Safety, risk and failure - John N. Carpenter

Along with tall buildings long-span structures appear as landmarks in the development of structural and constructional engineering. Record breaking bridge spans and the column free enclosure of vast spaces enable engineers to showcase the technological concepts that enable their construction and of course there is always an interest in record breaking.

The craft of building is of course ancient, but was originally just a skill lacking scientific backing. The development of engineering as applied science came much later and sprang from more general discoveries, from curiosity and from the practical needs of society. The desire to understand how our world works has motivated many, and polymaths like Leonardo da Vinci, were at least part engineers. In later times, groups gathered to learn and share their interests and in that sense, our Institution is the child of a long line of Learned Societies. In Britain, the Royal Society dates from 1660. Its first curator of experiments was Robert Hooke whom we might claim as one of our own. Newton was President from 1703 to 1727 and Thomas Young was a member (1773 to 1829), lecturing and writing prolifically with many of his works underpinning our current engineering understanding. These were the origins of where we are now and of the scientific method which is promulgated via Journal papers.

Although the Centenary which we are celebrating starts in 1908, the associated revolution in structural materials and techniques began in Britain around 1900, and earlier in America and on the Continent. Before 1900, bridges, land drainage, docks, harbours, cotton mills, train sheds and other essentially utilitarian works in Britain were civil engineering, while most other buildings were for people and were considered as architecture. Today this distinction is becoming less marked, largely due to the introduction of new materials and changes in attitudes to them.