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www.thestructuralengineer.org

Technical TheStructuralEngineer 39
January 2012

Technical Guidance
Notes: an introduction
In his editorial of 18th October 2011, Managing
Editor Lee Baldwin heralded the introduction of a
series of ‘Technical Guidance Notes’. Sarah Fray
- Director: Engineering and Technical Services
provides an introduction to the series.

Sarah Fray Director

The Technical Guidance Notes are one of a range of initiatives Technicians may also find these notes helpful when looking to
planned by the Institution’s Engineering and Technical Services develop a greater understanding of structural design - which may
Department to increase the practical support offered to members. bring benefits to the overall quality of structural detailing and also
The notes have been conceived to provide technical guidance enhance an individual’s career.
to both undergraduates and those in the early stages of their The Technical Guidance Notes are intended to be easily
careers, with the intention of helping them to gain skills and accessible. Each note is designed to form part of the foundation of
technical competence in the workplace and hence increase their a personal technical reference library which can be continuously
individual value to the businesses they contribute to. Experienced referred to. In developing the strategy for the Technical Guidance
Notes, we have been conscious of the need to provide sound
foundations from which design skills can be developed, and so
Level 3 basic structural engineering fundamentals are presented initially;
Complex design the implementation plan for the series has identified second
concepts and third tier subjects which, in the medium term, will address
structural engineering principals at increasingly complex levels.
Level 2 It should be noted that we have decided to adopt titling using
Element design and traditional UK terms such as ‘loading’ rather than Eurocode
communication terms. Whilst the notes have
been written to adhere to the
Level 1 I hope that many Eurocodes we have taken
Core design of you will the view that adopting the
Eurocode titles would not
concepts benefit from aid the accessibility for the
the series and relatively inexperienced.
will make use of I hope that many of you will
those guidance benefit from the series and will
notes that are make use of those guidance
particularly notes that are particularly
applicable to applicable to your field. The
first two, entitled: ‘Principles of
your field design’ and ‘Derivation of dead
loads’ follow. •