Design and Nature 2014 Post Conference Report

Overview

The 7^th International Conference on Comparing Design in Nature with Science and Engineering (Design and Nature 2014) has been held in Opatija, Croatia, organised by the Wessex Institute of Technology and sponsored by the International Journal of Design & Nature and Ecodynamics.

The conference started in Udine (2002) and since then has been reconvened in a series of locations around Europe, ie Rhodes (2004); The New Forest, home of the Wessex Institute (2006); the Algarve (2008); Pisa (2010) and A Coruña (2012).

Understanding nature has been a driving force for the research of many scientists and engineers since antiquity. They now have at their disposal a vast array of information for materials, mechanisms and control. They have arrived at sets of laws, products of analytical methods and observations which span from the atom level, leading to the understanding of the whole universe.

Leading thinkers have been inspired by the parallels between nature and human design. Nowadays, the huge increase in biological knowledge and developments in design and systems, together with the virtual revolution in computer power and simulation modelling, have made possible more comprehensive studies of nature.

The conference was opened by the Chairman, Prof Carlos A Brebbia, Director of Wessex Institute, who referred to the work of WIT and, in particular, it acting as a medium for the dissemination of knowledge. The conference series – Carlos said – is particularly appropriate for this as it brings people together from different locations around the world. Most of them are interdisciplinary meetings in which colleagues learn from each other in a friendly atmosphere.

The field of Design and Nature requires the collaboration of a wide range of scientists in order to better understand nature and learn from it.

Carlos also mentioned that the Institute covers a wide range of activities, in addition to research and training. Of particular importance are industrial research and publication of advanced books and journals.

It seems appropriate – Carlos said – in the case of this conference to refer to the Prigogine Medal which the Institute awards annually to renowned colleagues influenced by the work of Prigogine. This medal – established by the University of Siena and the Wessex Institute – started in 2004 to honour Prigogine’s memory and his association with the University of Siena’s Ecodynamics group and the fact that Prigogine was an Honorary Chairman of a WIT conference, as well as Honorary Editor of the Design and Nature Journal.

Carlos ended his remarks by thanking the delegates for coming and wishing them a very successful conference.

 Keynote Address

The keynote address was given by Prof Giora Rosenhouse, until recently professor at the Technion Institute of Technology, and now director of his own company, Swantech, dedicated to sound wave analysis and technologies. The title of this presentation was “Colors of noise fractals and applications”, in which he described a wide variety of topics, ranging from deterministic to chaos analysis and the secrets of life!

 Conference Topics

The rest of the papers were classified under the following topics:

• Mechanics in nature
• Natural materials and processes
• Biometrics and bio-inspiration
• Biological studies
• Natural energy behaviour
• Evolutionary physics

 

 Social Occasions

The delegates had ample opportunities to hold informal discussions and get to know each other better. There were complimentary lunches arranged, in addition to the coffee breaks.

An excursion was offered to visit the ancient city of Pula, the origins of which are pre-Roman. There have been human settlements there for at least the last five millennia, but the city architecture and culture has been influenced by the Romans and later the Venetians.

The most outstanding Roman remain in Pula is a large amphitheatre which could hold up to ten thousand spectators and is in reasonably good condition.

Several Roman temples are still standing in the main square as well as a beautiful Venetian building, housing the City government. Pula was an important trading port for the Romans and many reminders of that past are still dotted around the town.

The delegates had lunch in Pula, which was followed by a guided tour of the main places in town, ending in the amphitheatre museum.

The conference banquet was another occasion for the delegates to build stronger links. It consisted of a boat trip followed by a sit down dinner in beautiful surroundings.

The boat trip took the delegates around Opatija bay so that they could appreciate the hills, summer houses and hotels that cover the slopes and the shore. Then they had a glass of Spumante and some canapés.

Upon disembarkation the delegates were taken to a restored residence known for its paintings, prints and other works of art, and from there proceeded to the restaurant where the dinner was to take place. This was an old house, beautifully restored, facing the bay.

The dinner took place in a room whose walls were covered in paintings. There they had an outstanding meal consisting of Croatian specialities and accompanied by local wines and music of the region. The dishes included pasta, beef and home made ice cream.

The evening was most enjoyable and helped to consolidate the links between the participants.

 Closing of the Conference

The conference was characterised by its friendliness and the high level of discussions. This is particularly important for a topic like Design and Nature that spans many different disciplines.

