, must do more. By adopting the
(SPoW) deliverables. possible stage, updated throughout the design sustainavbility report as a standard deliverable
The SPoW, based on the widely used RIBA and construction process, then passed on to across the industry, supported by the checklist
Plan of Work, was launched in 2020 and relevant parties as necessary. The report may be to guide the design, we can all take meaningful
indicates project-stage deliverables to aid issued as a standalone document or incorporated action towards delivering sustainable structural
structural engineers in providing consistent into the engineer’s design report. It is important engineering solutions.
services to clients.
The new sustainability report, along with the
supporting guidance outlined in this article,
will enable structural engineers to consistently Table 1: Key sections of sustainability report
consider, report and inform on sustainability
measures and impacts of their projects. 1. Introduction This section introduces key terminology around the UNSDGs,
Although the SPoW is focused on the UK, the climate emergency and net zero. It outlines project targets based on
sustainability report and checklist will be of use relevant policy, regulations, standards, accreditation schemes, and
to engineers around the world, who can apply or client goals.
adapt them to their own locations.
2. The brief This section documents the engineer’s input to the brief, considering
Sustainability report key factors such as the circular economy, adaptation and flexibility
A sustainability report template (available under while setting carbon targets.
‘Access resource’ at: www.istructe.org/spow) has
3. Carbon calculations Carbon calculations are reported here, promoting consistency,
been developed to:
transparency and the use of tools available such as The Structural
| provide a standard scope and structure for
Carbon Tool.
structural sustainability reporting to ensure
alignment across the profession and encourage 4. Design considerations Here, all efforts to reduce carbon in the design stages are recorded
adoption by clients and communicated to the client, design team and contractor,
| drive best practice with signposted IStructE to ensure key decisions made are carried forward through to
guidance and other publications construction.
| highlight opportunities to alter the project brief
to enable more sustainable solutions 5. Construction The final section outlines efforts made in the specification and
| record design decisions, principles and
considerations procurement stages to achieve the design intent and continue to
opportunities that enable low-carbon designs, search for sustainable outcomes and further carbon savings on site.

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 Kenneth Severn Award 2022 Feature

Kenneth Severn Award 2022

To reduce the carbon footprint of construction, we need to take
immediate action which includes learning and education at all levels.
What does history teach us and what systems might be introduced
from a structural engineering design perspective?

ANDREW BLACKIE SYNOPSIS

Senior Engineer, London Structures Lab,
London, UK In his winning entry to the Institution’s Kenneth
Severn Award 2022 – an annual essay competition
Introduction
for young engineers – Andrew Blackie examines
The climate emergency has recalibrated what the structural engineering profession can
the role we play as structural engineers, learn from the past in order to tackle the climate
within our design offices and in society
at large. Since I entered professional emergency with a new approach to materials,
practice just over half a decade ago, efficiency and reuse, underpinned by data
the constraints we map throughout
the lifecycle of a given project have collection and an understanding of statistics.
expanded, placing renewed importance
upon continuous development.
A traditional engineering education FIGURE 2: Example of Shukhov’s radio masts
introduces us to ‘cost, quality and time’
as a paradigm to explore the design
space, but the global challenge we face
undoubtedly places equal importance

ARSSENEV, CC BY-SA 3.0 <HTTPS://CREATIVECOMMONS.

upon the sustainability of our solutions
(Figure 1). Unlike the former measures

ORG/LICENSES/BY-SA/3.0>, VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

of performance, the ability to find truly
sustainable approaches is less readily
obtained via the osmosis of the design
office and the inherited knowledge of
our colleagues: it often requires us to
actively engage with topics outside of
the traditional canon, with a healthy
appreciation for the uncertainty in our
decision making.
While this change of direction is at
times daunting, we are not without
precedent. If we are to remodel our built

environment against climate change, we modern built landscape. Defence of

must re-examine its past. that dominance is typically made on the
grounds of context: the engineers cited
Thinking in terms of material were operating in interwar and post-war
scarcity periods where materials were scarce,
Many celebrated engineers – Nervi, unemployment was high, and thus
Shukhov, Freyssinet – share a common labour was cheap. Their approach was
thread in their body of work: an the logical, if experimental, response to
FIGURE 1: uncompromising approach to material the market.
Embodied efficiency. Their designs feel alien A cursory glance at the present-
carbon
as design (Figure 2) in comparison to the stasis day construction sector indicates the
parameter of the flat slab, which dominates the balance of cost between labour and

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 Feature Kenneth Severn Award 2022

materials has inverted. With this change FIGURE 3: Block Research Group’s funicular vault slab3 key component of material science

REPRODUCED WITH PERMISSION OF F. RANAUDO AND IABSE

we see a more lenient approach to education at undergraduate level
efficiency, favouring solutions that | engage with local supply chains,
require less manpower and fewer highly using the framework of our
skilled workers. While the supply chain institutions to disseminate knowledge
crisis has disrupted the availability of and foster a wider understanding of
some construction products, it would global supply chains
be easy to gain the impression that | encourage reappraisal of historical
Vault
material scarcity is otherwise an abstract analytical methods and platform
problem. examples of their application in
However, the climate emergency modern contexts.
has created an imperative to think and
engineer in these historical terms. It Leveraging statistics
should be clear that we are beyond the William Rankine delivered his
point where material innovation alone is ‘Introductory lecture on the harmony of
likely to pull us back from the brink, and theory and practice in mechanics’ to
instead we need to build with less and Secondary rib students at the University of Glasgow
use our remaining resources wisely. And Primary rib in 1856, positing what we now
those resources are dwindling: in 2019 Boundary rib recognise as modern engineering4. He
the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) distinguishes the profession as diverging
called for urgent global governance from craft, in its ability to assess novel
to curb overextraction of sand, which and scalable mechanical forms through
is primary driven by the construction a scientific understanding of material
sector’s demand for concrete1. The behaviour.
UNEP report highlights this issue as ‘one Implicit within Rankine’s design
of the major sustainability challenges of theory was the recognition that the gap
the 21st century’. between the theoretical and the practical
The engineering response requires was occupied by uncertainty, and this
us to synthesise (i) the qualities of a could be addressed by a factor of
given material, and (ii) the technical we use, we must first understand their safety5. Our present-day understanding
approaches available for its application. constituents, the processing required has further subdivided this into load
Considering the former, we can imply before they reach the construction site, factors and material factors, exerting
that a well-rounded engineer grasps and at the end of life. a linear influence on the economy of
the mechanical properties of common On the application of materials, we our designs and thus their embodied
construction materials, supported by should again imply that the engineer carbon. From MEICON research papers
established academic and professional can deploy the appropriate method of through to the ‘Verulam’ pages of The
culture. However, the limits of this design for a given material. However, Structural Engineer, safety factors are
understanding could be characterised as on this point, we should cast a critical subject to robust scrutiny; however, if
‘gate-to-gate’, unlike the more extensive eye over the dominant approaches we are to make meaningful progress
pathways we must consider when in the present day, contrasting these on the topic, we must move beyond
assessing embodied carbon. To make with the approaches we can pull from the abstract and collectively better
informed decisions about the materials history. Using Engel’s classification2, our understanding of the underlying
modern structures can be characterised statistical basis.
as typically ‘bending-active’; historic As Coates highlights6, Annexes
structures – particularly those B and C of BS EN 1990 provide an
constructed prior to the advent of explicit basis for applying probabilistic
reinforced concrete – tend to rely on methods (Figure 4) and bettering
‘form-active’ or ‘vector-active’ systems. default safety factors. Uptake in these
Our design codes bolster a tendency methods is poor and, while there are
towards inefficient ‘bending-active’ practical and commercial barriers to the
structures, creating an impression data collection process, a key issue is
that some historical analysis methods undoubtedly a lack of familiarity for many
are divorced from modern practice. engineers.
Block Research Group’s funicular floor However, statistical methods have
system (Figure 3)3 demonstrates the never been more accessible: coding
value of mining historical approaches: languages like Python and R have
transforming graphic statics methods democratised data analytics with
into the modern, computationally pre-packaged solvers and thriving
enabled design space. online communities of users. And if we
To respond to our changing can derive a positive impact from the
Kenneth Severn Award 2022 relationship with materials, action is Covid-19 pandemic, it is the increased
Winner: Andrew Blackie required across the profession. We consciousness of statistics in our
Commended: James D’Ambrosio must: everyday lives.
Commended: Ying Xuan Chian | make an understanding of supply We should be instilling engineers with
chains and industrial process a a basic probabilistic understanding: this

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 Kenneth Severn Award 2022 Feature

FIGURE 4: of flux, we have created conditions for Conclusion

Bayes’ theorem, inevitable waste by building structures While technological and material
overcoming
uncertainty with with a somewhat arrogant sense of innovation will play a significant role
evidence their permanence. The obvious pre- in confronting the societal challenges
industrial parallel to this mindset is of the 21st century, examining our
that of the Roman Empire; yet we can engineering history provides rich
observe the ease with which its marble opportunities for reappraisal, in the
cities were metabolised within the lime context of the climate emergency. At all
kilns of conquering barbarians and levels of the profession, broadening our
Renaissance master-builders. education to incorporate the esoteric
In 13th century Japan, and interdisciplinary fringes of this history
contemplating from his hut – notably, will create the necessary conditions to
FIGURE 5:
Sustainable
designed for deconstruction – the challenge the status quo.
design hierarchy poet Chōmei observed: ‘The current
of the flowing river does not cease,
REFERENCES
and yet the water is not the same
water as before. The foam that floats
on stagnant pools, now vanishing, 1) UN Environment Programme
now forming, never stays the same for (2019) Sand and sustainability:
long. So, too, it is with the people and Finding new solutions for
dwellings of the world’8. In responding environmental governance of
FIGURE 6: to the climate emergency, our designs global sand resources, Geneva:
Minimal should consider end-of-life as a UNEP; https://wedocs.unep.
reprocessing org/20.500.11822/28163
component
starting point: as we consume existing
pathways buildings, we must become more 2) Engel H. (2009) Tragsysteme (3rd
adept at harvesting their resources with ed.), Ostfildern, Germany: Hatje Cantz
minimal reprocessing, and we must 3) Ranaudo F., Van Mele T. and Block
leave space for the next generation P. (2021) ‘A low-carbon, funicular
of designers to better this existing concrete floor system: design and
economy (Figure 5). engineering of the HiLo floor’, In:
Considering more recent historic Snijder H.H., De Pauw B., van Alphen
precedents, we can look to Paxton’s S. and Mengeot P. (eds.) IABSE
Crystal Palace: while operating at the Congress Ghent 2021 – Structural
Engineering for Future Societal
allows us to immediately normalise the material state-of-the-art, the design
Needs: Congress Proceedings (IABSE
avenues available in existing codes, was able to incorporate relocation
Congress Reports; Vol. 21), Geneva:
while creating fertile ground for a wider of the building through an intelligent IABSE, pp. 2016–2024
reappraisal of the default modes of approach to prefabrication and
4) Rankine W. (1856) ‘Introductory
design. In parallel, we must retool the standardisation. Significantly, the
lecture on the harmony of theory and
wider industry to weave data collection design was made publicly available
practice in mechanics’, University of
and building monitoring into the built by the contractor Fox Henderson, Glasgow
environment, from pre-construction explicitly advertising its potential for
through to occupancy. Positive steps are recontextualisation9. 5) Addis W. (2007) Building: 3000
years of design, engineering and
being taken in this area, by investigating To reduce material consumption, we
construction, London: Phaidon Press
specialisms where monitoring is already must help our clients establish a new
pervasive7. paradigm that determines a building’s 6) Coates A. (2021) ‘Viewpoint:
HAVE Embracing probability: could big
In summary, we must: YOUR value as a function of its constituent
data spell the end of safety factors
| encourage greater familiarity with the SAY parts and the ease with which they
as we know them?’, The Structural
probabilistic methods set out in BS can be redeployed. Using a statistical Engineer, 99 (4), pp. 34–37
EN 1990, and the wider Bayesian and experimental basis, our designs
context they are derived from will move away from the latest section 7) Centre for Digitally Built Britain
(2017) Adaptive Design of Supported
| recognise the use of digital tools and catalogues and towards the mining
Excavations [Online] Available at:
scripting as a core competency of of existing asset inventories. Digitally
www.cdbb.cam.ac.uk/research/
modern engineering, to interrogate enabled approaches place optimised digital-built-environment/adaptive-
data [email protected] material reuse within our grasp – design-supported-excavations
| support implementation of structural academia, industry, and institutions (Accessed: January 2022)
monitoring, compiling a collective body share a responsibility to normalise this
8) Kenkō Y. and Chōmei K. (2013)
of evidence with which to reappraise mode of design by: Essays in idleness and Hōjōki.
default safety factors in codes. | platforming best-practice strategies Translated by McKinney M., London:
@IStructE for loose-fit structure and ease of Penguin Classics
#TheStructuralEngineer
Reframing value component reuse (Figure 6)
9) Downes C. and Cowper C. (1852)
In parallel with material innovation, | improving asset documentation,
The building erected in Hyde Park for
speculative capital markets matured providing structural data in a robust the Great Exhibition of the Works of
through the late-20th and 21st and neutral format Industry of All Nations, 1851. Reprint
centuries, demanding perpetual cycles | leveraging optimisation for mining (1972), London: Victoria and Albert
of development. At odds with this state #TheStructuralEngineer component databases. Museum

15
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 Professional guidance Certification of construction products

What are the implications?

