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Video: The Future of Design - a recap of the recent IABSE young designers conference

The annual International Association for Bridge and Structural Engineers design conference brought together a record number of young designers to hear inspirational speakers, take part in topical discussion and hear from the brightest talent in the industry.

Hundreds of young structural engineers gathered at Imperial College in September for the annual inpirational IABSE Young Designers conference to exchange ideas, hear about the latest design innovations and trends and discuss how they feel future careers in the industry will develop.

If you missed this event this video sets the scene and shoudl insore you to attend next year.

Speakers included: Paul Westbury, Laing O'Rourke; Julia Ratcliffe, Expedition Engineering; Richard Jobson, Design Engine; Tim Burton and Andy Scott, Falkirk Kelpies; David Scott, Laing O'Rourke; Brian Eckersley, Eckersley O'Callaghan Structural Design.

Twelve Young Designers were also chosen to present papers written specifically for the conference to panels of judges. Winners were chosen by specially chosen industry judges and by the audience itself. 

The winners in each group were

Group A Winner – Rufus Foster
Group A Joint Audience Favourite – Mike Hook
Group A Joint Audience Favourite – Najwa Jawahar

Group B Winner – Mark Hipwell
Group B Runner Up – Andreas Bak

Twenty teams of young designers also entered the bridge design competition,with the best eight displayed and then judged at the conference.

Congratulations go to the following teams who were selected for prizes:

Winners: Dan Green (Flint & Neill) and Emily Carmichael (Cambridge University) (Team 1)
The proposal was admired for its response to context both in terms of the revised siting of the bridge and it’s aesthetic. The slewing structure is a simple but confident technical solution.

Joint Runners Up: Andrew Robinson, Jack Bardwell and Nathan Gilling (Expedition) (Team 3)
The proposal for a fixed cantilever truss with an opposing trussed bascule leaf is a simply stated and novel structure in which the jury saw much potential for further development.

Joint Runners Up: Rebecca Fathers, Aqib Tabassum (CH2M) and Ana Lara Lopez (Knight Architects) (Team 10)
The rolling bascule bridge proposal offers an elegant, beautiful structural object in context and a clearly recognisable update  to the historic water – weighted opening bridges of the docklands.

Special Mention: Chris Short (CH2M) (Team 19)
The scheme illustrated a unique design with a well thought through technical resolution of a theatrical, complex but believable opening procedure.

If you would like to contact Antony Oliver about this, or any other story, please email antony.oliver@infrastructure-intelligence.com.