The meeting was closed by Carlos, who expressed his appreciation to the members of the International Scientific Advisory Committee for their work in reviewing papers and to all attendees for their contribution. He referred to the possibility of publishing in the International Journal of Design and Nature, a unique forum for this type of research.

 Related Conferences

• Ravage of the Planet IV
• Complex Systems 2015
• ECOSUD 2015

Sustainable Tourism 2014 Post Conference Report

 Introduction

The sixth International Conference on Sustainable Tourism took place in Opatija, Croatia organised by the Wessex Institute of Technology and the Complutense University of Madrid. The Chairmen were Prof Carlos A Brebbia, Director of Wessex Institute, Dr Srecko Favro from the Hydrographic Institute of the Republic of Croatia and Prof Francisco Pineda, from the Complutense University of Madrid.

The meeting was reconvened in 2014 following the success of the five previous conferences starting in Segovia in 2004, followed by Bologna (2006); Malta (2008); The New Forest, home of the Wessex Institute (2010) and A Coruña (2012).

The Sustainable Tourism conference is well established after ten successful years and it attracts papers on a wide variety of topics. The material presented in the book, as well as those from previous conferences, is of interest to the wide community as well as to the tourist industry which can find in the conference volumes, a point of reference for strategic planning and programme development. All the papers published since the first meeting in 2004 are part of the WIT Transactions on Ecology and the Environment and archived in the Wessex Institute eLibrary (http://library.witpress.com/) where they are permanently and easily available to the international community. There the wide variety of topics discussed during the meetings can be appreciated. The papers also demonstrate the importance of the conference series in providing invaluable material to study this ever expanding field of human activity.

Tourism, research and development encompass many different fields of knowledge. The Sustainable Tourism conferences offer a forum to discuss the diverse components of tourism phenomena, ranging from biophysics, to socio-economic and cultural aspects, as well as field studies and academic research, stressing as well the entrepreneurial and institutional side of the industry.

During the last decade, the meeting has enhanced and reflected the changes in the field. The conference now has to address, among other aspects, the need to develop dynamic models that can analyse existing data to predict future trends. In this manner, pathways can be established for different sections of the market including different types of tourism, ranging from the classical “4S” to historical, cultural and ecological tourism.

 Opening of the Conference

The conference was opened by Prof Carlos A Brebbia who referred to the importance of the conference series to fulfil the objectives of the Institute, ie the transfer of knowledge at an international level. The Institute – Carlos said – carries out this function through a series of activities, including conferences. Other activities are industrial research for engineering industries, such as energy and aerospace, amongst others. This work is based on research carried out at the Institute on advanced software tools, particularly in the area of numerical methods for which WIT has acquired an international reputation.

Another important activity of the Wessex Institute is the publishing and dissemination of books and journals, in digital as well as paper format. Conferences such as Sustainable Tourism are part of the important WIT Transactions series.

Carlos also referred to the training and research activities taking place at the Institute campus in the New Forest. There the Institute has residential facilities for students and visitors, and can provide an environment ideal for research.

Carlos ended his address hoping that some of the delegates will consider visiting the WIT campus in the near future so that they can better appreciate the work of the Institute.

 Welcome and Keynote Addresses

Srecko Favro welcomed the delegates to Croatia and explained the motivation to support the conference. He mentioned that he has collaborated with WIT in organising two important meetings on Island Sustainability, a topic of great interest for his country. Many islands in Croatia have lost their population in recent years, a trend that the government is now trying to reverse.

Srecko referred to the potentialities of Croatia, including its rich history and culture. Of particular importance is nautical tourism, a form of tourism that respects rather than damages the environment. There is a large potential for marinas in the Dalmatian Coast.

Croatia is particularly aware of the need to respect and protect its unique environment and expects this investment in nautical tourism to grow rapidly.

The important point – Srecko stated – is to take full advantage of Croatia’s beautiful natural environment. The benefits from this should go to the local community. Srecko’s argument was that nautical tourism can be seen as eco-friendly and helps to create a suitable environment for repopulating many of the now deserted islands.

The keynote address of the conference was given by Prof Ulrike Pröbstl-Haider from the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences in Vienna on the topic “Green meetings: ecocertification of sustainable events in conference and business tourism”, a paper which was well received and led to a lively discussion.