Construction products:
On the face of it, there is very little
variance between the processes,
and the harmonised standards and

changes to certification
assessment documents are, as yet,
unchanged.
However, there is a risk that not

rules in the UK
all products currently used in the UK
will have a UKCA mark by 1 January
2023. The implementation of the new
process requires the UK approved
Richard Lankshear and Andy Jackson provide an update on the UK’s bodies to be registered and listed
on a database; they must carry out
new certification regime for construction products following Brexit.
the assessment of all products that
require the UKCA mark.
Introduction EU Construction Products Regulation Furthermore, manufacturers that
Following the UK’s exit from the as transposed into UK law (with supply to both Europe and the UK
EU, a number of changes have amendments). These are similar to now require both a CE mark and a
been made to replace EU legislation the previous arrangements, but the UKCA mark. This may influence a
that no longer applies in the UK. key difference is that UK bodies must decision on whether to supply to
This includes replacement of the carry out the assessment in line with both markets.
existing EU Construction Products UK standards. The differences are
Regulation and replacement of the summarised in Table 1. Find out more
CE mark with a new UKCA mark, or The UK government is currently
UKNI mark for Northern Ireland. The new UKNI mark running a series of webinars on the
Although the UKCA/UKNI In Northern Ireland, assessment of UK regulatory regime for construction
approach is similar to that of the ‘qualifying’ products for placement products, available at: www.gov.uk/
CE mark, some important changes on the local market will need to be guidance/webinars-for-using-the-
have been made to the terminology undertaken in accordance with EU ukca-marking-and-placing-goods-
and process. This note provides a regulations, although marking of on-the-market-in-great-britain-and-
summary of the key changes. products will depend on the body that northern-ireland#webinars-for-great-
The new marking came into effect undertakes the AVCP. britain-england-scotland-and-wales.
on 1 January 2021. However, to Where the AVCP is undertaken by
allow businesses time to adjust to UK bodies, the product can be placed This update has been prepared
the new requirements, use of CE on the market with a ‘UKNI & CE’ by Richard Lankshear CEng,
marking is permitted until 1 January mark. Where the AVCP is undertaken MIStructE and Andy Jackson
2023 in most cases. by a European notified body, this will CEng, MIStructE of NHBC on
lead to a ‘CE’ mark and the product behalf of the IStructE Business
Existing CE mark can be placed on the Northern Ireland Practice and Regulatory Control
The regulations require market. Committee.
manufacturers to provide a
declaration of performance for
products that are covered by a Table 1: Differences between EU and UK assessment processes
harmonised standard following
an assessment and verification EU term UK (GB) term Notes
of consistency of performance A declaration of performance is needed for products on the
(AVCP). Depending on the AVCP Declaration of performance
GB market
system, certain tasks are required
to be undertaken by a notified body Harmonised Designated Designated standards are listed by the UK government. At
– this is specified by the relevant Standard Standard present, EU harmonised standards have been adopted
harmonised standard. Assessment and verification of A system defining how to assess products and control the
Most structural products are consistency of performance constancy of the assessment results
covered by a harmonised standard,
but those that are not can still An approved body is one that can undertake AVCP on
Notified body Approved body
be placed on the market with a products for the UK market
CE mark following a European
European Technical UK Technical The UK Technical Assessment uses a UK Assessment
Technical Assessment by a Technical
Assessment Assessment Document developed by UK TABs
Assessment Body in accordance
with a European Assessment Only UK TABs can undertake assessments or develop
Technical Assessment Bodies (TABs)
Document. assessment documents for the UK
Assessment Documents are used where no standard
New UKCA mark European
UK Assessment exists for determination of AVCP. Allowance is made for
In England, Wales and Scotland, Assessment
Document UK TABs to use EU documents for assessment where
assessment of products is to be Document
permission is given
undertaken in accordance with the

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Certification Award_TSE July 2022_The Structural Engineer.indd 16 22/06/2022 17:22

 dotdashdot
Assured Steel Certification
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TSE.July22_017.indd 17 21/06/2022 16:19

 Professional guidance CROSS report

CROSS Safety Report

Rotting plywood
decking on grandstand
As the summer event season gets under way in the UK, we present a safety report highlighting the
need for robust inspections of temporary demountable structures.

Overview modules and terrace decking. Of the to develop a coordinated approach

This report is from a firm that stands inspected, the terrace decking to the management of these types
undertakes visual structural comprised coated plywood deck of structures. Robust pre-inspection
inspections of temporary demountable sections. regimes or, indeed, in situ tests need to
grandstands for a number of sporting During an inspection of a temporary be developed which are backed up with
venues in the UK. During an inspection grandstand in the summer of 2021, a comprehensive audit trails that clients
of a grandstand, a decking board failed decking board (Figure 1) failed when it and event organisers can rely on.
when it was walked on. was walked upon. On closer inspection,
the board had failed in shear as a result Expert Panel comments
Report of it being rotten. It is believed that this In procuring a demountable structure,
This report is from a firm that occurred because moisture had become the client will more than likely have
undertakes visual structural inspections trapped within the ends embedded in specified the use of the structure and
of temporary demountable grandstands the aluminium edges and over time the the duration of such uses. Demountable
for a number of sporting venues in plywood had degraded. structures are usually designed to be
the UK. Although temporary in nature, Other boards failed to a lesser easily erected and dismantled, and
these structures can remain standing degree during the inspection. The are capable of adaptation to different
for a number of months exposed to the reporter noted that a single person situations. This often means that they
elements. In some cases, it is known walking over the boards provides are relatively lightweight, made from
that venues utilise them as permanent significantly less load than they are slender components and need to be
structures. subjected to in service. The reporter erected and inspected before each use
While there are several providers was therefore concerned there is a risk by competent persons.
of these stands, the structural form that defects could go undetected during Demountable structures may be
is largely similar. In general, they are pre-occupation inspections, only to designed to be in place, or in use, for
found to comprise aluminium raking manifest themselves once the boards
beams spanning between a proprietary are fully loaded, potentially with serious
scaffold framing system. Spanning consequences. Indeed, the reporter’s Key learning outcomes
horizontally between the raking beams firm found defective boards at other
are further aluminium sections that act venues in 2020 and 2021 and was also For clients, event organisers, suppliers and
as the riser and support both the seat aware of further incidents where boards inspectors of temporary grandstands:
had failed in service. | Inspection regimes should take into account
The reporter notes that once the how long a structure has been standing, or has
FIGURE 1: Illustration of damaged ply boarding boards have been installed, it is very been in storage, since it was last dismantled and
difficult from a visual inspection to check checked
the condition of the plywood embedded | Consider the potential for degradation of
within the trim. Adequacy of the deck all elements and check for hidden defects,
boards was therefore almost totally particularly in timber decking
reliant on pre-inspection procedures | Temporary demountable structures: Guidance on
of the installers, which on the stand procurement, design and use provides significant
concerned had apparently failed, leaving guidance
the stand not safe for use. | Stand suppliers should be aware of the potential
The reporter concludes that it for hidden degradation at the edges of plywood
would be beneficial if the various stand decking
suppliers/installers could work together

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 CROSS report Professional guidance

Temporary demountable structures -

Winter 2020/21 considerations.
The use of a structure on a
IT IS A REQUIREMENT THAT more permanent basis is a different
COMPETENT PERSONS ARE proposition and requires an appropriate
assessment to appropriate standards
EMPLOYED TO DESIGN, ERECT, by competent persons.
INSPECT AND DISMANTLE ANY It will normally be the case that
SUCH STRUCTURE public liability insurance at the venue
will at least be contingent upon
adequate schemes of design, erection,
a short time (generally no more than and inspection processes are adequate, maintenance and inspection.
28 days) and erected and dismantled taking account of pertinent factors
regularly. When the structures are such as local weather, exposure, time The full report, including links to
dismantled and next erected, an since last dismantle and full inspection, guidance mentioned, is available
inspection of all elements is possible. manufacturer’s recommendations, on the CROSS website (report ID:
Demountable structures are by usage and potential for material 1092) at www.cross-safety.org/uk/
their very nature intended to be degradation including hidden defects. safety-information/cross-safety-
demountable and are designed as The potential for degradation of report/rotting-plywood-decking-
such, potentially for differing loadings materials that have been stored damp, grandstand-1092.
to permanent structures. Leaving wet or externally should be taken into
a temporary structure permanently account.
erected may mean it is used in a Stand suppliers should be aware of
manner not envisaged by the designer/ the susceptibility of plywood edges to What is CROSS?
manufacturer. Proprietary temporary hidden degradation. Where short-life Collaborative Reporting for Safer Structures (CROSS)
systems should be used in accordance elements including timber deck boards helps professionals to make structures safer by
with the manufacturer’s instructions. are concerned, it may be that an publishing safety information based on the reports it
‘element life’ marking system could be receives and information in the public domain.
Inspection and testing implemented if not already put in place CROSS operates internationally in the UK, US,
methodologies by the grandstand manufacturer. While and Australasia. All regions cover structural safety,
In any structural system where it was the decking board that failed in while CROSS-UK also covers fire safety.
degradation is a risk, as it clearly is this instance, clearly, inspections should
with exposed timber, the features at assess all elements of the structure.
risk should ideally be ‘inspectable’ and The Institution of Structural Engineers
not hidden. It is, after all, not possible has published a guidance note,
to assure safety if degradation can Procurement and use of demountable
progress to become dangerous without structures, that provides a brief
becoming obvious. overview of these structures and
It appears the immediate cause of also directs people to where further
the floorboard failure, in this case, was detailed information and advice can be
the rot eroding the board’s resistance sought. The guidance note reminds
to shear at the supporting edges. Metal people of their legal responsibilities
trims on plywood boards can promote when procuring and using temporary
water ingress and the retention of demountable structures for events. It is
water which enables fungal attacks a requirement that competent persons
of the plywood. Such degradation are employed to design, erect, inspect
of the plywood may not be readily and dismantle any such structure.
discoverable. Fuller and more detailed technical
In inspecting a stand, the engineer guidance is available through the
should assess areas of potential Institution’s publication Temporary
weakness; design documentation demountable structures: Guidance on How reporting to CROSS works
may be helpful to identify areas of procurement, design and use, which The secure and confidential safety reporting system
potential concern. A visual inspection also addresses testing and inspection allows professionals to share their experiences to
may be insufficient since, as in this of temporary structures. It should, help others.
instance, the area of weakness was however, be noted that this guidance Professionals can submit reports on safety issues
not obvious. Deflections can be used is primarily aimed at demountable related to buildings and other structures in the built
to predict a potential failure due to structures which are designed as environment. Reports typically relate to concerns,
bending; however, shear failures would temporary structures for short-duration near misses or incidents. Find
be sudden with minimal deflection. use. out more, including how to
Simply walking over boards to assess General advice is also given in submit a safety report, at https://
deflections may therefore be insufficient. the HSE publication Temporary bit.ly/cross-safety. Your report
However the inspection and testing demountable structures (TDS) - will make a difference.
are undertaken, they must be sufficient stages, seating, marquees etc and,
to find the areas of concern highlighted more recently, the Advisory Group on
by the reporter and other potential Temporary Structures (AGOTS) has put
faults. Those inspecting grandstands together brief guidance for landlords,
could consider whether their testing local authorities and event organisers:

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 Advertising feature fischer

Sponsored by

Getting anchor
installation
right to BS 8539
Sometimes the smallest of changes can have much which would be beneficial for an application such
larger unintended consequences, and this is true as a facade frame where tens of thousands of
for post-installed anchors and the anchor points anchors may need to be installed.
they are used for. To illustrate this, let’s consider For this example, the specifying engineer
a concrete slab face to which anchor points for a was not notified by site of the need for 20mm
facade frame have been installed. The contractor of packing, so the installation team has installed
responsible has requested the anchor manufacturer the originally specified anchor. This means the
carries out proof installation testing to check the anchors may have been installed at a depth
anchors have all been installed correctly. However, 20mm shallower than the design, which would
it is noted that 20mm of metal shims have been significantly reduce the total loadbearing capacity
installed between the fixture and the slab on one of the anchors. If the utilisation of that design
of the concrete faces. As this is a deviation from anchor capacity was already high, then it is likely
the original anchor point design provided to the that with the reduced depth would mean the
anchor tester, which didn’t include any packing, it is anchors would be overloaded and not safe for use
flagged as a potential issue. over their working life.
Upon investigation it turns out the slab face was Another issue with a reduced embedment depth
outside of the allowable tolerance of 10mm, by is that the depth these anchors are now installed
an additional 10mm. This information, however, at may be less than what approvals may allow. As lever arm can cause over-utilisation of the steel
was not communicated back to the engineer per the recommendation of British Standard 8539: capacity of an anchor over its working life.
responsible for the anchor point design, which Code of practice for selection and installation of In all the seemingly innocuous addition of 20mm
was issued prior to the slab being in place on site. post-installed anchor, if the application is deemed of packing has not only reduced the loadbearing
Unfortunately the specifying engineer also didn’t safety critical then anchors with a relevant European capacity of the anchor in the concrete, but also
take into consideration tolerances of the slab for the Technical Assessment (ETA) approval should be greatly increased the requirement on the steel
anchor point design, something that is commonly used. All ETA approved anchors have a minimum capacity of the anchor. Also, by taking the decision
overlooked, as the assumption was that packers allowable embedment depth. So, if an anchor is to deviate from the original design, the installation
could be used without further consideration. Also, installed at a depth less than these minimum values team has unknowingly taken over engineering
the main contractor did not then the approval and the responsibility for the anchor points where the
provide tolerance information characteristic data provided by packing has been used.
when passing over information it for design is no longer valid. This hypothetical example of the additional
on the concrete slab to The reduced embedment packing we’ve discussed in this article has been
the engineer specifying the depth is not the only issue, drawn from many projects where Fischer site
anchors. however. As the anchor points support have witnessed the issue over the years.
So, would 20mm of are installed on the face of the Examples include use of packing when none were
packing really make that big slab then a shear load would considered in the design, shallow embedment
a difference? In the world of be acting upon them. Adding of anchors due to rebar strikes, installers lacking
anchor design then yes, quite a 20mm non-loadbearing layer the correct installation equipment and many more
a lot actually. A good anchor between the fixture and the issues are for more common than most would
point design would see the substrate would mean there’d think. This indicates that rather than being a
safe working capacity of the now be a lever arm effect on collection of isolated issues there is a more endemic
anchors utilised as much as the anchors which would need issue when it comes to anchors in the industry.
possible in order to minimise to be considered. This is often That issue is communication, communication
the required embedment depth a much bigger problem for between involved parties, between contractors
of the anchor. This would be an anchor point as even an and installers, between those on site and those in
to minimise installation time, introduction of a relatively small the design office. The lack of communication isn’t

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 fischer Advertising feature

