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Structural Engineer

Who...?

MADE City Builder Academy

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Who am I?David SharpeProfile: http://uk.linkedin.com/in/dmsharpe • I have over sixteen years experience of

building structures, undertaking the structural design of new-build & refurbishment projects.

• I have also been exploring recently how I can integrate structural design with the principles of low energy use, such as the PassivHaus standard, for new and retrofit projects.

• Building on experience of refurbishing 20th century structures, I am also developing skills in conservation and heritage engineering projects.

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Structural Engineering is the art and science of designing and creating a skeleton or frame that can resist the loads that are applied to it. The skeleton or structure should be efficient and although draped in a skin or façade, the structure should be considered as architecture in its purest form.

John Roycroft, BDP

Definition of Structural Engineering

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So what do Structural Engineers do?

We hold structures up!Or, more helpfully, we must ensure that a structure is:• Safe from falling down - strength• Safe from falling over - stability

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So what do Structural Engineers do?

But also, we need to make sure that our structures can be usedSo we must also assess our structures for:• Deflections and vibrations – serviceability • Not prone to getting ‘old’ quickly - durability

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So what do Structural Engineers do?

Most importantly, our structures need to be builtSo we must also assess our structures for buildability

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How do we design?Start by thinking about lots of options:• via a number of sketches / options in parallel with simple calculations• There is rarely one solution, and often must assess options against some criteria

For example• What forces will be applied?• What the structure is for?• How long will it need to last?

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Then develop one solution into details

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Being a Structural Engineer is more than just design...• Structural Engineers do not work in isolation• We are part of a larger project team and need to coordinate with:

• Clients• Architects• Building Services Engineers• Civil & Geotechnical • Contractors

• Skills of engineering are morethan maths – need to understandpeople and how to work withothers

• Also a business – need to win work, do it to budget andget paid...!

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We also have a significant responsibility to society...

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Beautiful Railway Bridge of the Silvery Tay! Alas! I am very sorry to say that ninety lives have been taken away, on the last Sabbath day of 1879, which will be remembered for a very long time.

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Charles De Gaulle Airport, Paris (2004)

- 4 died, 3 injured

Hyatt Regency Walkway, Kansas City (1981)

- 114 died, 200 injured

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How did I get to be a Structural Engineer?• I started thinking about being involved in some form engineering around the

time I was selecting options for GCSEs.

• In the run up to selecting which A-levels to take, I decided to focus on the built environment, and went to chat to an architect and a civil/structural engineer. In the end, I went for Civil Engineering, and selected my A-levels – Physics, Maths & Geology – to suit the degree course requirements.

• Then university – BEng (Hons) Civil Engineering – University of Liverpool

• I decided to specialise in building structures, so decided to take a Masters degree – MSc Structural Design, University College London

• From there started working for design companies – known as consulting engineers – starting with Arup in Cardiff in 1995.

• Spent some time out on construction sites, to understand how things are built

• Then went through route to become a Chartered Structural Engineer

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What’s on my desk now?• King Edward’s School, Birmingham – courtyard classroom extension

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What’s on my desk now?• Camera Platform on roof of RES Wyatt Stand, Edgbaston Cricket Ground• Dafforne Road, London – refurbishment & renovation, including energy retrofit