 Invited Presentations

Other invited lectures were:

• “Accessing the attitudes of successors in dairy farms towards educational tourism” by Yasuo Ohe, Professor of Rural Economics at Chiba University, Japan.
• “The evaluation of the present anchorage condition and the development tendency in Zadar County” by Srecko Favro, Ship Survey Consultant and Hydrographical Institute of Croatia.
• “Environmental valuation by the local population and visitors for zoning a protected area” by Francisco Pineda, Complutense University of Madrid

 

 Social Occasions

The conference offered numerous occasions for the participants to interact with each other through a series of social functions, including lunches and coffee breaks.

The International Scientific Advisory Committee (ISAC) of the Conference met over dinner to discuss ways in which the Call for Papers could be improved when the meeting is reconvened in 2016. A series of new topics were proposed that reflect new research carried out in tourism and the demands of the industry. New names were proposed for the ISAC and a series of possible locations discussed. The WIT Conference Division will investigate the facilities offered by each site to decide where to hold the next meeting.

An excursion was offered to visit the ancient city of Pula, the origins of which are pre-Roman. There have been human settlements there for at least the last five millennia, but the city architecture and culture has been influenced by the Romans and later the Venetians.

The most outstanding Roman remains in Pula is its large amphitheatre which could hold up to ten thousand spectators and is in reasonably good condition.

Several Roman temples are still standing in the main square as well as a beautiful Venetian building, housing the City government. Pula was an important trading port for the Romans and many reminders of the port are still dotted around town.

The delegates had lunch in Pula, which was followed by a guided tour of the main places in town, ending in the amphitheatre museum.

The conference banquet was another occasion for the delegates to build stronger links. It consisted of a boat trip followed by a sit down dinner in beautiful surroundings.

The boat trip took the delegates around Opatija bay so that they could appreciate the hills, summer houses and hotels that cover the slopes and the shore. Then they had a glass of Spumante and some canapés.

Upon disembarkation the delegates were taken to a restored residence known for its paintings, prints and other works of art, and from there proceeded to the restaurant where the dinner was to take place. This was an old house, beautifully restored, facing the bay. The dinner took place in a room whose walls were covered in paintings. There they had an outstanding meal consisting of Croatian specialities and accompanied by local wines and music of the region. The dishes included pasta, beef and home made ice cream.

The evening was most enjoyable and helped to consolidate the links between the participants.

 Closing of the Conference

The meeting was closed by Carlos who thanked all delegates for their support of the WIT conference programme. The meeting was highly successful in terms of interaction amongst the delegates and quality of the presentations. The location of Opatija was particularly appreciated as Croatia is very conscious of the importance of protecting its unique environment and developing a tourism industry in harmony with nature.

 

 Conference Proceedings

The proceedings of Sustainable Tourism 2014 – Sustainable Tourism VI, 372pp (Print ISBN: 978-1-84564-800-8; eISBN: 978-1-84564-801-5) are available from WIT Press. Orders can be placed on the WIT Press web site at www.witpress.com or by email: marketing@witpress.com, telephone: +44 (0) 238 029 3223 or fax: +44 (0) 238 029 2853.

Papers from the conference will also be hosted online at the WIT eLibrary as Volume 187 of WIT Transactions on the Ecology and the Environment (ISSN: 1746-448X, Digital ISSN 1743-3541). For more details visit the WIT eLibrary at http://library.witpress.com

 

 Related Conferences

• Sustainable Development and Planning 2015
• Sustainable City 2015
• ECOSUD 2015

Air Pollution 2014 Post Conference Report

Overview

The 22^nd International Conference on Modelling, Monitoring and Management of Air Pollution (AIR POLLUTION 2014) was held in Opatija, Croatia, organised by the University of the West of England and the Wessex Institute.

This successful meeting builds upon the prestigious outcomes of the 21 preceding conferences beginning in Monterrey, Mexico in 1993 and the most recent ones taking place in A Coruña, Spain in 2012 and Siena, Italy 2013.

The meetings have attracted outstanding contributions from leading researchers from around the world. The reviewed papers selected for presentation and included in the conference book have been permanently stored in the WIT eLibrary as WIT Transactions on Ecology and the Environment, volume 183 (http://library.witpress.com/). These collected papers provide an important record of the developments of science and policy pertaining to air pollution.

The Modelling, Monitoring and Management of Air Pollution conferences have attracted a global audience of academics and air pollution practitioners who, through their papers and presentations, have contributed to the evolving understanding of the science and policy contexts of air pollution.

The conference continues to meet the demands of a unique audience through the quality of the science and policy presented at the meetings and the publication format. The series has discussed important air pollution issues at an international, national and local level, and by virtue of the international composition of the delegates, has brought to the discussion a unique suite of perspectives. The conference findings and conclusions enjoy a wide and rapid dissemination amongst the air pollution science and policy communities.