8539. While there are a number of stakeholders anchor points to ensure any changes to loading
identified within the standard, we work closest due to the new locations of the anchor points are
with designers, contractors, and installers. accounted for.
Working with our clients we can use our in-depth As you can see neither option when it comes
technical and on-site knowledge to help identify to remedial work is ideal and both can potentially
solutions for potential problems at any stage of delay a project significantly. This highlights the
the process from design to installation. While BS importance of ensuring that all possible issues with
8539 provides non-discipline specific general an installation are considered within the design
advice, our years of experience of working with a and instruction is prepared for the event of them.
wide variety of disciplines within the construction For our packing example, in accordance with the
industry allows us to provide tailored advice for Eurocode 2 Part 4 design method, you are allowed
many within it. a packing thickness of up to half the diameter of
To revisit the packing issue one final time, we’ve the anchor specified before a lever arm must be
identified the issues adding 20mm packing has considered, in addition to other requirements that
caused, so how now to rectify them? First step must be satisfied for this to be held true. So, if you
would be to update the original anchor point know that the tolerance of the concrete is greater
design for the changes made on site, the easiest than this value, then specifiers should include
way to do this would be to utilise Fischer’s C-Fix packing in the anchor point design.
anchor point design suite. However, it is likely for Another important thing that it highlights is how
the reasons discussed that the updated design crucial getting the anchor installation right the first
with the original specified anchor will now be time around is. Often installers are not provided
over-utilised and not safe for use. This means that with all required information for the installation,
remedial actions will have to be looked at, and then and instruction of what to do if they encounter
the most suitable undertaken. a problem. Too often they are left to make
Ideally, we’d want to keep the anchor point in decisions about the installation which are not their
place and carry out in-situ actions, as opposed to responsibility. Instead, they must be made aware
the framing already installed being taken down so by the contractor responsible that if they come
something that is done intentionally, more a product the anchor points could be replaced or moved. across an issue which means they cannot install
of an unfortunate fact that anchors simply aren’t This presents its own challenges, mostly due to the the anchor point as per the provided design and
given the full consideration they need. fact for the majority of anchor types once they’re instruction, then they are to flag it to the relevant
In the grand scheme of a project, anchors are installed, they have to be diamond core drilled out. parties for assistance.
a relatively small part of a much larger puzzle. There are exceptions such as such as the FBS II These are topics covered extensively within
As a result, they are overlooked at times as the concrete screws which can be removed with an BS 8539 and something Fischer can support our
challenges of the applications they’re used with impact driver, but these exceptions are very much clients with. Whether that’s with support with the
are usually far greater than the anchors keeping a minority. First issue is whether there is sufficient initial anchor point design, or the planning of the
the applications in place. However, the amount of space on the baseplate to do this and then installation and providing free installation training
effort that goes into resolving some of the trickiest secondly, having to ensure the anchor that replaces on site to the installer teams. We are also providing
applications will all be for noting if anchor the it has an ETA approval for diamond core holes. further online support via the Fischer Professional
anchors holding in place aren’t given their due These anchors are in far fewer numbers than those App and our training portal which is available to our
consideration. which have approval for standard drilling, reducing clients. If remedial actions are required, then Fischer
The easiest way to work out how you can ensure the choice available. Also, the majority of core is also on hand to support with both analysis of
that this can be done is to first understand the drilled hole anchor installations require the drill hole the issue and recommendations for what actions
recommendations within British Standard 8539. to be washed out with water before being blown can be taken. Again, this is all part of ourselves
The focus of the standard is to provide guidance out, increasing installation time. at Fischer adhering to BS 8539 and fulfilling our
on how to ensure that anchors can be selected, If an in-situ fix isn’t possible then unfortunately responsibilities set out within it.
designed, and installed correctly. The key message the anchor point must be replaced, which usually Hopefully this article has highlighted the
of it is that all stakeholders must be aware of their means it has to be moved as well. This in turn importance of both giving anchors and anchor
roles and responsibilities in the selection, design, usually requires the removal of the application points the due consideration they require, the
and installation of anchors, as well as being aware that is reliant on the affected anchor points, to importance of getting the installation right first time
of the responsibilities of the other stakeholders. allow the remedial actions to be carried out. So, and understanding your roles and responsibilities
As an anchor manufacturer, we at Fischer in our example this would be any element of the under BS 8539. Fischer will always be on hand to
have a responsibility to all stakeholders to provide facade frame reliant on the anchor points on the provide support and guidance to help anyone who
them with the necessary support to help them level affected by the packing. This will also likely would like to learn more about BS 8539 and the
adhere to the recommendations set out within BS mean a redesign of both the application and the best practices it recommends.

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 Industry CPD Supplied and sponsored by Farrat

Supplied and
sponsored by Industry CPD
Structural thermal
breaks: design
considerations and
certification
This CPD module, sponsored Continuing professional development (CPD) ensures you
by Farrat, examines the realities remain competent in your profession. Chartered, Associate and
of designing for the competing Technician members of the Institution must complete a specified
requirements of structural, amount each year. All CPD undertaken must be reported to the
thermal and fire performance Institution annually. Reading and reflecting on this article by
through the lens of structural correctly answering the questions at the end is advocated to be:
thermal breaks.
1 hour of verifiable CPD

Introduction the use of structural thermal breaks. Structural Alongside energy loss, thermal bridges in a
In construction, thermal breaks prevent or reduce thermal breaks are a solution to avoid thermal building fabric can result in condensation and
the flow of thermal energy between elements of bridges in building details that pass between mould growth. This is where the temperature
a building. Structural thermal breaks help prevent spaces of differential temperature, specifically of a room’s internal surfaces is sufficiently low
thermal bridges in structurally loaded building where the thermal break material needs to for moisture laden air to reach a dew point
details that pass between spaces of differential perform both in transmitting structural loads as temperature and condensate and, in some cases,
temperature. The two primary reasons for avoiding well as preventing thermal movement across the for the propagation of mould spores to occur.
thermal bridges are to reduce energy loss and connection.
mitigate risk of condensation. The choice of The impact of poor detailing resulting in Applications
thermal break material can significantly affect a thermal bridges occurring in building envelopes Structural thermal breaks can be incorporated
building’s overall performance. is well documented. The resultant energy loss into any detail where there is a calculated or
This CPD will examine the realities of designing can impact severely on the overall performance perceived risk of a thermal bridge occurring.
for the competing requirements of structural, of a building in respect of the amount of energy This is typically in details that occur in building
thermal and fire performance and meeting the required to heat or cool a space and the cost of envelopes (Figures 1 and 2) or where significant
ever-increasing demand for construction product that energy both monetarily and environmentally. temperature difference is likely to occur between
safety and certification through the lens of Building regulations typically guide the designer compartments, such as highly controlled
structural thermal breaks. in understanding the minimum requirements atmospheric environments (plant or server rooms)
in thermal performance of building elements or warm high humidity environments, such a
Why use thermal breaks? to achieve satisfactory thermal performance in brewery or swimming pool.
Modern building design and regulation recognise respect of energy loss or gain. In England and Examples are:
the importance of energy conservation and Wales, approved Document L gives detailed | facade system connections to the primary
occupier comfort in all aspects of construction guidelines for calculating Target Emissions Rates frame
detailing. Developments in material science and and Target Fabric Energy Efficiency and minimum | brise solei and canopies
advanced manufacturing techniques have led to values to satisfy these requirements. | roof plant room columns

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 Supplied and sponsored by Farrat Industry CPD

FIGURE 1: Farrat structural thermal break in typical Table 1: Critical temperature factors
concrete-to-steel connection

Type of building Critical temperature factor

Storage buildings 0.30

Offices, retail premises 0.50

Dwellings, residential buildings, schools 0.75

Sports halls, kitchens, canteens 0.80

Swimming pools, laundries, breweries 0.90

FIGURE 2: Paddington Square development, incorporating
Farrat TBF structural thermal breaks to isolate feature lift
shafts and canopies in fire-protected facade zones
should always be taken to a) ensure that the Thermal performance – typical
chosen structural thermal break can resist these details
loads and b) to avoid compromising the short- In the absence of a full thermal model of the actual
and long-term performance of a connection with detail being used, typical details can be modelled
undue flexibility or excessive creep (Figure 3). and used as indicators of likely performance and
Structural thermal breaks typically limit the
extent of their load transmittance for design
purposes to the transferal of compression loads. FIGURE 3: Farrat structural thermal break plate,
The main connection elements typically deal independently tested for long-term creep in moment
connection
with shear loads. Notice should be taken of the
effective connection lengths in relation to the
thickness of structural thermal break specified.
A thickness of 25mm would typically be the
optimum without having to consider increasing
the size of the bolt.

Structural design summary (steel

connections)
| balustrading Connections that include thermal break plates
| external balconies should be designed in accordance with the
| external staircases relevant design standards (e.g. BS EN 1993-1-8)
| man-safe systems or industry guidance (e.g. SCI publications).
| substructure and basement structure elements Additionally, the engineer should check that:
| external-to-internal primary building element | the thermal break plate can resist the applied
connections. compression forces
| any additional rotation due to the
Design – structural performance compression of the thermal break plate
As with all construction components, correct (including allowance for long-term creep) is
handling and installation are a critical part of the acceptable
performance. Attention should be paid to any | the shear resistance of the bolts is acceptable
specific manufacturer’s requirements for handling; given that there may be a reduction in
this should also include connection-specific resistance due to:
labelling, material conformity certification and packs – cl. 6.3.2.2 of BS 5950-1 or
batch traceability to ensure avoidance of site and cl. 3.6.1(12) of BS EN 1993-1-8
design validation issues. large grip lengths – cl. 6.3.2.3 of BS 5950-1 FIGURE 4: Typical project-specific thermal detail analysis
Particular attention should be paid to or BS EN 1993-1-8. by Farrat

materials specified and that their performance is

independently verified specifically for structural use For connections involving concrete and
with all appropriate certifications. masonry, the material principles detailed above
As well as the simple evaluation of a should be considered in conjunction with the
compressive strength figure, account should also relevant Eurocodes. All connections involving
be taken of the material’s ability to disperse loads proprietary fixing systems (non-standard) may
from highly loaded points of a connection. This require consultation with the product supplier.
factor and a selected material’s ability to deal with This is the checklist for thermal breaks that
these loads should be addressed by the material require a HSFG bolt. This is predominantly a
manufacturer. requirement in the USA or UAE following US
All material-to-material connections have the design principles, but becoming more relevant in
potential to rotate under load. Note that care buildings with external skeleton structures.

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 Industry CPD Supplied and sponsored by Farrat

used to specify materials that will meet design FIGURE 5: TBF thermal break connected between sections assumption of complete loss of the thermal
requirements. break material in the accidental condition. For
The Building Research Establishment (BRE) accidental conditions, excessive deformations
has produced indicative details available online are acceptable provided that the stability of the
to assist in the specification of solid-state thermal structure is maintained.
breaks, which can be relied upon in the absence
of a full 3D model analysis. Rules for fire protection are formulated in
The scheme database includes both BRE relation to time and the safety afforded to persons
Certified Thermal Details and Products and exiting the building and firefighters attending the
Government Accredited Details and this provides blaze. A large part of this is the propensity of
a freely accessible and independently assessed materials used to either contribute to the fire load
and certified resource for users. The third- and ease of ignition or continue to burn, causing
party BRE global certification can distinguish the fire to spread.
products and services from their competitors and
give customers confidence about the thermal FIGURE 6: TBF sections before fire test Fire testing
performance of the products. The database has Investigation and analysis of events such as the
been developed to enable details to be linked Grenfell fire has revealed that failure of even the
directly into SAP 2016 and is also featured within smallest simple detail in a safety critical area of a
the BRE Home Quality Mark standard. facade can lead to catastrophic failure, resulting
A number of typical connection details have in uncontrolled failure of systems designed to
been analysed under the scheme to assist prevent loss of life in the event of fire. To limit the
designers when specific modelling of their details possibility of these types of failures, specification
is not undertaken. All details assessed (Ref of the correctly tested and certified materials is
600063 to 600068) had a temperature factor critical.
above 0.80, meaning mitigation against risk of Components such as structural thermal breaks
surface condensation (Table 1). can play a pivotal role in maintaining structural
After determining the thermal performance integrity in the event of a fire. Testing of these
of the construction detail, either through components in realistic details in combination
modelling or using exemplar details for the with other safety critical components is
smallest cross-sectional area of penetration/ essential to fully understand the implications of
connection, the thickest thermal break plate able However, while strengthened regulations are specification choice (Figures 5 and 6).
to be accommodated with the lowest thermal evolving to ensure that disasters such as the Full-scale fire testing and post-test analysis
conductivity must be selected to ensure optimum Grenfell fire cannot happen in the future, some allow the correct specification choices to be
performance. designers are already recognising the direction of made and give the designer the confidence to
travel and choosing to go beyond the regulations. create details without fear of unforeseen failure.
Recommendations Driven by several factors, particularly client and Clear, transparent publishing of test
Carry out a full analysis of the cold bridge – heat insurance insistence on future-proofing, they are results allows others to question and assess
loss/condensation risk in conjunction with codified pushing up the minimum standard when it comes performance in new and amended details,
methodology to determine the thermal break to fire performance. as well as direct unambiguous questioning of
requirements (Figure 4). Structural thermal breaks, like most building manufacturers and suppliers as to the probity of
The best thermal performance will be materials, can be produced with different grades results.
obtained by: of flammability and performance under fire Supplementary and complementary testing of
1) developing the smallest cross-sectional area loading. Where fire sits high up the order of risk, material designed to continue to perform in the
of penetration/end connections using the alongside structural and thermal performance, event of prolonged exposure to fire also serves
smallest cross-sectional area of bolts through designers should look to choose a certified fire- to reassure owners and occupants alike that
the connection resistant material. their safety has been forefront in the mind of the
2) using the thickest thermal break plate The decision on specification of structural building designers.
3) using materials with a low thermal conductivity thermal breaks, by nature of their dual role, can Ultimately, peer-reviewed and independently
value, k come from a number of sources. It is crucial tested construction products give building
4) locating the thermal break connection within that the essential criteria for performance are designers the confidence to propose fully safe
the insulated layer of the building facade/roof understood by all parties and that the final working details.
construction. product supplied is correct by specifically naming In the case of structural thermal breaks, there
manufacturers by name and product. are some simple checks that can be carried out
Design – fire performance Generally, thermal breaks are used in locations to ensure that the best product choices are made
In the majority of applications, there are no that do not require fire protection. Where the where fire performance is a key component of the
requirements to meet any fire regulations (outside connection requires a fire rating: design process.
the fire compartmentation). High-rise buildings (over | a board fire protection system can be applied | Ensure materials are independently certified to
18m/six storeys) now have stricter requirements | sprayed fire protection can be applied. The EN 13501-1 – A2,s1,d0 as a minimum.
for building envelopes following the Grenfell Tower compatibility of the applied fire protection | Choose a material with independent
fire. Structural thermal breaks are excluded from material should be checked with the thermal verification of performance at high
the new Document B requirements but are a key break material temperatures, up to 700°C to EN 604.
component in high-rise building facades. | the connection may be designed on the | Choose a material that is compatible and

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 Supplied and sponsored by Farrat Industry CPD

performs with any fire protection system likely

to be used (intumescent coatings or boards).
| Ensure materials have been subject to
To claim your CPD certificate, complete the module online
prolonged fire testing (120 minutes) with by 31 August 2022 at: www.istructe.org/industry-cpd
temperatures exceeding 1000°C.

