'The computer has come to stay, we must live with it and this book teaches us how to do so whilst remaining masters of the proceedings' Sir Ove Arup. (Understanding Structural Analysis. Introduction to the first edition)
'Brohn's magnificent text presents a radical departure...Such an approach has much to recommend it' Times Higher Education Supplement (Understanding Structural Analysis. First Edition)
News Archive
November 2007
I believe that you can halve the engineering time spent on projects just thinking clearly first.
In the Response column of the Guardian (14th November 2007), Chris Wise, ex-Arup now founder / director of Expedition Engineering commented on the type of engineers we need to solve the crisis of global warming. The observations are so apposite to the philosophy behind the Structural Modelling courses that they are worth quoting at length.
'We have more than enough engineers. We need magical conjurors'
'....We helped the world get into this mess and we are going to make it our mission to get it out again. This need is poorly served by specialised research universities and corporate engineering practice, rooted as it is in the postwar era and a scientific tendency to avoid responsibility. Nowadays sums are so easy that many engineers try to analyse their way to an answer, diligently solving the wrong problem rather than think their way to a solution. That is the root of the shortage of engineering expertise. I believe that you can halve the engineering time spent on projects just thinking clearly first.'
October 2007
The first of the ‘Understanding Structural Analysis’ courses was held in London at the end of October. It was well attended with 20 delegates. The QSE Planeframe and Spaceframe software was issued prior to the course. We had one laptop between two delegates which meant that we could carry out live analyses to investigate particular aspects of behaviour and equilibrium. The software was then used to support other topics on the course such as the design office understanding of key methods of structural analysis.
The ‘Understanding Structural Design’ course requires attendance at the ‘Understanding Structural Behaviour’ course, but we decided not to apply this to the ‘Understanding Computer Analysis’ course.
Because the software has a lifetime licence (supplied free with the textbook), it is clear that there is increasing use to create simpler structural models of live projects for which more complex software is used. This helps in the basic understanding of the structure and is an effective check.
May 2007
The Institution of Structural Engineers has asked New Paradigms to design and run a new course, ‘Understanding Structural Analysis’. This course is aimed at recently qualified graduates to act as a link between what is taught in the undergraduate course in structural analysis and how these methods are applied in the design office.
This new course includes the key aspects of an earlier planned course, ‘Understanding Computer Analysis’ which is now superseded by this new course.
Particular emphasis is paid to approximate methods, extending the approach in ‘Understanding Structural Behaviour’ and the way in which checks on the output from computer analysis may be developed.
Delegates will be issued with a copy of the textbook, ‘Understanding Structural Analysis’ which includes a free copy of the software for structural analysis, QSE Plane and QSE Space.
For further information please contact Professional Solutions.
The first course is to be run 31st October / 1st November 2007.
December 2006
Understanding Structural Behaviour courses for the Institution of Structural Engineers
The first course was run in February 2006 and was so successful that in all 8 courses have been run, 6 in London, Bristol and Newcastle. There have been nearly 200 delegates in total and the response questionnaires show a consistently high level of satisfaction for this course.
This course will continue to be organised by Professional Solutions for the Institution and all members will have received details with their copy of The Structural Engineer.
The next courses in 2007 are to be held in London on these dates:
Understanding Structural Design3rd / 4th October
14th / 15th November
This course, for which attendance at a USB course is essential, will be organised by Professional Solutions from 2007. The course is focussed on preparation for the Chartered Membership examination of the IStructE.
Three courses were run in 2006 with a second tutor, Ian Duncan from Bristol. Ian has a long experience as a structural designer and academic and brings day-to-day experience to this course.
The next course will be held in London 17th / 18th October 2007.
June 2006
To date, the Understanding Structural Behaviour course has been run in-house for leading firms of structural engineers in the UK, Denmark and abroad.
In 2006, at the request of a number of smaller organisations, the first UK public course was organised by Professional Solutions in February. It was quickly filled and was followed by a second course in London in March and the third in Bristol in April.
Further courses have been arranged;
2006
Newcastle-upon-Tyne 6th / 7th June
London 4th / 5th July
London 12th / 13th September
Many of the participants are recognising that this course is an excellent preparation for the Chartered Membership examination of the Institution of Structural Engineers.
A report on the first four courses, with 80 delegates in total, is available as a download.
For further details, please contact Professional Solutions.