Atkins bridge expert wins major international award - 30 June 2009
Chris Hendy, the chair of Atkins’ bridge engineering network, has been honoured by the federation internationale du beton (fib) with a major design award for his work on concrete structures.
The award, the 2009 fib Diploma for Younger Engineers, in the Design and Construction category, is given for innovative design, or the promotion of better concrete structures through the design process. Projects that drew the judge’s praise included the Dubai Metro Viaducts, the New Medway Bridge, and the Penang Bridge in Malaysia. Chris Hendy was also recognised for his work sculpting design guidance for his fellow international bridge engineers.
Mr Hendy said: “The approach we’re now taking to bridge design has changed significantly. By using more advanced computer modelling techniques, rather than always rigidly sticking to simplified code provisions, we can achieve the quality and safety standards required but reduce both the cost and the amount of material being used.
“On the Dubai Metro viaducts, for instance, we had to build in a high level of resilience to earthquake forces. The use of conventional bearings would have given rise to very large quantities of steel reinforcement in the concrete substructures. However by applying our carbon critical design thinking we introduced elastomeric bearings to effectively act as seismic isolators. Tuning the stiffness of these bearings allowed us to significantly cut the amount of reinforcement needed but maintain safety standards. The result was we reduced cost and improved the project’s environmental credentials.”
The fib diploma was awarded to Chris Hendy at Islington’s Design Centre on 23 June. His entry cited his work on numerous projects including:
• Dubai Metro (design of viaducts for longest fully automated rail system in the world)
• New Medway Bridge (design of longest fully externally post-tensioned bridge span in the UK)
• Penang Bridge, Malaysia (design of a stay cable replacement scheme for the longest bridge in South East Asia)
• Deptford Viaduct on the Docklands Light Railway (first internally post-tensioned bridge to be designed after a Highways Agency moratorium was lifted on such construction)
Mr Hendy was also recognised for co-authoring a series of books setting best practice in the bridge design sector. The Designers’ Guide to EN 1992-2, EN 1993-2, and EN 1994-2, were all written to help designers conform to Eurocodes 2, 3 and 4. The publications cover the design of concrete, steel, and composite steel structures.
Ends
For more information:
Andy Winstanley
Head of media relations +44 (0)1372 752018 / +44 (0)7803 259643
andy.winstanley@atkinsglobal.com
Notes to editors:
Photo attached showing (from l to r) chairman of the jury Prof. Hugo Corres Peiretti (Spain), Chris Hendy, Atkins, research-category winner Ana Maria Ruiz Teran (originally from Spain but currently lecturer at the University of East London), and fib President Michael N. Fardis (Greece). This picture was taken after the award ceremony. Please include credit to the photographer: "Ulrich van Stipriaan, TU Dresden"
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