Materials testing

Questions
The provision of manufacturing standards
allows specifiers to compare performance
of different materials as well as warranting
product performance via independent testing.
As with all construction products, physical
properties and levels of performance can be 1) What are the two primary reasons for avoiding thermal bridges?
verified by testing against relevant standards  Reducing energy loss
for specific product groups. As new products  Mitigating risk of condensation
are developed, standards are created to assess  Enhancing aesthetic quality
them. In the case of solid-state structural  Improving connection strength
thermal break plates, it is now possible to hold
a European Technical Assessment (ETA) based 2) What thickness of Farrat structural thermal break would typically be the
on European Assessment Document 041877- optimum without having to consider increasing the size of the bolt?
00-0301 certified by the European Organisation  20mm
for Technical Assessment (EOTA). Therefore,  25mm
it is crucial with these critical components
 30mm
that independent verification of figures and
 35mm
performance is sought via accreditations such
as ETAs or BBA certification.
3) Which two items should be considered when assessing bolt shear resistance
Materials testing takes many forms and is
often tailored towards a specific end use. Where when incorporating a structural thermal break?
there are multiple ways of testing similar  Thread direction
physical properties, it is important that the  Packs
right test is carried out to suit the situation  Large grip lengths
in which the material is used. To this end,  Bolt head type
material properties that can vary depending
on variable use factors – such as compressive 4) What is the minimum reaction to fire rating to EN 13501-1 that can be
strength and thermal transmittance in relation to considered where use of non-combustible materials is required?
temperature – need to be assessed correctly.  A2-s1,d1
Materials which appear to have similar values  A2-s3,d0
can ultimately perform very differently in real-life  A2-s1,d0
conditions.  A2-s2,d0

CCPI 5) Which two of the following are independent sources for product certification of
One way is to look to the new Code for structural thermal breaks?
Construction Product Information (CCPI).  BBA
The CCPI was created to promote an urgent
 BRE
and positive behaviour change in the way the
 SCI
construction product manufacturing industry
 EOTA
manages and provides information on their
products. The CCPI was initiated by the
Construction Products Association (CPA) as a 6) Which three of the following design frameworks can be used to exhibit
direct response to Dame Judith Hackitt’s review consideration for environmental performance of chosen construction products?
of building regulations and fire safety set up in  BREEAM
the wake of the Grenfell Tower tragedy.  CCPI
Continuing the direction of travel in the  LEED
development of design frameworks that guide  Passive House
positive use of proven materials and set the
standard for good building design, the rise
of environmental performance awards such Supplied and sponsored by
BREEAM, LEED and Passive House gives a
pathway for designers to use that means that
buildings can be measured against a common
standard and independently assessed to assure
best practice and performance.

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 Project focus The Londoner hotel

FIGURE 1:
The Londoner,
viewed from
Leicester Square

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 The Londoner hotel Project focus

Digging deep:
design and construction
of The Londoner hotel
SYNOPSIS
Located in the heart of London’s West End, The Londoner is a major new hotel on the
world-renowned Leicester Square. The development is situated on a constrained site,
bounded on all sides by roads. Planning restrictions limited the height of the building,
leading to the development having one of the deepest habitable-grade basements in the
world. The basement extends to over 30m deep, with six levels, meaning nearly half of the
building’s floor area is located below ground. This article provides an overview of the key
design and construction considerations associated with building such a deep basement
within the heart of London.

RACHEL COOPER Site

Project team MA, MEng, MSt (Cantab), CEng, MIStructE The 50m × 50m site consisted of 12 existing
buildings contained within one city block in the
Client: Edwardian Hotels Associate, Arup, Leeds, UK
southwest corner of Leicester Square. Each
London of the buildings was acquired by Edwardian
Architect: Woods Bagot JACK FIRTH Hotels London and was to be demolished to
make way for one destination hotel. There
MEng, CEng, MIStructE
Structural engineer: Arup were several shallow basements within these
Formerly Senior Engineer, Arup, Leeds, UK
existing buildings, including a two-screen
Services engineer, Fire Arup Odeon cinema, which had to be rehoused in
engineer, Acoustics, SIMON NEVILL the new development.
Facade engineer, The site is on the walking route between
BSc Dunelm, CEng, MICE
Lighting design, Leicester Square and Trafalgar Square, in
Accessibility and Associate Director, Arup, Sheffield, UK
the centre of the theatre and film district
vertical transportation: of London. Neighbours to the site include
Interior designers: Yabu Pushelberg Introduction the National Gallery and the Westminster
(front of house) Located in the heart of London’s West End, Reference Library. The plot was of high value,
Woods Bagot The Londoner is a major new development with enormous potential, but not without its
(back of house) on Leicester Square (Figure 1). Opened in constraints.
September 2021, the luxurious five-star hotel A UK Power Networks (UKPN) tunnel,
Construction manager: Blue Sky Building offers 350 bedrooms and suites. In addition located 14m below the ground, cut across the
to the bedrooms, Edwardian Hotels London northwest corner of the site, restricting the size
Planning and cost JLL
sought to include multiple restaurants and of the basement in this area.
consultant:
lounges, a rooftop bar, spa with swimming pool, As shown in Figure 3, the site is located
Facade artist: Ian Munroe and 624-seat ballroom within the development. in a densely developed area, with tight and
There was also a planning requirement to constricted streets on all sides, creating some
Contractors: McGee (basement
integrate a two-screen Odeon cinema within the logistical challenges with the build. The site was,
and structural
scheme to replace the art-deco cinema building however, constrained in other ways as well.
frame)
formerly located on the site. The development was subject to a height
EE Smith (fitout)
A large proportion of these amenities is limit as the site is situated within one of
Halsion (MEP)
housed within the basement of the hotel, which the Westminster viewing corridors. These
Facade contractors: GIG, Grants and stretches to over 30m deep across six levels corridors exist to protect the views of St Paul’s
Darwen Terracotta (Figure 2), meaning nearly half of the building’s Cathedral and Westminster Palace from a
floor area is located below ground. The Arup number of locations surrounding the city. This
Steel truss fabricator: Allerton Steel
team, led by Simon Nevill and Neil Hooton, restricted the height of the development to
provided a full multidisciplinary service. 36m or about nine floors above ground.

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 Project focus The Londoner hotel

I INTEND THIS
PROJECT TO BE MY
LEGACY. LONDON
HAS BEEN VERY
GOOD TO ME AND I
WISH TO BUILD AN
AMAZING HOTEL
THAT CONTRIBUTES
TO LEICESTER
SQUARE BY
BECOMING A NEW
DESTINATION AT THE
HEART OF THE WEST
FIGURE 2:
Cross-section of END AND LONDON’S
building, showing
extent of basement CINEMA EXPERIENCE
Jasminder Singh, Chairman, Edwardian Hotels London

Brief FIGURE 3: Aerial photo of site

Edwardian Hotels London is a family-owned
business and its Chairman aspired to build a
destination hotel as a legacy for both his family
and London. The proposed hotel was to be a
unique offering, creating an urban resort in the
centre of London.
Much of the revenue for the hotel will come
from Londoners visiting the various bars,
restaurants and other leisure facilities that the
building has to offer. This meant significant
space for food, beverage, events and
entertainment spaces was required (Figure 4),
in addition to the 350 bedrooms needed to
make a business case for the development.
With the height and plan area constrained,
and the space required within the development
to accommodate the various uses, it quickly
became apparent that a deep basement would
be necessary to make the project viable.

Summary of uses contained within basement

| Large ballroom combined with other conference
and meeting room facilities to accommodate FIGURE 4: Requirements for facilities and amenities
1000 people in conference mode.
| Two-screen Odeon cinema to seat 570, with
dedicated entrance.
| Restaurant with dedicated entrance.
| Spa, swimming pool and gym.
| Back-of-house facilities, including kitchens,
laundry, staff canteen and changing facilities.
| Plant areas.

Ground conditions
The ground conditions for any proposed
basement are important. The site comprised
5m of made ground and river terrace deposits
overlying 45m of London clay. The London clay
in turn is underlain by Lambeth group, Thanet
sands and chalk.
The site sloped from north to south with a 3m
change in level.

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 The Londoner hotel Project focus

FIGURE 5: Diagrammatic cross-section of building slab, a drainage layer was provided to stop
Box 1. Overview of basement high water pressures developing beneath the
design slab. A decision was made not to provide
a heave void, as this would have increased
| Pile wall to basement perimeter: secant ground movements around the excavation. The
to 8m depth to provide water cut-off in foundations were therefore designed to resist
river terrace deposits, with contiguous the large heave pressures.
piles for the remaining depth; male piles In principle, a raft alone could have provided
1180mm diameter. sufficient foundation capacity, but the uneven
| Nominal 425mm thick reinforced distribution of load meant that piles were
concrete liner wall, doweled to pile wall needed to control movements and deal with
to resist lateral earth and hydrostatic areas of uplift due to heave. A piled raft analysis
pressures. was carried out, modelling the relative stiffness
| Capping beam to top of pile wall, of the soil and piles and various loading
varying in depth from 1.6m to 3.1m to scenarios.
suit change in level across site. Heave pressures increase over time, so the
| 1500mm thick piled raft to bottom of maximum settlement and pile loads occur when
basement, with local pits for lifts and the building is first complete, in combination
drainage tanks. Raft and piles were with a full suite of imposed loads. However,
designed to resist heave pressures but when the maximum heave pressure is applied in
not hydrostatic pressure, as underside combination with minimum vertical loads, piles
was drained. can go into tension with upwards deflection
| Four levels of 350mm thick reinforced exhibited. These are at a maximum to the north
concrete prop slabs, plus one partial FIGURE 6: Cross-section through building showing of the site where columns are carrying a lower
prop slab, to transfer lateral earth different ground conditions axial load due to transfer structures at the upper
pressures across basement void. levels.
| Six S460 HISTAR transfer trusses,
spanning up to 21m and weighing over Prop slabs
60t each. As well as supporting vertical loads, the basement
| Four levels of temporary steel props, floor slabs resist significant lateral earth pressures.
specially fabricated for the project. A coarse 3D finite element (FE) model of the
basement with each of the prop slabs was created
in Oasys GSA1 to understand how the lateral
Groundwater observations indicated water to loads were transferred between levels through
have been encountered at between 4m and 6m the basement perimeter walls and stability
depth. This suggested a potential for a shallow cores. The model was staged to capture the
aquifer to be present within the river terrace behaviour of the basement as each floor was
gravel perched on top of the London clay. The installed and the subsequent temporary props
Lambeth group and Thanet sands beneath were removed, as well as the transition from
the London clay also contain water-bearing short-term undrained soil pressures to the long-
sand layers which had the potential to cause term drained condition.
construction difficulties.
stiff London clay. However, it was established
Structural design that the foundation piles should remain in the
A cross-section of the building is shown in London clay and not enter the Lambeth group. Box 2. Overview of
Figure 5, with overviews of the basement Piling into the Lambeth group would have superstructure design
design and superstructure presented in required a bentonite slurry to support the pile
Boxes 1 and 2. bores due to the water-bearing sands. This | 260mm thick reinforced concrete floor
would have required a significant amount of slabs.
Basement maximisation plant, for which there was no space on the | Blade columns on a typical 6.5m × 6.5m
With so many uses to squeeze into this constrained site. grid.
constrained site, one of the first engineering As such, the basement depth was typically | Two primary reinforced concrete cores
activities undertaken was to understand the limited to 31.2m, with local increases to 34.5m and three secondary reinforced concrete
maximum feasible extents of the basement, below lift pits and drainage tanks. Typically raft cores, formed from 300mm thick
both on plan and in depth. piles were 18m long and perimeter piles 36m, twinwall from level 2 upwards; traditional
Early in the project, it was identified that there keeping them within the clay. construction below.
was potential to extend the basement footprint | Three local reinforced concrete transfer
to halfway across and below the surrounding Foundations slabs ranging from 1100mm thick to
streets on three sides of the site, such that the The lowest level of the building comprises a 1250mm thick.
building was larger below ground than above. reinforced concrete piled-raft foundation slab. | Nine transfer beams and 24 twinwall
To achieve this, a significant number of service The 1500mm thick slab is designed to support: transfer walls hidden within the
diversions were required, which took over 18 | uplift pressures (heave) due to the excavation partitions between bedrooms, to
months to plan and complete. equating to approx. 200kN/m2 unfactored accommodate changing column
In addition to maximising space on plan, | large column loads, transferring load where positions as the facade steps.
the maximum feasible depth was explored. more than one pile is required for support | 13m × 13m central atrium with three
The ground conditions (Figure 6) played a | stability loads beneath the cores platform levels of cruciform steel
significant part in limiting the basement depth. | lateral propping forces. structure and retractable fabric roof
The site was generally good for excavation, with over.
only 5m of sands and gravels overlaying the In order to prevent further thickening of the

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 Project focus The Londoner hotel

FIGURE 7: Prop slab load path river terrace deposits, with contiguous piles
for the remaining depth. The male piles were
1180mm diameter and spanned between the
prop slabs resisting the earth pressures. In front
of this sits a nominal 425mm thick reinforced
concrete liner wall designed to resist hydrostatic
pressures.
Tolerance on the piles was a key issue, as
any lack of verticality had the potential to eat
into the 425mm liner wall and reduce the size
of the basement. For a basement of this depth,
this was fundamental, e.g. a 1:100 verticality
tolerance could result in an approx. 600mm
reduction in basement size. To control tolerance,
a guide wall was used and the piles were cased
for the first 15m. An allowable tolerance of
1:200 was specified for the cased section and
1:75 for the uncased. The specified tolerances
were generally met across the site.
A reinforced concrete capping beam is
provided around the head of the piled wall
along the perimeter of the site. The capping
beam is stepped in three locations to suit the
FIGURE 8: Non-prop slab connection details changing ground levels and the geometry of the
connection to ground-floor slabs and transfer
trusses.

