The first symposium of the year focused on Technology, and displayed a diverse range of subject matter presented by four speakers from different disciplines.
Poster for the Technology Symposium
'Clasp' glove sensors for management of neurological infections and disease
Sareen Galbraith, a virologist and senior lecturer at Leeds Beckett, spoke first on research into 'clasp' glove sensors for the management of neurological diseases and infections, such as Parkinson's disease. Whilst at first glance, this doesn't appear to be a very architectural subject, Galbraith focused a lot on the prototyping process of developed the gloves, and the constant need to have the end use and user in mind. These are both clearly applicable topics, particularly in my studio group, Field Works, where prototyping and physical testing are key modes of working.
Calcite Precipitation Technologies used to treat lateritic soil
After this, Anthony Smith talked about his research into calcite precipitation technologies. Smith's research is focused on soil, and how issues with building on different types of soil can be mitigated through new technologies. Specifically, Smith's work is focused on lateritic soil. One of the things to note was that soil shear strength changes on a daily basis, all dependent on moisture content, so it is important for foundations to be able to accommodate these changes. Smith also pointed us in the direction of the relevant British Standard document for further information on these issues; BS 1377 1990.
Citu Bridge, Leeds
The final two talks were given by the architect, Steve Gittner of Gagarin Studio, and the structural engineer, Darren Paine of DP², of the new Citu Bridge in Leeds. This was a great opportunity to see a project presented in great detail from both an architectural and structural engineering perspective, demonstrating the roles that each took in the project, the issues that arose, and how they were tackled.
A view of the Citu Bridge
Some of the structural engineering points were particularly interesting to me as an architecture student, having less knowledge on that front.
One of these points was about the difference between whether a structure is strong enough and whether it is serviceable. Paine explained these differing criteria with the example of the Millennium Footbridge in London - it was perfectly strong enough and safe, but because it moved a lot, people didn't perceive it to be safe, so it was not serviceable.
Another piece of useful information which Paine shared was about general rules of thumb for span to depth ratios, which can give architects a good idea of how to design before they consult a structural engineer. He explained that for a simple beam, the ratio is 1:20, and for a continuous bridge with a single support, it it 1:30.
Finally, Paine explained about resonant frequencies, which consolidated some of the information that I'd retained from my A Level Physics studies! We learned that people walk at about 2Hz and run at about 4Hz, and that therefore the first resonant standing wave for a bridge should be a minimum of 8Hz. Whilst it is best to design with this in mind, otherwise tuned mass dampers can be used to have the same effect, as were retrofitted onto the Millennium Bridge.
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