David Harvey, IStructE President, reports from UK and Asia

by David Harvey, M.Sc., P.Eng., StructEng, FIStructE

In the last issue of AE Today, I reported on my inauguration and initial branch visits. Much has happened since then.

I presided over the IStructE Structural Awards, and was especially pleased that two entries from Associated Engineering had been short-listed for the Awards. The Whitemud Creek Pedestrian Arch Bridge won a Commendation Award. Many congratulations to Steve Croxford and our team in the Edmonton office for their splendid work!

My partner, Cecilia, and I have subsequently been extremely busy completing our tour of IStructE’s domestic branches. We were especially thrilled to follow up our trip to Scotland with visits to Northern Ireland, Wales, and the Irish Republic. In Northern Ireland, I was very fortunate to get to see the River Foyle Bridge in Londonderry. This elegant, 866 m long, steel box girder structure, with its massive 234 m main span, is one of my favourite bridge designs.

South of the border in the Irish Republic, Cecilia and I visited the new
Dublin Port Tunnel followed by a visit to an international rugby match – quite an amazing experience, and a first for both of us.

The most breathtaking building I visited was the Terminal 5 project at London's Heathrow Airport. This project is the largest construction project in Europe, with a total value of around CAD$10 billion. The 440 m by 180 m by 40 m high terminal building features a massive clear-span roof weighing 20,000 tons! Perhaps the most unusual feature of the project is the delivery method, wherein the owner, the British Airports Authority, accepts all project risks. This novel concept allows all participants to act as a team and focus on problem solving.

A major bridge that I was able to visit was the Tamar Bridge, in Plymouth, Devon. Five years ago this major road link between the counties of Devon and Cornwall was widened by adding cantilevered lanes on each side of the existing deck. To avoid major rebuilding of the suspension bridge, which dates back to 1961, the original concrete deck was removed and replaced with a much lighter steel deck. Work was carried out with the vital link remaining operational - a world's first. Cecilia and I greatly enjoyed our bridge tour which included close inspection of the modified superstructure components using the under-deck maintenance catwalks.

After Christmas, we toured Southeast Asia. Starting in Singapore, we signed a new IESIStructE Co-operation Agreement with the Institution of Engineers, Singapore (IES), and I gave a lecture on “Engineering for Extreme Conditions to students at the National University of Singapore. We then flew to Hong Kong to tackle a hectic program of events. We met with the People's Republic of China Liaison Office, the British Consulate General, two local universities, the Hong Kong Government's Building and Highways departments, and the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers (HKIE). Some outstanding site visits were arranged,
notably the massive International Commerce Centre building. Currently under construction, this 118 storey, 490 m high, signature building will be the third tallest in the world.

This dazzling building was only matched by an iconic bridge, currently being built adjacent to the busiest container port in the world. The $500 million, 1.6 kilometre long Stonecutters Bridge is a world-class, cable-stayed structure with a massive span of 1,018 metres. Upon completion in 2008, this will be the second longest cable-stayed span in the world. During my visit I was able to view construction progress from the towers which had reached the 160 metres elevation, and see steel box girder segments for the main span being off-loaded from barges and welded into larger strings prior to erection. This tour was a fitting end to the presidential tour of Southeast Asia. Cecilia and I are much looking forward to more exciting events planned for 2007.

Shawn Cleary’s vision of rebuilding through capacity building in Indonesia

Shawn Cleary of Associated Engineering’s Toronto office recently returned from a two-week mission to Indonesia to teach locals how to build simple household-scale drinking water filters to curb the transmission of waterborne disease in rural communities. Shawn volunteered with GlobalMedic (www.dmgf.org), a Canadian aid agency, to conduct two workshops on the biosand water filter for over 30 individuals representing 20 aid organizations and academics. The workshops were held in Yogyakarta, an area that was devastated by last year's earthquake, which left 6,000 dead and 200,000 homeless.

Shawn Cleary provides instruction on biosand filter operation

Participants attended from as far away as Papua, Kalimantan, Sumatra, and Aceh, which is still rebuilding after the tsunami in 2004. Shawn advises, “The biosand filter is a simple to use, household-scale, slow sand filter that can be constructed from local materials. Its implementation has proved successful in many cultures and communities throughout the world, and has resulted in significant health improvements in families that rely mostly on surface water sources. The filter removes 99% of fecal bacteria, 100% of parasites, and meets world health standards of drinking water quality. More importantly, it’s sustainable, 98% of past filter installations are still in use today.