Transfer structures
On the bedroom floors, columns were provided
at regular centres hidden within partition walls,
allowing shallow reinforced concrete floor slabs
to be used. However, below the bedroom levels,
several column-free spaces were required to
allow for open-plan function and reception
spaces. The arrangement led to various transfer
structures throughout the building, the majority
of which are located at ground and first floor.
Incredibly, the building contains only two
columns that extend continuously between the
lowest basement level and roof.
The most noteworthy transfer structures are
located at ground level over the ballroom and
cinema, supporting the entire northern half
of the building superstructure. As the largest
column-free spaces in the hotel, these two
zones were stacked one above the other to
minimise the need for further transfer structures
within the basement.
From this, more refined individual FE models wall was required. The prop slabs are formed The ballroom floor, over the cinema, utilised
of each prop slab were assessed. These models integral to the liner wall with reinforcement tying a series of concrete band beams to achieve
included both the vertical and lateral loads with them together and connecting back to the piled the spans required. Above the ballroom, large
envelope cases of the different load combinations wall behind. This allows the safe transfer of the transfer structures were needed to support
considered to find the most onerous design lateral earth pressures across the basement to the superstructure columns. A series of steel
case. The RCSlab design layer in GSA was used the basement walls (Figure 7). trusses was chosen to provide this transfer,
to generate the reinforcement required. For non-prop slabs, the edge detail was allowing for integration of the significant number
Only four of the six basement slabs were used required to avoid attracting lateral forces while of ventilation ducts and services to the ballroom.
as full prop slabs. To the north of the building are maintaining a vertical support to the slab. This With spans of 21m and structural depth limited
the ballroom and Odeon cinema, both double- was achieved by casting a corbel into the liner to 2.85m, the trusses were fabricated from large
height spaces stacked on top of each either. This wall; the non-prop slab was then cast onto HISTAR 460 steel sections. This design allowed
meant that the slabs at the first (B1) and third (B3) the corbel with elastomeric strip bearings. A the headroom in the ballroom to be maximised,
basement levels only cover half the basement. movement joint between the slab edge and the which was a key requirement for the client.
For B1 it was decided that this slab would not liner wall was formed to allow the basement Due to the earth pressures, the head of
be used as a prop slab. B3, on the other hand, wall to deflect under the earth pressures without the basement wall also needed propping at
is designed as a partial prop slab to the south, making contact and to avoid loading the non- this location. This couldn’t be achieved by the
with the remaining slab in the northeast corner prop slab (Figure 8). ground-floor slab due to a mismatch in levels
designed not to prop the basement. caused by the sloping site. The initial proposal
This variation in slabs that are propping and Basement walls was to use the trusses to prop the head of the
non-propping meant that careful consideration The basement walls consisted of secant piled wall. However, fixing the ends of the trusses
of the connection details to the basement wall to 8m depth to provide water cut-off in the in position would have generated large axial

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 The Londoner hotel Project focus

forces in them under vertical loads, even when load. The two cases are considered separately Six trusses were utilised in total, each
considering a balanced arrangement such that as per the Building Regulations. The upward weighing over 60t.
the support node was at the neutral axis. This vertical load case was demonstrated to not
issue was resolved by releasing the trusses exceed the vertical load from the building above Construction methodology
laterally at one end on directional bearings and therefore does not govern the design. Top-down versus bottom-up
(Figure 9), with propping provided by additional For the horizontal case, it was shown that the When constructing a deep basement, there are
steels that can be seen adjacent to the truss in truss members had sufficient capacity, but this two primary construction methods: top-down
Figure 10. scenario also applied a horizontal load into and bottom-up. The construction method and
The building was classed as Consequence the truss support bearings, which had to be sequence are fundamental to the design of the
Class 2b as per Building Regulations Approved designed to resist this force. basement and must be considered upfront.
Document A. However, the trusses are In addition to the horizontal forces from Top-down construction involves installing
considered to be key elements and are capable a blast load case, the bearings had to be piles and plunge columns from ground level to
of sustaining an accidental design loading designed to accommodate the maximum range basement-formation level, before casting the
of 34kN/m2 applied to the member and any of movement, along the axis of the trusses, that ground-floor slab. The ground-floor slab is then
attached components. This design load is could be experienced in a fire scenario due to undermined, excavating to the next basement
assumed to act simultaneously with the other thermal expansion. This movement is on top slab level, and the first basement level is cast.
design loads on the building, but using an of the horizontal deflection experienced due to The process of excavation and construction of
accidental design combination of actions. movement of the retaining wall. As such, the floors slabs is repeated until formation level is
In the case of a blast above the ballroom, this bearings allow for 280mm of positive movement reached.
applies a downward pressure in addition to the and up to 60mm of negative contraction. One of the major advantages of top-down
vertical load of the building above the trusses. The bearings, weighing nearly 3t each, and construction is that work on the superstructure
This was shown to not exceed the ULS design the supporting capping beam and reinforced can occur simultaneously to construction of
case for the trusses and did not govern the concrete corbels at either end were designed the basement, providing scope for programme
design. to carry the loads of the trusses at the most savings. This method also negates the need for
A blast within the ballroom could generate onerous position. The bearings were also a temporary propping system, as permanent
both a horizontal and vertical upward blast designed for maintenance and replacement. prop slabs are installed as the dig progresses,
also helping to minimise ground movements.
However, these benefits usually come at
FIGURE 9: Articulation of steel truss an increased cost of construction. Another
drawback of this method is that the vertical
tolerance of plunge columns can lead to
large column areas on the lower floors of the
basement.
Bottom-up construction, on the other hand,
involves a phased sequence of excavation
and installation of temporary props as the dig
progresses to the full basement depth. This
allows access to construct the foundations
before installing permanent prop slabs, working
from the bottom up. It also allows the dig to
progress faster than in the top-down method;
however, work on the superstructure cannot
start until after the basement dig is complete.
The positioning of the temporary props also
FIGURE 10:
Installation of needs to be carefully coordinated to ensure the
steel truss basement can be constructed around them.
The choice between bottom-up and
top-down basement construction was not a
straightforward decision on this project. Initially,
the contractors, who the design team engaged
with, preferred a top-down approach. However,
later assessment found this option to be less
favourable for two main reasons:
1) Multiple transfer structures within the building
mean that load is concentrated in a handful
of the columns in the basement. For a top-
down approach, the team explored using
2.4m diameter piles under these heavily
loaded columns. However, these piles were
unable to support the large loads, meaning
additional temporary plunge columns would
have been needed to support the transfer
structures at intermediate points before the
raft slab was cast. Furthermore, the piles
would have penetrated the Lambeth group
and Thanet sands, requiring bentonite plant
to stabilise them during construction.
2) Before the raft slab was cast and plunge
columns encased in concrete, only temporary

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 Project focus The Londoner hotel

FIGURE 11: Aerial view of basement excavation spoil every day. The removal of earth was an
amazingly efficient operation, with an 18t lorry
leaving site every four minutes.
Technology played a huge part in enabling
McGee to carry out this exercise so efficiently:
| A bespoke vehicle inspection app was
developed to ensure the fleet of lorries was
fully operational.
| The Locatu manager2 was used to optimise
the routing of vehicles, in combination with
cameras located around the site to flag any
potential vehicles blocking the route, allowing
issues to be resolved quickly and minimise
congestion around the site.
| Weight loading indicators on the vehicles
highlighted when the maximum 18t limit was
reached.
| A bespoke mobile dashboard was developed
to allow everyone in the site team to see
information regarding progress.

In total, over 8000 lorryloads of earth were

removed from site during the excavation. A
long-reach hydraulic excavator was developed
specifically for the project. Whereas projects
traditionally have a topping-out ceremony when
the tallest point of the structure is reached, we
celebrated with a bottoming-out ceremony, with
news crews present and a time capsule buried
35m below the ground.
loading could have been supported on the concrete encasement required in the permanent
plunge columns. This would have limited case, meant the columns would have needed to Piling
the finishes and fit-out that could have been be larger than with a bottom-up arrangement, Once the formation level of the basement
achieved on the superstructure floors before even if high-strength steel was used, taking up was reached, the process of constructing the
this milestone. valuable space within the basement. building could begin with piling for the raft slab.
These considerations led to the decision to This presented its own challenges.
These two constraints limited the programme adopt a bottom-up construction approach. A piling rig was lowered into the excavation.
advantages that can typically be achieved with Due to the temporary steel props restraining the
top-down construction. In addition, tolerances Basement excavation basement walls (Figure 11), height and access
on the plunge column verticality, estimated In order to create the basement, 75 000m3 to the corners of the basement was limited.
to be in the order of ±100mm at the base of of London clay was excavated prior to To ensure the piles in these locations could be
the excavation, together with the reinforced construction, with up to 150 lorries removing installed, the pile cages were delivered to site in
sections which could be joined over the bore.
A smaller piling rig was utilised that could
operate under the temporary props, and the pile
locations had been carefully coordinated so that
cages could be threaded between the props.

Truss fabrication and installation

The transfer trusses were formed from UC
sections up to the maximum 356 × 406 × 1299
UC. It would have been difficult to splice the
trusses together on site with a bolted solution.
Welding sections would have also been a
difficult and lengthy site operation. The trusses
were therefore fabricated off site with full-
penetration butt welds (FPBWs) formed at the
connections (Figure 12).
It is critical that welding steel of this type
(HISTAR 460) and thickness (up to 140mm
thick) is carefully considered and managed, with
specific welding procedures developed.
Initially, there were some concerns about
the weldability of HISTAR steel due to pre-
existing data, in particular results of low fracture
FIGURE 12: toughness in the fusion line and heat-affected
Truss weld –
through flange of
zone of the weld area.
chord member As a result, the fabricator, Allerton Steel,
produced pre-welding procedure specifications

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 The Londoner hotel Project focus

to address these concerns, balancing preheat, FIGURE 13: Predicted ground movements Monitoring
heat input and interpass temperatures to A monitoring regime was implemented
achieve reduced hardness levels while throughout the build to record actual
maintaining toughness of the welded material. ground movements. Baseline monitoring
Heat input was restricted during fabrication was carried out before the demolition of the
and this was closely monitored throughout the existing buildings on the site. The predicted
welding process. A high preheat of 125°C was movements from the analysis were then used
used with a maximum interpass temperature of as the basis to set trigger levels for ongoing
228°C; this meant that, on occasions, welding monitoring, with readings taken twice weekly.
had to be stopped to prevent excessive heat To monitor movements, ground-level
build-up. settlement targets, targets for 3D building
Before forming the trusses, a full-scale test movements and inclinometers were installed
weld was undertaken to demonstrate that the on the pile wall. All the data was available via
welds would comply. Samples were taken a web portal (Figure 14) and compared with
before and after the test weld, with Charpy the trigger values, with the construction and
impact tests carried out to ensure that the Arup engineering teams notified of any issues.
toughness of the parent material had not Overall, the observed ground movements
dropped off significantly during the procedure. were generally consistent with the predictions,
The largest FPBWs required up to 300 with 25–30mm of settlement observed close
passes to complete. Analysis to the excavation, reducing with increased
To ensure that all welds met the design Ground movement impact assessments were distance.
specification, a strict non-destructive testing needed to gain approval from various parties.
(NDT) procedure was implemented as follows: These assessments were undertaken in a UKPN high-voltage power cable
1) A visual inspection of every weld pass was staged approach as follows: Many of the utilities surrounding the basement
undertaken by the welder, checking for 1) A simple 2D retaining wall analysis was were diverted before construction. However,
cracks, pits, and various other aspects of the performed in Frew3. This was used to quickly there was one particular utility within the site
weld. consider the effect of different construction boundary that could not be diverted: a UKPN
2) A hold time, defined as the time after sequences and design options. tunnel, located 14m below the ground and
weld completion before NDT testing may 2) A 2D FE analysis was carried out on a ‘slice’ containing a number of high-voltage cables
commence, of either 24 or 48 hours had through the basement using LS Dyna4. This serving the substation within Leicester Square
to be observed depending on the carbon was more detailed than Stage 1, accounting and subsequently supplying the West End
equivalence of the steel to allow any delayed for sway (due to ground-level variation across of London, which cut across the northwest
cracking to occur. the site) and heave effects, but extrapolation corner of the site.
3) Magnetic particle inspection was used to was required for corner effects. The tunnel impacted the position of the
detect surface and shallow subsurface 3) Once a preferred design and construction basement piles, which were located as close
discontinuities. Undertaken on 100% of all sequence had been determined, a full 3D as possible to the tunnel. This meant there
large butt welds, this involves applying a FE model of the basement construction was was a risk of:
magnetic field to the weld. A wet suspension analysed using LS Dyna. With all stages of | striking the tunnel during the pile
of iron filings is applied to the weld and, if a the construction sequence modelled, the installation
discontinuity is present, magnetic flux leakage model took approx. one week to run (plus | excavation-induced movements damaging
attracts the iron filings. time to review and process the results), so it the tunnel structure.
4) Ultrasonic testing was undertaken on 100% was important to minimise the changes to the
of all large butt welds. This involves projecting basement design where possible. One of the most complex assessments
an ultrasonic sound wave through the weld undertaken was the impact of piling and
at varying angles (0°, 45° and 60° normal to Ground movements adjacent to the excavating adjacent to this asset. Usually,
the steel face). The wave reflections are then excavation throughout the build process construction would need to be at least 2m
measured on a calibrated oscilloscope, with were predicted (Figure 13). The calculated clear from the face of such an asset but, as a
any defects resulting in intermediate peaks on movements were then imposed on the adjacent result of detailed surveying to verify the exact
the display. assets and buildings with the resulting strains position of the tunnel, and providing a detailed
assessed using the Burland scale to determine method statement for the construction and
An independent inspector was employed to the potential damage category. With some detailed ground-movement analysis through
check the welds. revision to the propping scheme, we were LS-DYNA, piles were installed just 0.5m away
With the trusses fabricated off site as able to limit this to ‘very slight’ and within the from the face of the tunnel, maximising the
complete 21m long units, transporting them acceptable and agreed limits. size of the basement.
through central London was a challenge which
required meticulous planning and a rolling
roadblock to bring them to site overnight. To
lift the trusses into position, a 750t mobile
crane was driven onto the ground-floor slab.
To ensure the slab wasn’t over stressed by the
high point loads of the crane outriggers, the slab
was backpropped to the foundation level at the
bottom of the basement.

