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CONTENTS 05.07.12
www.nce.co.uk1 05.07.12 NEWCIVILENGINEER
3
04
NEWS
Strudures
Experts clash over viability of longer span cable-stayed bridges
10
ANALYSIS
Naeem Hussain
Arup's award-winningbridge guru pushes for design skills
14
COVERSTORY
Afghanistan
On dut y with the Royal Engineers in Helmand province
Aisoin this issuè
05 News
Bosphorus Bridge to replicate Brooklyn's
06 News
Wear Crossing prompts procurement guidance
07 News
Multi-storey car parks at risk of collapse
Memorable Moments
Celebrating the opening of the 18km long Storeb~lt
Letters
High Speed 2, Sir John Armitt, Chernobyl's legacy 18 ICE
Big Bang awarded Rooke Medal, Bridgwater repairs
Comment
AntonyOliver
11
12
TOCELEBRATENCE'S40THANNIVERSARY OFINFORMING,INSPIRINGAND CHALLENGINGCMLENGINEERS,WE ARELOOKINGATTHEKEYEVENTSTHAT
HAVESHAPEDTHELAST40 YEARS.
SEEWWW.NCE.CO.UK
"It is increasingly the ability to properly understand and develop the dient's needs that will
determine a projed's successIf
understanding and developing the needs of the client in terms of function, form and what is actually required to get a structure built.
As Arup bridge design guru Naeem Hussain points out, designers can corne up with all sorts of outlandish designs but the core must be what the client actually needs.
"Good design respects the site, respects the
Scrimpon innovation and UKPicwill repent at leisure
construction ambitions.
Sadly in the UK clients are typically less inclined to accept truly innovative ideas. But they must if we are to achieve what we need, and at the price that we have available to spend.
which brings us back to the engineer's role and to engineers' training. While a thoroue-h
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it is great to push against the norm, if poorly thought out "the cost is so high that the client abandons the project".
Yet, as Hussain also pointed out this week, research into new ways of constructing remains critical if the UK is to maintain its position at the cutting edge of global bridge design.
This is particularly so, given that nations such as China and South Korea are ploughing huge resources into new long span bridge technologies, which they are then willing to use as they press ahead with their
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EDITOR 1Antony Oliver (020) 77284541 antony.oliver
DEPUTY EDITDR 1Mark Hansford (020) 77284543 mark.hansford CHIEFsus EDITOR1AndyBolton (020) 77284537 andy.bolton
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RECRUITMENT1Jonathan Snowden
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The current economic climate is focusing the engineering mind like never before on the need to provide clients with the best possible value for every pound they spend.
But that most certainly does not mean abandoning all notion of creativity, pushing at the boundaries of design excellence and constructing structures that inspire and leave
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surely be squarely about successfully intro- ducing innovative ideas that deliver better, more affordable infrastructure.
Not least in the world of bridge design where the debate about preciselywhat consti- tutes an "iconic" or "landmark" bridge rolls on this week across the pages of NCE.
And 1am pleased to say that this debate underlines the need for engineers to constantly remember to lift their gaze from the alI-important detail to keep an eye on the bigger picture.
That bigger picture is rooted of course in
mglYme aD1l1ryro propeny unaersrana an develop the client' s needs that will determine a project's success.
Whether we are talking about bridges or roads, railways or power stations, research and innovation will to push our designs forward from the norm and really turn heads and inspire communities.
But unless we can convince clients to adopt these new ideas then we will remain rooted in the here, the now and the known. And unfortunately, the here, the now and the known has become unaffordable.
