Issues

Issue 74

March 2018

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The tall, twisted PwC Tower in Johannesburg with many windows.
  • Civil & structural
  • Issue 74

A tower with a twist

Building a conventional 26-storey building is pretty straightforward. Twist it 30 degrees in a gentle spiral and a host of engineering challenges are created, from countering the huge torsional stresses to finding a way to clean the windows. Modern computer systems helped to quickly produce solutions.
A young child playing outside with a wooden model containing syringes connected to plastic tubes.
  • Issue 74

An ingenious introduction to engineering

The Royal Academy of Engineering’s Ingenious scheme funds creative projects across the UK to engage the public with engineering. In its 12th year, it has funded over 200 projects and reached more than 2.5 million members of the public.

A black and yellow toy robot holding a toy plant. Written on the robot are the words wall-E.
  • Technology & robotics
  • How does that work?
  • Issue 74

How do robots work?

While there are many different types of robots, which perform tasks as varied as space exploration, shelf-stacking and surgery, they still have core features in common. A robot can sense its environment, plan an action and then carry out the action.

Quick read

A headshot of Elliott Webb.
  • Civil & structural
  • How I got here
  • Issue 74

Q&A: Elliott Webb

Elliott Webb is an apprentice engineer in Arup’s Highways team. He is currently designing and modelling routes for the High Speed 2 (HS2) project.
A terra nova tent in a field, with a grey outside and yellow inside lining. It is held up by a semi-circular polar in the middle, and vertical pole at each end, with pegs to keep the fabric in place.
  • Design & manufacturing
  • Innovation Watch
  • Issue 74

A more convenient way to camp

In 2004, a small British manufacturer produced a tent that weighed less than a kilogram. Since then, Terra Nova Equipment has continued to push camping technology boundaries, holding the world record for producing a 500-gram tent – the lightest that is commercially available.
A person with a helmet riding a mountain bike in the air, with rolling green hills in the background.
  • Design & manufacturing
  • Issue 74

Measure to make better

Metrology, the science and technology behind measuring things, underpins all manufacturing. To keep up with the rapid rate of production process development, engineers have developed new techniques, backed up by mathematical analysis and artificial intelligence.
Female civil engineer designs underground tunnels
  • Civil & structural
  • Opinion
  • Issue 74

Collaboration is key to improving the UK's productivity

Britain’s construction sector is experiencing its lowest levels of productivity in more than 40 years. Sir John Armitt CBE FREng, Chair of the National Infrastructure Commission, believes that better collaboration could drastically improve UK productivity.
  • Mechanical
  • Sports & leisure
  • Profiles
  • Issue 74

A formula for success

Over the past 30 years, Paddy Lowe FREng has seen Formula One motor racing grow from small teams to a billion pound enterprise at the forefront of technology. He has introduced active suspension, hybrid engines and other key technologies that have changed the profile of motor racing.

The wooden remains of the Mary Rose ship.
  • Arts & culture
  • Maritime & naval
  • Issue 74

Raising and conserving the Mary Rose

The Mary Rose Museum, shortlisted for the 2018 European Museum of the Year, houses the Mary Rose hull and thousands of Tudor artefacts that were sealed under clay and silt when it sank in 1545. Technology has helped detect, rescue, resurrect and conserve the remains of Henry VIII’s warship.