Ground movements
Ground movements were a critical design
consideration. With the site surrounded by
buildings and utilities, estimating and monitoring of
ground movements had to be carried out in detail. FIGURE 14: Ground movement monitoring portal

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 Project focus The Londoner hotel

FIGURE 15: Basement waterproofing as ballrooms and cinemas, required column-

free spaces, whereas the bedroom floors
required blade columns on a regular grid to
minimise slab depths and hide structure within
the walls. This resulted in a large number of
transfer structures within the building. Further
transfers were needed as the building stepped
back at the upper levels, as required by the
planning process.
It is interesting to consider what could
be done differently were the project to be
conceived today. The existing site was a
hotchpotch of disparate and largely unusable
buildings which could not realistically
be refurbished to create a single hotel
development. With the planning requirements
restricting the building height, and client
requiring numerous ‘black box’ spaces, a
deep basement was needed. The structure
could have been made more efficient by
reducing the number and impact of transfer
structures, but clearly this would have needed
close integration and compromise with the
functional requirements.

Conclusion
One of the key considerations with a building
Tiltmeters were installed around the tunnel the significant hydrostatic pressures which such as this is the construction methodology.
circumference, and a tilt-beam array along are transferred to the prop slabs. Second, It is critical this is embedded into the design
the length, to monitor the movements during a drained, ventilated and insulated cavity is from the outset. Understanding the drivers
construction, as well as undertaking manual provided. Any groundwater that gets into the for the design and potential contractor
level and tape extensometer surveys. cavity is allowed to drain to the bottom of the preferences will be key.
basement, where it is collected in a sump before The choice of top-down versus bottom-
Making basement habitable being pumped away to the sewer. up was a key decision on this project and
Depending on their use and desired As well as ensuring the basement remains impacted the predicted ground movements,
performance, basements are categorised from dry, there are several other considerations sizing of structural elements and required
Grade 1 to 3 in accordance with BS 8102. As that are critical to the function of a habitable space for tolerances. At first glance, top-down
the basement of The Londoner is occupied basement space. Vertical transportation, might have seemed a good option for this
by people and contains high-value spaces, escape routes, MEP servicing and ventilation project, with potential programme benefits.
it was crucial that there was no dampness had to be incorporated. The space take of However, upon closer inspection it became
and it, therefore, needed to achieve a Grade these components combined was significant apparent this was not the right approach.
3 environment. This is unlike a carpark or (Figure 16) and it was important to consider With a large number of transfer
plantroom where an agreed level of water each one early in the design process. structures, the load within the basement
penetration is acceptable. was concentrated to a few localised areas,
As such, the basement has two lines Embodied carbon exceeding the capacity of the plunge
of defence against groundwater ingress The embodied carbon of the project has been columns. This would have led to a need to
(Figure 15). First, a thick waterproof concrete calculated using the IStructE’s Structural install additional temporary columns and to
liner wall acts as a barrier to most of the Carbon Tool. A1–A5 embodied carbon for the limit the number of floors over which could
water entering the basement. The liner wall structural frame is calculated at 16 616tCO2e or be constructed, removing the potential
performs this function in addition to resisting 552tCO2e/m2, giving a SCORS rating of G. programme savings traditionally associated
The split of carbon is as follows: with top-down construction.
| excavation: 757tCO2e
FIGURE 16: Circulation and ventilation space | structure below ground: 8718tCO2e REFERENCES
within basement | structure above ground: 7141tCO2e.

The building form was set in 2012 by the 1) Oasys (2022) Oasys GSA [Online] Available
client’s functional space requirements and the at: www.oasys-software.com/products/gsa/
planning requirements limiting its height. These (Accessed: June 2022)
requirements, in particular the need for the deep 2) ACP (2021) Locatu: Bespoke Telematic
basement, have led to a high level of embodied Solutions in Vehicle Asset Management
carbon. The basement is carbon intensive both [Online] Available at: www.acpltd.co.uk/
for the excavation and the permanent structure (Accessed: June 2022)
which restrains the basement walls. 3) Oasys (2022) Frew – Embedded Retaining
A calculation has shown that, without the Wall Analysis Software [Online] Available at:
basement, the project would have still achieved www.oasys-software.com/products/frew/
a SCORS rating of G (410tCO2e/m2). So, (Accessed: June 2022)
although the basement undoubtably adds 4) Livermore Software Technology (2020)
carbon, other structural inefficiencies are also at LS-DYNA [Online] Available at: www.lstc.
play. Many of the uses within the building, such com/products/ls-dyna (Accessed: June 2022)

34
July 2022 | thestructuralengineer.org

Londoner Hotel_TSE July 2022_The Structural Engineer.indd 34 22/06/2022 17:58

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TSE.July22_035.indd 35 21/06/2022 16:16

Opinion Planning
Lean design
application procedures

Comment and reply

Time to be lean
Jonathan Davis and John Callanan exchange views about efficient design of cellular steel
beams in response to a Viewpoint by John published in the April issue.

JONATHAN DAVIS
Associate Director, Technical Sales, William Hare
(part of the Fabsec Consortium)

I read with great interest John Callanan’s article

‘Time to be lean’. His introduction, insight and
assessment of failure modes were insightful
and something we should all be considering as
standard, as they set the tone for a truly
efficient structure (hopefully we already are, as
this is not a new phenomenon). With the raw
material of any steel frame accounting for as
much as 95% of the embodied carbon
generated, reducing mass responsibly, using
innovative design solutions, is key when
considering the carbon associated with
Modules A1–A3. However, embedding
circularity into our designs is the essence of a
truly carbon-efficient structure.
As an engineer within a manufacturing
environment, my interest was pricked further
when John drifted onto the topic of
manufacture and procurement waste. Where
previously the article focused on granularity by
encouraging us to reduce live loads and
challenge the status quo with failure modes, it web/end posts by creating cells only where in design terms, but the manufacturing
slipped into generality and the assumption that they are needed can have a positive effect on process can be restrictive, with expensive
‘regular’ cellular holes are a requirement for all the carbon associated with the intumescent, processes required to reinstate web openings
cellular beams. This may be true for ribbon-cut reducing the waste and volume of product in certain critical areas.
beams, but for alternative cellular sections the required. Although honest in intent, a truly like-for-like
user has flexibility to put cells where they are In fact, alternative cellular beams are far comparison would demonstrate that the
required. from wasteful – in plated solutions you can put weight and scrap disparity reported would be
I often undertake site visits and am mass and openings where you truly need far less significant, if anything at all.
staggered at the number of cell openings that them, rather than being restricted by section Furthermore, any residual scrap that is
are left redundant on site. If we no longer live sizes or manufacturing processes. This can generated from custom cellular holes is often
by the mantra of designing floors to be flexible result in a truly lean design with unity ratios of put to good use before the decision to recycle
using high live loads, the same should be true 99% achievable should the user require. is made, something that feeds those EAF
for other facets of the design. When we apply This efficiency was not reflected in the furnaces we all like so much – one person’s
the same lean principles to the specification of worked example, which had the plated beams rubbish is another person’s treasure, and these
cell openings, then the efficiency of the cellular some 20% heavier than the ribbon-cut cell cut-outs often make their way to be
beam design could be improved with fewer alternative. I suspect this is an idealised repurposed as erection aids such as base
web/end post failure modes in the ambient position as this margin of uplift in material plate packs and finger packs.
and, more importantly, the fire conditions. mass is not something that rings true in my Although the intent of the article is
Intumescent coatings can account for as day-to-day experiences, as you can align the admirable, and in general terms correct, it
much as 10% of the carbon associated with a dimensions of any profile as required. I have no becomes misleading when it delves into the
floor plate, so creating structurally efficient doubt that ribbon-cut beams have their place granular detail. Reducing carbon should not be

36
July 2022 | thestructuralengineer.org
 Lean design Opinion

an accounting exercise simply using Modules

A1–A5. As engineers, we need to understand Reply runs – accommodating the late changes in
the subtle nuances between products in order M&E strategy we see all too frequently –
to truly tackle the climate crisis. Considering
JOHN CALLANAN
and also generates the required long-term
the effect of Module D in our decision-making Design Team Manager, building flexibility essential for ensuring
Kloeckner Metals UK | Westok
when comparing steel products, as this article building longevity: the ultimate win-win
does, would reflect a more accurate picture – scenario.
albeit they must be recorded separately. Boxing clever and second guessing the
I fear that this is a pinnacle moment for I welcome Jonathan’s contribution to the
appropriate location of isolated cells, which
engineers, one that we must rise to the debate and it’s encouraging to see another
one hopes will be sufficient forever more,
challenge of. The article captured well the true voice advocating innovative design
would appear to be a risky approach to
meaning of lean design and challenging the solutions in structures that are lean,
me. In fact, the engineers and architects we
status quo, so coming up with new, innovative versatile, built for longevity and designed for
work with reference the regular cell pattern
design solutions should be at the forefront of assembly, disassembly and recoverability/
as one of the main reasons they have
this. The efficiency of steel lends itself perfectly reuse.
opted for this form of cellular beam. The
to this challenge, giving engineers the platform We were pleased to support the
carbon savings are quite popular too!
to be creative in their aspiration to decarbonise REDUCE project (REuse and
By halving the number of cells in the
their structures. Demountability Using steel structures and
example plated beam, the weight would
This, supplemented with the fact that more the Circular Economy) in its work on
reduce by a modest 10%; however, this
and more raw material suppliers are demountable structures. Ribbon-cut beams
plated option still remains heavier in terms
committing to science-based roadmaps to net were tested successfully with innovative
of both weight and carbon compared with
zero, suggests that steel will remain as one of demountable shear studs at Bradford
the ribbon-cut solution, with some residual
the materials of choice for the foreseeable University, and the SCI has published
capacity remaining in the ribbon-cut beam
future as it continues to rise to the challenges guidance for demountable composite
for intumescent paint minimisation
with developments, and investment, in construction based on this work1.
purposes.
manufacturing technology that include things Reference is rightly made also to the
Of course, that is not to say that plated
like green hydrogen, increased scrap ratios, importance of embedding circularity into
beams with a reduced number of cells, or
supplementary EAF furnaces and carbon- our designs, and our grid study work2
indeed profiled rolled-section solutions, are
capture initiatives. There is no one golden reports Modules A1–A3 and Module D
not entirely without merit. Unlike alternative
ticket to solving this crisis and the sector’s separately. Graphs are shown with
suppliers, on a case-by-case basis,
decarbonisation strategy is nicely summarised embodied carbon values based on both UK
Kloeckner Westok designs and
in the BCSA’s latest roadmap to net zero1. average values and EAF values to ensure a
manufactures all forms of cellular beam and
As engineers, we need to design structures balanced and transparent view is
advises engineers using our detailed
that are not only lean but versatile, built for presented. As such, the granular detail is
knowledge of design, manufacture scrap,
longevity and designed for assembly, there for all to see and interpret.
procurement scrap, manufacture
disassembly and recoverability/reuse. Steel is Jonathan is absolutely right where he
characteristics, M&E requirements, etc. to
the perfect answer, but the type of cellular advocates supporting supply chain
point the designer towards the appropriate
beam we specify feels like it falls well short of members who are committed to published
solution for their structure, which might well
the mark we should all be aiming for… science-based roadmaps to net zero. The
be an appropriate mix of cellular beam
Kloeckner Group is pleased to have such
forms. In short: always the right beam in
SBTi-approved targets in place, has
REFERENCE recently launched a new ‘green steel’
the right place.
categorisation metric3, and we are proud of
our Gold level BCSA Sustainability Charter REFERENCES
1) BCSA (2022) UK structural steelwork:
2050 decarbonisation roadmap [Online] status.
Available at: https://steelconstruction.org/ Unfortunately, there seems to be some
wp-content/uploads/2022/01/BCSA-2050- 1) Steel Construction Institute (2020)
Decarbonisation-Roadmap.pdf (Accessed:
confusion regarding the so-called
P428: Guidance on demountable
June 2022) ‘redundant’ cells visible on Jonathan’s composite construction systems for UK
frequent site visits. If these beams are practice, Ascot: SCI
indeed ribbon-cut cellular beams, the 2) Kloeckner Metals (2022) Westok
strings of cells are a legacy of the weight- Commercial Office Floor Study [Online]
HAVE and carbon-saving ribbon-cut process as Available at: www.kloecknermetalsuk.com/
YOUR explained in the article. The profiling en/latest-news/westok-commercial-office-
SAY process also facilitates asymmetry about
floor-study.html (Accessed: June 2022)
[email protected] 3) Kloeckner Metals (s.d.) Green
the flange and web as required, which
Steel [Online] Available at: www.
leads to the lightest solution available. kloecknermetalsuk.com/en/green-steel/
The full portfolio of cells delivers green-steel-categorization.html (Accessed:
significant short-term flexibility in M&E duct June 2022)
@IStructE
#TheStructuralEngineer #TheStructuralEngineer

37
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 Opinion Letters

Verulam
Send letters to…
HAVE All contributions to Verulam should be
YOUR submitted via email to: [email protected]

SAY Contributions may be edited on the grounds

of style and/or length by the Institution's
Readers’ letters, comments and queries publishing department.

