The 2019 annual lecture, entitled ‘What we Do’, was presented by Guy Nordensen. Having flown in especially from New York, Guy first dedicated the lecture to the memory of Jack Zunz, before delivering a fascinating insight into many of the projects that have made Guy and his practice famous for inspired design.
A packed lecture theatre at the IStructE was captivated by the descriptions of Guy’s projects and the inspirations behind them. At the heart of the work presented was the concept that structures should be honest and should be seen. To create high quality work that does this, art and science must be combined into design that utilises top quality craftsmanship in the construction.
The lecture ended by considering the future and how climate adaption should influence design of the future; focusing on Guy’s work for development of the New York waterfront, pulling in risk based approaches from earthquake engineering into coastal flooding.
Following the lecture, about 50 people headed down to the Thames for the annual dinner, held this year as a boat trip. On a stunning evening, dinner was served and drinks enjoyed as the boat travelled up to nine Elms and back down to Greenwich. Attendees knowledge of structures of interest along the way was shared and a convivial atmosphere provided many opportunities to make and renew contacts – a fantastic evening was had by all.