The Purpose of the Institution

Floor loadings for industrial buildings Mr R. C. Hairsine queried (March 1981)the design load of 24 and 36 kN/m2, and we now publish some of the responses. Verulam

Mr T. N. W. Akroyd, MScTech, LLB(Hons), CEng, FIStructE, Member of the Honourable Society of Lincoln’s Inn, Barrister, is unique in the sense of being the first lawyer-and a barrister to boot-to be President of the Institution. He is, by education and training, an engineer and a lawyer and, by occupation, a consulting engineer and farmer. Taking office on 8 October next, Mr Akroyd will deliver his Presidential Address ‘Progressive collapse revisited (the problem of structural failure)’ at 6.00 pm that evening at the Institution, 11 Upper Belgrave Street, London SWlX 8BH.

The paper compares the economics of various seyice reservoir designs and deals with the technical and financial advantages of the simply supported wall over the more conventional cantilever or propped cantilever solution. Rectangular reservoirs with capacities up to 31 800 m3 and circular tanks to 4500 m3 are included in the exercise. J. Walmsley