Proposed However, a graduate with a BEng(Hons)

could not achieve the same status on the
changes to proposed AIStructE route. So, the only
route left open to them is to achieve the

JOHN SVIKIS
Institution Bye- educational equivalent for the Engineering

A GREAT,
PRACTICAL GUIDE
Laws Council’s CEng requirement through the
CM examination route; therefore, the
TO REDUCING
GORDON HARRIS proposal outlined in the article adopts two
EMBODIED I found the article on the proposed educational routes to achieve Chartered

Lean design CARBON IN OUR

DESIGNS. AT
LEAST 2–3 OF
changes to the Institution Bye Laws and
the revamping of the membership grades
Engineer status. The difference being that
a BEng(Hons) graduate who sits and
RORY BAIRD THESE POINTS
(June 2022) confusing and incomplete in its passes the CM examination becomes a
I read the article on lean design by Muiris ARE EASILY explanation. CEng MIStructE, whereas the MEng, MSc
Moynihan (May 2022) with increasing ACHIEVABLE AND First, there is a statement about graduate could, and will most likely, remain
alarm, as I believe that if engineers follow WITHIN THE problems or confusion between the CEng AIStructE.
ENGINEER’S
the advice, we shall see an increasing existing Associate (AIStructE) and The membership classification should
CONTROL RIGHT
incidence of structural failures with NOW. Associate-Member (AMIStructE) grades. become quite clear. If you pass an
associated fatalities. Having been associated with the Institution examination, you become a
Noting that the article is not advocating Associate-Member grade for over 40 ‘Member’, either IEng or CEng. If you do
the use of alternative structural materials years, I have never found this to be an not pass an examination, you become an
but seemingly less of the same materials, issue or caused any confusion. ‘Associate’.
the percentage reductions will equate to a The new title for current and future The proposed two-tier status for
similar reduction in structural capacity Associate-Members of IEng IMIstructE Chartered Engineer will, in my view, see
(possibly more, given the relationship does seem a duplication of an the demise of the CM examination, which
between material and strength is not linear). ‘Incorporated’ person. Surely knowing the has always been the gold standard for
Adding up all the savings would give a person is registered at the Engineering membership of the Institution.
90% reduction in carbon (which may be Council as an Incorporated Engineer (IEng)
taken as an equivalent saving in materials), is sufficient? All you then need to be is a This feedback does convey scope
while using a compound approach gives a Member of IStructE (MIStructE), having for a byzantine interpretation of the
more realistic, but still excessive, figure of gained that status by examination. I am rules! Surely, what we can all agree
64% carbon saving. This is clearly unsafe. sure the ink will mist and become faded is that there ought to be a route for
The article does note that the savings with time so that the ‘I’ will disappear; why all those who want to work in
are only achievable with improved quality not now! structural engineering to get some
control. The increasing use of contracting The proposed two grades of Chartered qualification and status and then to
strategies that minimise the involvement of Engineer are also confusing, as the article be valued accordingly.
designers in the construction phase of the fails to outline the qualification routes
project means this is probably not a necessary to achieve these individual
realistic aspiration. statuses. An engineering graduate’s whole
aspiration is to become a ‘Chartered Steel grades
There is plenty of debate still to be had Engineer’ with CEng behind their name; ALASDAIR BEAL
in the apparent conflict between the Institution which provides this status, in I’m pleased that Tommy Grieve (Verulam,
safety and sustainability. In terms of many instances, is immaterial or selective. June) found my comments about steel
safety, it’s true that failures very rarely The qualifications required to achieve the grades useful (‘Could sustainability be
come about by overloading or by new grade of CEng AIStructE have not advanced through simplification of codes
erroneous shortfalls in the codified been defined. It is my understanding that of practice?’, May 2022). However, he has
factors. However, a blanket ‘reduce the Engineering Council requires a Masters misunderstood the position on steel
the safety margins’ approach seems (MEng, or MSc) or equivalent to achieve tubes. As I understand it, the problem is
unwise, since our only real proof of CEng; therefore, a graduate who has not production: tubes can still be made in
sufficiency is largely based on codified achieved this qualification can, after grade S355 steel. However, the main
methodologies being seen to be traversing the defined route and demand for many popular tube sizes is for
adequate over a long period. completing the PRI, be registered with the non-structural applications where strength
Moreover, a study of failures shows a new grade of CEng AIStructE. Having is not critical. Therefore, stockholders
frequent cause being a mismatch achieved their goal of becoming a commonly hold supplies of these in grade
between what was built and design ‘Chartered Engineer’, why would a S235 or S275 and a steel fabricator may
intent. As both Rory and Muiris imply candidate even consider torturing find it difficult to obtain them in grade
in their own ways, this may point to themselves by taking the seven-hour S355 steel.
benefits in both safety and examination to achieve the same status Therefore. although in the past an
sustainability by changing our but only moving from AIStructE to engineer could usually base a design on
procurement and quality assurance/ MIStructE? Certainly, the public at large the assumption that tubes would be grade
control approaches. would not note the change in letter. S355 steel, nowadays this should not be

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 Letters Opinion

done unless he/she has been able to advice on this from those who have been Jonathan Haynes and his colleagues
confirm that the relevant tubes are readily down the route of retiring/winding up. prepare students for industry, with IStructE
available in grade S355. Otherwise, for My broker has changed my insurance CM exam-type questions commonly used
safety, the design should be based on company recently due to some pulling out of to prepare and assess students.
grade S235. the market, and the new company has not Further, it is worth noting that both the
I know that European metric open asked about signed collateral warranties, it University of Sheffield and the University of
sections are rolled in steel grades S235, has just taken on the cover based on the Salford have received awards or
S275 and S355, but I do not know which usual forms being completed on the commendations in the IStructE’s
grades stockholders generally hold business. So, I am confused as to why the Excellence in Structural Engineering
supplies of. Therefore, again, engineers potential new employer’s insurance Education Award scheme.
should check availability before deciding company has said this. In addition, while I cannot comment on
which steel strength to assume for design. I would be interested in opinions and all UK universities, as a long-standing
In view of the potential consequences assistance on the PI front as far as member of the IStructE’s Education
confusion on this issue can cause for both retirement and runoff cover is concerned. Committee, I see many other examples of
economy and safety, it would be helpful if As far as warranties are concerned, they very good work being done in the area of
someone ‘in the know’ could prepare a are generally six years or 12 years under teaching structural behaviour.
technical note for publication in The deed of appointment. I understand that if I Hence, I would respectfully suggest that
Structural Engineer summarising the just wound the company up, with no runoff David takes the time to find out what
current supply situation and listing which in place, I could be held personally liable universities are actually doing, as opposed
steel grades are readily available for the should it be proved that I have been to making lazy assumptions, and
section sizes in common use. negligent on a project. Is this correct? There repeatedly criticising them, which is both
seems to be little information available out unhelpful and unfair. Perhaps this explains
Design is not just about preparing there and brokers are not necessarily the why other commentators on the issue do
calculations. In its widest sense, it’s most knowledgeable on the subject, as they not appear to share David’s concerns?
about preparing a package that is tend to be account managers and not Last but by no means least, it is essential
functionally adequate and can be experts. to appreciate that learning about structural
built to cost and programme. Making behaviour does not end when students
sure you can really get the materials After June’s letter on this topic, graduate. Rather, it continually develops
is part of that work. Verulam offered to try and procure throughout an engineer’s career, and both
some advice. The Editor has now done industry and the professional engineering
this and we anticipate one of our institutions have an essential role to play

Runoff PI cover major insurers contributing an article

later in the year.
here.

[NAME SUPPLIED] Verulam echoes this last paragraph.

Further to the short letter regarding the Learning about structural behaviour
issue of runoff professional indemnity (PI)
insurance and retirement (Verulam, June), I Structural is a continuous process and
understanding takes a long time to
too have started to review this issue (run as
limited company also). Last year, I reduced
engineering acquire. We all have a part to play;
the universities to start with and
my PI cover from £5M down to £2M, due education industry and the Institution thereafter.
to the type of work being undertaken, with The need to keep learning is reflected
smaller projects (intentional), and wanted JON CARR in the popularity of David’s courses.
the additional £3M put into runoff, to It was with no little irony that I had to
reduce the spiralling costs of the insurance interrupt marking ‘Integrated Design Project’
as well.
Unfortunately, that didn’t work as the
submissions produced by third-year
students at the University of Sheffield in Awards for
premiums actually increased. Apparently,
the additional £3M could not be put in
order to pen this response to David Brohn’s
latest letter on the teaching of structural
sustainability
runoff as it was such a small amount (the behaviour (Verulam, June). BILL CHAN
insurer’s words not mine). This project involves students carrying out Alongside annual awards to members for
The reduction in cover was due to both the concept and detailed design of designing and constructing iconic
reduced project sizes and downscaling to pedestrian bridges, long-span structures structures, it is high time the Institution
single director status with no staff, with a and multistorey buildings, involving hand rewarded members for sustainability.
view to retirement in 5–6 years’ time. calculations initially, followed by static and Saving the planet is a matter of urgency,
I also have been approached by a larger dynamic modelling using industry-standard and sustainability in our work should be top
company to work for them as an employee computer analysis software, with full priority. Projects of plain rectilinear
and assist younger, less experienced validation and verification, to ensure structures using sustainable materials and
engineers, using my knowledge for their comprehensive understanding of structural methods of construction should also be
benefit. This is quite appealing to a) help behaviour. honoured.
and b) try and lose the runoff PI These are clearly more than basic skills.
requirement, by winding up my company. Indeed, feedback from the many All articles in The Structural Engineer
However, the company in question has organisations which repeatedly employ our that concern sustainability are, of
been told by its insurers that they would graduates, about their knowledge and course, considered eligible for prizes.
not take on my insurance and, more diverse range of skills, is overwhelmingly Moreover, the Institution is
specifically, my warranty obligations as they complimentary. considering how to recognise
are unknowns! Hence, I have been asked In addition, I acted as an external outstanding contributions to promote
to retain the PI cover personally/with the examiner for the University of Salford’s MSc ‘saving the planet’ – look out for the
current business, and am currently in Structural Engineering from 2016 to 2021, revamped Structural Awards in
exploring this issue, but would welcome and was extremely impressed by how well November.

39
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July 2022
2022

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 At the back Diary dates

Most events run by IStructE

HQ are being delivered online.
For in-person events, a
location will be given.
History Study Group meetings
start at 18:00 and are free of
charge to attend. Registration

Diary dates
is not typically required.
Meetings may be online or in
person.
For Regional Group events,
check the website for the
latest information. Note that more current information may be available from
the Institution website: www.istructe.org/events

CONFERENCES LECTURE REGIONAL GROUPS

15 July 20 July Note that events are subject to change.
Young engineers conference 2022 Maitland Lecture 2022 Please visit www.istructe.org/get-involved/
Speakers: Jane Entwistle, Will Arnold, Natasha Speaker: Alastair Leake regional-groups/ for up-to-date information
Watson, Niamh McCloskey and John Moffat 18:30–20:00 and registration details.
10:00–18:00 IStructE HQ and online
University of Salford Price: Free AUSTRALIA
Price: Members: £49 + VAT; Standard: £59 + VAT; Register: www.istructe.org/events/hq/2022/
Student members: £39 + VAT maitland-lecture-2022/ 7 July
Booking: www.istructe.org/events/hq/2022/ Compton and Edrich Stands, Lord’s
young-engineers-conference-2022/ CPD COURSES Cricket Ground Redevelopment
13 July Presenter: Spencer Robinson
6 October Structural engineering with bamboo 18:00–19:30 (GMT+10)
Structural rehabilitation conference Presenters: David Trujillo and Seb Kaminiski Milton Green, 135 Coronation Drive,
Presenters: TBC 10:00–17:30 Milton, Queensland 4064 (also streamed
09:30–17:00 Online online)
IStructE HQ and online Price: Members: £295 + VAT; Standard: £395 + VAT Price: Free
Price: In person: from £199 + VAT; Online from Booking: www.istructe.org/events/hq/2022/ Register: www.eventbrite.com.au/e/
£155 + VAT structural-engineering-with-bamboo/ compton-and-edrich-stands-lords-cricket-
Booking: www.istructe.org/events/hq/2022/ redevelopment-tickets-366067376377
structural-rehabilitation-conference/ 14 September Contact: Alicia Kent
Client appointments and terms of ([email protected])
22–24 November engagement: a legal toolkit
Using steel in changing times e-conference Presenter: Rob Langley CARIBBEAN
Speakers: TBC 10:00–17:30
14:00–18:00 (each day) IStructE HQ 10 July
Online Price (early booking): Members: £305 + VAT; Chartered Membership Exam
Price (early booking): Members: £155 + VAT; Standard: £415 + VAT Preparation Course
Standard: £245 + VAT; Student members: £45 Booking: www.istructe.org/events/hq/2022/ Presenter: Esam Al Kelaby
+ VAT client-appointments-and-terms-of-engagement/ 08:00–15:00 (GMT−4)
Booking: www.istructe.org/events/hq/2022/ Online
using-steel-in-changing-times/ 14 September Price: IStructE members: Free; non-
Eurocode 4: composite design members: TTD200 or USD30
Presenter: Dennis Lam Register: https://forms.gle/
10:00–17:30 x83qee4huVGEU3i99
IStructE HQ
Price (early booking): Members: £265 + VAT; LANCASHIRE & CHESHIRE
SPONSORED Standard: £355 + VAT
WEBINAR Booking: www.istructe.org/events/hq/2022/ 20 September
eurocode-4-composite-design/ Reinforced autoclaved aerated
13 July concrete (RAAC)
Footfall analysis with Oasys GSA 19 September Presenter: Chris Atkins
Presenter: Peter Debney Resilience-based design of structures 18:00–19:30
14:30–15:30 Presenters: Caroline Field and Alessandro Palmeri Renold Building, The University
Price: Free 10:00–17:30 of Manchester, 32a Altrincham St,
Register: www.istructe.org/events/ Online Manchester M1 7JR
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oasys-gsa/ Standard: £355 + VAT Register: www.istructe.org/events/
Booking: www.istructe.org/events/hq/2022/ lancashire-cheshire/reinforced-
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 Diary dates At the back

