Author Archives: Andy Goodwin

GEOTECHNICAL DESIGN TO EC7

The next geotechnical course we are running in Chesterfield on 22 and 23 February 2016 is a 2 day course entitled “Geotechnical Design to Eurocode 7”. Costing just £395 + VAT per delegate, the course will provide delegates with the opportunity to learn and practice how to apply EC7 in design. The course will begin with an overview of the Eurocodes and EC7 in particular, before looking at the basis of EC7, parametric assessment, and the implications of EC7 for site investigation. The main focus of the course will be on the Eurocodes and their use in design practice though, using shallow foundations, retaining walls and soil slopes as design topics to explore and illustrate the application of EC7. The course will be taught via a series of short lectures followed by discussions and tutorial-type sessions to reinforce the learning. Guided examples will be used to provide delegates with the opportunity to apply their learning. Discounts are available for group bookings or delegates attending more than one course. Please call or email us to reserve your place on a course.

NEW COURSE IS A SUCCESS

Our new course, Ground Investigation Design to EC7 – The Essentials, was successfully delivered on 18 January to a small diverse audience in Chesterfield. The half day course addressed the likely impacts of EC7, and BS5930 and BS8004, on ground investigation design. The key focus of the course was on the EC7 design requirements for GI’s, and included a well received design exercise to examine the scale of changes that could be required. Analysis of the post-course feedback showed that 98% of the responses rated the course as very good or excellent. If you are interested in attending this course next time, then please note that is next scheduled to run on 22 September 2016. If though you have a small group that would benefit from a bespoke course before this date then please contact us to see how we could help you. IMG_2424 (300x225) - Copy IMG_2422 (300x225)

MORE MENTEES JOIN SUREPATH

We are pleased to announce two new engineers are now receiving mentoring support from Dr Andy Goodwin of Surepath. Andy is a highly experienced mentor and Supervising Civil Engineer (SCE), as well as being a seasoned reviewer for the ICE. One of the new mentees has sought Andy out to provide short term mentoring support targeted just at preparing for the Spring review session. In contrast the other is setting out on a longer journey as he captures and documents many years of experience relative to the Attributes that will need to be demonstrated to be successful at an ICE professional review for chartered status. Despite their diverse requirements, both individuals will benefit from Andy’s experience and friendly guidance, which will draw on all aspects of his experience. If you are in need of mentoring, or need a mentor for your staff, then please contact Andy on 01246 807808 or email him at andy.goodwin@surepathtraining.co.uk.  He will happily talk you through what we could do for you to add value to your existing arrangements and processes, without any obligation.

GI DESIGN TO EC7…… AND THE NEW BS5930 & BS 8004!

EC7 has already impacted general design practice but its impact on ground investigation design has been less evident despite Eurocodes having been brought into Building Regulations in 2013. However the revisions in late 2015 of BS5930 and BS8004 mean that changes in current practice may now be required sooner rather than later. Our new half day course, Ground Investigation Design to EC7 – The Essentials, aims to address the likely impacts of these codes on ground investigation design. Taught against a background introduction to EC7, the key focus of the course will be on EC7 design requirements for GI’s, including a design exercise to examine the scale of changes that could be required. The course will introduce also changes to logging and reporting requirements to suit EC7. The course is running in Chesterfield on 18 January 2016 and costs only £125 + VAT per delegate. Discounts are available for group bookings or delegates attending more than one course. Please call or email us to reserve your place on a course.

COURSES TO ASSIST ICE PROFESSIONAL REVIEW PREPARATIONS

We have scheduled two courses in February 2016 that should in particular assist delegates in their preparations for their ICE professional reviews. In brief the courses comprise:
  • Essentials of Project Management on 1 February 2016; this full day course costs only £220 + VAT per delegate, and would be of use too to young professionals interested in project management
  • The ICE Professional Review – Preparing for the Interview on 4 February 2015; limited to a maximum of 4 delegates, this course includes individual feedback on both the draft review report submitted by each delegate and on their performance during the mock interview; it costs £295 + VAT per delegate
Both courses are scheduled to run in Chesterfield. Discounts are available for group bookings or delegates attending more than one course. Please call or email us to reserve your place on a course. More courses are available – see here for our 2016 calendar of public courses or here for our full list of courses including those available on a bespoke basis.

FIRST GEOTECHNICAL COURSES IN 2016

We are pleased to announce our first three geotechnical courses in 2016 are as follows:
  • Ground Investigation Design to EC7 – The essentials, a half day course on 18 January 2016; this course costs only £125 + VAT per delegate
  • Retaining Walls – Principles and Practice on 25 January 2016, at £220 + VAT per delegate
  • Geotechnical Design to Eurocode 7, a 2 day course on 22 and 23 February 2016 costing £395 + VAT per delegate
All courses are running in Chesterfield. Discounts are available for group bookings or delegates attending more than one course. Please call or email us to reserve your place on a course. More geotechnical courses are available – see here for our 2016 calendar of public courses or here for our full list of courses including those available on a bespoke basis too.

PRICES HELD FOR 2016

We are pleased to announce that our Course Calendar for 2016 is now available for download from here or from the bottom left of our web site pages. You will be pleased to know that:
  • prices have been held at 2015 levels;
  • discounts are available for group bookings or delegates attending more than one course;
  • more open courses are being offered; and
  • a wider geographic spread of course venues is to be used.
We are still offering bespoke courses to suit your needs too, so if you wish to run a course just for your team then feel free to call us to discuss your needs. See our full list of courses for ideas. We look forward to seeing you in 2016.

LAST GEOTECHNICAL COURSES IN 2015

We have just two more geotechnical courses coming up in 2015, as follows:
  • NEW DATE… Slope Stability Design to EC7 on 26 November 2015
  • Foundations and Building Settlement – Principles and Practice on 7 December 2015
Each course is running in Chesterfield and costs just £220 + VAT per delegate for full day courses. Discounts are available for group bookings or delegates attending more than one course. Please call us to reserve your place on a course.

MORE NEW GEOTECHNICAL STANDARDS

The BSI have announced changes to a number of geotechnical engineering related standards in recent months. Though by no means exhaustive the list of changes affecting this sector includes:
  • BS 8002:2015 Code of practice for earth retaining structures.
  • BS 8004:2015 Code of practice for foundations.
  • BS 5930:2015 Code of practice for ground investigations.
  • BS 8081:2015 Code of practice for grouted anchors.
  • BS EN 1536:2010 Amendment 1, Execution of special geotechnical work. Bored piles.
  • BS EN 1538:2010 Amendment 1, Execution of special geotechnical work. Diaphragm walls.
  • BS EN 1992-1-1:2004 Amendment 1, Eurocode 2. Design of concrete structures.
  • BS EN 1993-1-1:2005 Amendment 1, Eurocode 3. Design of steel structures.
  • BS EN ISO 17628:2015 Geotechnical investigation and testing. Geothermal testing.
  • BS EN ISO 25619-2:2015 Geosynthetics. Determination of compression behaviour.

GETTING SCHOOL CHILDREN INTO CONSTRUCTION

The Construction Industry Training Board has launched a portal to encourage school children into construction. The CITB site aims to encourage children to consider the sector as a career and includes sections for children, schools and parents / carers. Please take some time to peruse the site and maybe draw it to the attention of others?