James Norman is excited about the future of structural design, believing that engineers will be freed up to explore new materials and pursue regenerative strategies by increased automation. As his latest book is published, he talks engineering, education and ethics with Helena Russell.

This article by Fragkoulis Kanavaris and Bruce Martin briefly describes three embodied carbon classification tools available to engineers in the UK and illustrates how they may be applied in the industry.

This article outlines how a motivated client and design team collaborated to repurpose a derelict concrete-framed building in Stratford, east London. The case study highlights the importance of early conversations for reuse projects and the need to appoint professionals experienced in retrofit to allow clients to understand the primary risks and enable them to make informed decisions. It demonstrates common risks associated with heavy retrofit projects and how an oversimplistic and conservative approach can be detrimental when assessing the viability of reusing an existing building. The case study also highlights the current commercial challenges that can inhibit the wider uptake of circular economy principles and building reuse. An approach of retention and heavy structural modification is perceived to be a greater risk than a demolition and new-build solution, with numerous areas which could cause uncertainty and, potentially, commercial issues. In this instance, a financial incentive in the form of a grant was offered by the Greater London Authority for projects adopting a retro-first approach. This grant helped the client, Mary Ward, to commit to the significant upfront investment required for the investigations needed to understand the full cost and complexity of retention, and minimise the project risks to acceptable levels.

This month's report discusses an unusual steelwork connection found during an inspection of an existing structure.

With advances in metallurgy and steel-making technology, structural steel with yield strengths up to 690N/mm2 is produced regularly in many modern steel mills in different countries, such as China, France, Germany, India and Japan. The yield strength of S690 steel is almost twice that of the commonly used structural S355 steel. High-strength steels are used in a wide range of structures, such as heavy-duty lifting equipment in mines and ports, frames and members in wind turbines, as well as container trailers and passenger trains. Use of high-strength steels is highly advantageous for these moving structures because they can carry increased payloads and hence use less energy during operation. For civil engineering and building structures, the use of S690 steel allows a significant reduction in the self-weight of a structure and also a reduction in the loads to be imposed on supporting structures and foundations. In recent years, the cost per tonne of S690 steel in many parts of the world has decreased steadily, which has improved its competitive position with respect to S355 steel. In China, the unit cost of S690 steel has varied typically from 1.25 to 1.35 times that of S355 steel over the past five years. It may be argued that owing to the increased strength of S690 steel, only half of the steel tonnages are needed, compared with S355 steel. Hence, the steel material cost becomes roughly 1.3 times 0.5, or 0.65, of that of S355 steel, leading to a significant saving in material costs. Research work on mechanical properties and structural behaviour of welded sections made from S690 steel conducted at the Chinese National Engineering Research Centre for Steel Construction (Hong Kong Branch) has shown that provided the welding processes are properly controlled, it is possible to minimise or even eliminate any reduction in strength and ductility which might occur due to microstructural change. Extensive research and development work have also been conducted to promote application of high-strength steel for construction. A steel bridge with two arches using 4400 tonnes of S690 steel in Hong Kong, and a steel bridge with mega trusses using 1625 tonnes of Q690 steel in Macau are briefly described. In addition, the initiative of the Development Bureau of the Government of Hong Kong SAR in promoting the use of high-strength S690 steel is highlighted.

Roger Johnson, Wojciech Lorenc and Wolfgang Kurz provide a brief overview of a new part to Eurocode 4, covering composite dowels, which is currently in development for planned publication in 2026.

This article seeks to equip engineers with more knowledge about ruins. Building on Part 11 of the Conservation compendium, 'A career in ruins (the challenges presented by derelict structures)', it provides further sources of information from a UK perspective for those engineers who look after them.

How should climatic design action vary with duration of exposure? Alastair Hughes identifies two conflicting approaches, and questions whether EN 1991 has made the right choice.

This month's report discusses how home improvement work, consisting of reroofing and a loft conversion, resulted in a 'near miss' with potentially dangerous conditions for neighbours.