NORTH THAMES 27 October INTERNATIONAL

Awards ceremony and celebration evening CONFERENCES
Wednesdays, 21 Special guest: President Jane Entwistle Cape Town, South Africa
September–7 December 19:00–late 5–7 September
Preparation course for Drygate Brewery, 85 Drygate, Glasgow G4 0UT Eighth International Conference on
Chartered Membership Price: To be advised Structural Engineering, Mechanics and
18:45–21:00 Further details: www.istructe.org/events/scotland/ Computation
Online awards-ceremony-and-celebration-evening/ Web: www.semc.uct.ac.za/
Price: £323.99 Register: www.semc.uct.ac.za/semc/register_
Booking: www.istructe. SOUTHERN exhibit/registration
org/events/north-thames/ Contact: Prof. Alphose Zingoni
preparation-course-for- 4 July ([email protected])
chartered-membership/ Graduate presentation
17:00 Malaysia (online)
SCOTLAND Online – please check the website for further details 5–8 December
15th International Conference on
5 July SURREY Concrete Engineering and Technology:
Afternoon seminar – Innovation and Resilience in Concrete
LGBTQ+ awareness 7 September Construction
training Fire engineering - An introduction for Early-bird registration deadline: 31 August
Speaker: Kelly Minio-Paluello structural engineers Web: https://concet2022.com/
15:00–17:00 Presenters: Jenny Burridge and Roger Plank
Online 09:30–16:00
Price: Free Lecture Theatre M, University of Surrey,
Register: www.istructe.org/ Guildford GU2 7XH Regional Group Committee members
events/scotland/afternoon- Price: £175 should submit details of forthcoming
seminar-lgbtq-awareness- Booking: www.istructe.org/events/surrey/fire- events to: [email protected]
training/ engineering-cpd-course/

Structural rehabilitation
conference
6 October 2022
Topics will include
• Assessment and diagnostics
• Inspection and monitoring
• Strengthening
Sharing the latest structural engineering
advances in maintaining and strengthening Who should attend?
• Practicing structural engineers primarily
existing bridges and infrastructure. working on bridges and infrastructure projects
Attend in-person or online. Early booking • Asset managers
rates available. • Contractors

Registration now open:

istructe.org/events/hq/2022/structural-rehabilitation-conference

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 At the back Spotlight on Structures

All articles in Structures

are available free of
charge to paying-
grade members of
the Institution as one
of their membership
benefits. The journal
is available online at:
www.structuresjournal.
org

Congratulations to the winners of the Structures prizes 2022! The

prizes celebrate the best papers published in the journal in 2021
and recognise both more fundamental research and research likely
to have a tangible impact on practice. The winning papers will be
free to access until the end of August.
The Structures prizes are sponsored by Elsevier and judged by
the IStructE Research Panel.

Best Research Paper

Design of prestressed, ground motion stops. The use based procedure for designing The focus of the paper is on
jointed columns for of prefabricated substructure jointed, prestressed columns columns with pretensioned
enhanced seismic elements speeds up the bridge that is based on the framework strands and internal energy
performance assembly by eliminating building provided by the AASHTO Guide dissipaters, although the
Travis Thonstad, Marc O. formwork, fixing steel, casting Specifications for LRFD Seismic procedure would work for post-
Eberhard, John F. Stanton and curing concrete on-site. A Bridge Design. To account tensioned systems and those
University of Washington, Dept. variety of detailing strategies for the unique characteristics with external dissipaters as well.
of Civil and Environmental have been developed for jointed, of these systems, the design This design approach is critically
Engineering, Seattle, WA, USA prestressed columns, but their procedure introduces new evaluated through comparison
fundamental behavior is similar. performance criteria; it also to the results of both cyclic
Jointed, prestressed columns More importantly, this behavior provides recommendations for tests of cantilever columns and
have been shown to enable differs from that of conventional proportioning the prestressed shaking table tests of a two-
accelerated construction reinforced concrete columns and non-prestressed steel, span bridge system.
and to offer superior seismic for which current seismic code calculating the effective column | Read the full paper:
performance, as compared with provisions were developed. This stiffness, and estimating the https://doi.org/10.1016/j.
cast-in-place columns without paper develops a displacement- column displacement capacity. istruc.2021.01.105
prestressing.
During an
earthquake, such
columns deform
primarily through
concentrated
rotations at
the joints, and
special detailing
at the ends of the
columns prevents
crushing and
spalling. Unbonded
prestressing steel,
running vertically
through the
columns, provides
a restoring moment
that returns
the columns to
plumb after the

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If you’d like to receive regular updates about new content in Structures, register for email alerts at www.sciencedirect.com/.

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 Spotlight on Structures At the back

Best Research into Practice Paper

Modelling of soil-structure SSI and local soil conditions (i.e.,
interaction in OpenSees: site effect) on the seismic response
A practical approach for of two 5-storey steel moment-
performance-based seismic resisting frame buildings has been
design investigated. Preliminary results
Smail Kechidi, Aires Colaço, shed light on the influence of these
Pedro Alves Costa, José Miguel two geotechnical aspects on the
Castro, Mário Marques structural seismic response where
Department of Civil Engineering, peak floor displacements and
Faculty of Engineering, University inter-storey drifts considering the
of Porto, Portugal SSI are even larger in the lower
stories than those of the fixed base
In this paper, a numerical tool case. Furthermore, the results
based on the Monkey-tail revealed the dependence of the
fundamental lumped parameter soil amplification factor on the
model is proposed for the fundamental period of vibration,
simulation of dynamic soil-structure seismic intensity level and soil
interaction (SSI). The proposed stiffness which are not taken into
model has been implemented account by the current European
in the OpenSees finite element design codes.
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 At the back Library update

Curated by qualified librarians,

the IStructE collection of
structural engineering literature
spans more than 250 years,
Library update:
making it one of the UK’s most
comprehensive specialist
engineering resources. Both
Earthquake engineering
print and electronic titles are
available (print titles can be
The Institution Library holds an extensive range of books on
requested via postal loan). the various aspects of earthquake-resistant design, retrofitting
www.istructe.org/library and rehabilitation. These can be loaned in person or by post,
with several also available in the E-library (marked with an *).

Earthquake-resistant design | Fardis M.N. (2009) Seismic design,

Titles held include: assessment and retrofitting of concrete
| Grant D. & Booth E. (2021) Earthquake design buildings: based on EN-Eurocode 8,
practice for buildings (4th ed.), London: ICE Cham: Springer
Publishing
| Spence R. & So E. (2021) Why do buildings Codes and standards
collapse in earthquakes? Building for safety in The Library holds all parts of Eurocode
seismic areas, Chichester: Wiley Blackwell* 8 and the UK National Annexes, and
| Chopra A.K. (2020) Dynamics of structures: the current editions of ASCE/SEI 7-22:
theory and applications to earthquake Minimum design loads and associated
engineering (5th ed.), London: Pearson criteria for buildings and other structures*
Education* and the International Building Code 2021.
| American Society of Civil Engineers
(2020) Seismic evaluation and design of EEFIT
petrochemical and other industrial facilities The Library has a complete set of EEFIT
(3rd ed.), Reston, VA: ASCE* (Earthquake Engineering Field Investigation
| Bhattacharya S. et al. (2019) Seismic design Team) reports. You can find out more
of foundations: concepts and applications, about EEFIT at www.istructe.org/get-
London: ICE Publishing involved/supported-organisations/eefit.
| Penelis G. & Penelis G. (2019) Concrete
buildings in seismic regions (2nd ed.), Oxford: Finding what you need
CRC Press* All titles are searchable on the Library
| Landolfo R. et al. (2017) Design of steel catalogue at www.istructe.org/resources/
structures for buildings in seismic areas. library-services. The staff will be pleased
Eurocode 8: Design of steel structures in to help you with your research and
seismic areas. Part 1-1. General rules and rules suggestions for any titles not currently held
for buildings, Chichester: ECCS/Ernst & Sohn* | Dowrick D.J. (2009) Earthquake resistant are always welcome.
| Elghazouli A. (ed.) (2017) Seismic design of design and risk reduction (2nd ed.), The International Association for
buildings to Eurocode 8 (2nd ed.), Oxford: Chichester: Wiley Earthquake Engineering also has a page
CRC Press* linking to national seismic regulations
| Avramidis I. et al. (2016) Eurocode-compliant Retrofitting and post-earthquake (www.iaee.or.jp/worldlist.html), which is a
seismic analysis and design of R/C buildings: rehabilitation useful starting point. The page was last
concepts, commentary and worked examples Titles held include: updated in 2020, but it is good practice to
with flowcharts, Cham: Springer | American Society of Civil Engineers (2022) establish what the current edition is of the
| Fardis M.N. et al. (2015) Seismic design of Post-earthquake fire assessment of buildings: code for the country you are interested in.
concrete buildings to Eurocode 8, Oxford: evaluation framework, Reston, VA: ASCE*
CRC Press* | Aydenlou R. (2020) Seismic rehabilitation Contact
| Ivanov D. (2015) Seismic resistant design and methods for existing buildings, Oxford: Rob Thomas or Laura Cooper
technology, Oxford: CRC Press Elsevier/Butterworth* Tel: +44 (0)20 7201 9105
| Gioncu V. & Mazzolani F. (2014) Seismic | Yekrangnia M. (2019) Advanced design Email: [email protected]
design of steel structures, Oxford: CRC Press examples of seismic retrofit of structures, Web: www.istructe.org/resources/library-
| Lavan O. & De Stefano M. (2013) Seismic Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann* services
behaviour and design of irregular and complex | Limongelli M.P. & Çelebi M. (2019) Seismic
civil structures, Cham: Springer structural health monitoring: from theory to
| American Institute of Steel Construction (2012) successful applications, Cham: Springer* IStructE Eurocode 8 design examples
Seismic design manual (2nd ed.), Chicago, | American Society of Civil Engineers (2017) Don’t forget you can also purchase the
IL: AISC ASCE/SEI 41-17: Seismic evaluation and Institution’s recently published Examples
for the seismic design of steel and
| Liang Z. et al. (2012) Structural damping: retrofit of existing buildings, Reston, VA: ASCE* concrete buildings to Eurocode 8 at
applications in seismic response modification, | Ilki A. & Fardis M.N. (2014) Seismic evaluation www.istructe.org/shop.
Oxford: CRC Press and rehabilitation of structures, Cham: Springer

44
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 Manual for the design of building
structures to Eurocode 1 & Basis
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(Second edition)

Members enjoy a 35% discount

Students enjoy a 50% discount

Comprehensively revised
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TSE.July22_045.indd 45 21/06/2022 16:20

 At the back The Drawing Board

The Drawing Board

Judged by Ron Slade.

This month, Ron has selected two winners: Romeo Maciuceanu and Eugénie Sentucq.
Both receive an e-book of their choice from the Institution’s current catalogue.

Eugénie Sentucq
This sketch was drawn at concept stage house would come from the spaces I found the process of refining the design
design just before pre-application. The designed, and not the other way round. through sketching very enlightening; the
building consists of a three-storey timber- When an architect approaches design architect used the sketches to rationalise
framed house. It was issued after a series this way, I always find it very challenging to their structure and got to a stage where
of sketches that were drawn to support the provide a high-quality structural scheme – they seemed very happy about their design.
architect in their aim to simplify the complex by high quality, I mean that the structure I have titled the sketch: ‘Structure
roof envelope. The architect explained to us should be low-carbon, aesthetic and Mindmap’. It is meant to summarise all the
that their approach to the design of this robust. I believe that the only way to key elements of the structure and was
house was to make the envelope fit the achieve that is through good collaboration issued with a set of plans and sections
spaces and programme; the shape of the and communication with the design team. presenting the structural scheme.

DON’T FORGET TO SUBMIT YOURS...

To enter, submit a sketch to [email protected] together with a short description to put it into context (150 words). Sketches must be hand drawn (no CAD,

46
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 The Drawing Board At the back

Ron Slade BSc First Class Honours in Civil A.E. Wynn prize. He was first appointed
BSc(Eng), CEng, FIStructE Engineering at City University, London as a director in 1982.
and became a Chartered Member of the Ron is also the author of Sketching for
Ron Slade is Structural Institution of Structural Engineers in 1971 Engineers and Architects, published by
Director at WSP. Ron received his when he was awarded the Institution’s Routledge.

Romeo Maciuceanu Ron’s comments

The project is a redevelopment of an The intent is to claim back the space Both submissions show how sketching can bring
existing building at 225 for communal spaces, plant, access, clarity to complex design processes. Romeo’s
Hammersmith Road. Our client is etc. and open this to the rear sketch shows aspiration and design intent, whereas
looking to add two new storeys on courtyard, which is currently used Eugénie’s drawing is a summary of her design just
top of the existing structure, extend for vehicle access. The aspiration is before pre-app stage and, as she says, was issued
the building sideways by approx. to claim all this space for the building after a series of sketches was produced to support
1.5m with a new compliant facade users and create a podium structure the architects in their aim to simplify the roof
and cut and carve the floors to allow to connect to the upper neighbours’ envelope. A close runner-up used hand-drawn
for modern MEP services. podium landscape. We will achieve sketches to illustrate the construction sequence.
Sustainable design and reuse are at this by designing a reinforced Essentially, the sketching process is an effective way
the heart of this project. concrete structure spanning approx. of pulling thoughts together and simplifying and
The existing building’s ground- 13.5m supporting green spaces and explaining ideas on paper, which is especially useful
floor level is occupied by a car park. live walls. during the early stages of a project.

except for ‘guided freehand’) and from a real project or assignment (i.e. not drawn for the competition). The next deadline is 1 September 2022.

47
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 Services Directory
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 Telephone: +44 (0)20
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