The Conference series has demonstrated that the management of air pollution is one of the most challenging problems facing the international community. Discussions in the series have explored the wide spread nature of the Air Pollution phenomenon and the impacts on human health and the environment. The conference addresses a wide range of air pollution issues and challenges, but a particular strength of the series has been the attention given to regulatory and, more recently, market solutions to air pollution management.

 Opening of the Conference

Prof Carlos A Brebbia, Director of the Wessex Institute and Co-Chairman of the conference, opened the meeting. He explained WIT’s aim of acting as a medium for knowledge transfer which is achieved in different ways, ie through courses, conferences and other training activities, as well as research. The Institute has been particularly successful in developing a set of computer programmes which are now widely applied in engineering analysis and design. The main area of application at present is with petroleum and aerospace industries, where the code – called BEASY- is well established.

WIT Press, the publishing arm of the Institute provides a substantial number of books and journals every year, including the International Journal of Sustainable Development and Planning; presenters at the conference were encouraged to submit a post conference paper to the Journal.

Carlos described the wide network of WIT researchers and specialists throughout the world, in addition to its own staff in the New Forest National Park. The campus is located in the south of England in an area of outstanding beauty which Carlos invited the delegates to visit when in the region. WIT – Carlos explained – is always happy to show visitors the facilities on the campus so that they can have a better idea of how the Institute fulfils its objectives.

The Conference sessions opened with a paper by Prof James Longhurst and Dr Jo Barnes, both of The University of the West of England. The talk was given by Dr Barnes and entitled “Study of ozone concentrations and trends across Europe 1996 to 2010”. The work which was supported by the EU demonstrated that the trends are not consistent across Europe where the problem of Air Pollution is particularly complex. It may be necessary to adapt the policies to the realities of different countries rather than aim for a common policy.

 Invited Presentations

Other invited presentations were as follows:

• “Diurnal variation and vertical distribution of carbonaceous aerosols in the southern part of Thailand” by Siwatt Pongpiachan, National Institute of Development Administration, Thailand.
• “Air quality, climate change and resilience in the Porto urban area” by Carlos Borrego, University of Aveiro, Portugal.
• “Has implementation of Local Air Quality Management reduced local nitrogen dioxide concentrations in the UK?” by Jo Barnes, The University of the West of England, UK.
• “Seasonal trends of indoor particulate matter concentrations in a naturally ventilated school building” by S M Shiva Nagendra, Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, India.

 

 Conference Topics

The papers were divided into a series of topics, as follows:

• Air pollution modelling
• Monitoring and measuring
• Aerosols and particles
• Exposure and health effects
• Emission studies
• Air quality and management
• Indoor air pollution
• Case studies

 

 ISAC Dinner

The International Scientific Advisory Committee (ISAC) met over dinner to discuss the forthcoming Air Pollution 2015 due to take place in Valencia, and how to improve the meeting in 2016. The meeting continues to attract young researchers as well as better established colleagues. This is a good sign that indicates the conference scope for continuous evolution. Several new names were nominated for the committee and several possible locations were discussed. The choice of Opatija was found to be excellent for a scientific conference, while the 2016 meetings ought to be held in a location well served by one or more international airports and in a country with agile visa requirements.

 

 Conference Dinner

The conference banquet was another occasion for the delegates to build stronger links. It consisted of a boat trip followed by a sit down dinner in beautiful surroundings.

The boat trip took the delegates around Opatija bay so that they could appreciate the hills, summer houses and hotels that cover the slopes and the shore. Then they had a glass of Spumante and some canapés.

Upon disembarkation the delegates were taken to a restored residence known for its paintings, prints and other works of art, and from there proceeded to the restaurant where the dinner was to take place. This was an old house, beautifully restored, facing the bay. The dinner took place in a room whose walls were covered in paintings. There they had an outstanding meal consisting of Croatian specialities and accompanied by local wines and music of the region. The dishes included pasta, beef and home-made ice cream.

The evening was most enjoyable and helped to consolidate the links between the participants.

 Closing of the Conference

The conference was closed by Carlos who again thanked the delegates for their participation and the presenters for the quality of their papers. He also expressed his appreciation to the members of the International Scientific Advisory Committee whose review work was essential to ensure the quality of the conference.

 

 Conference Proceedings

The proceedings of Air Pollution 2014 – Air Pollution XXII, 420pp (Print ISBN: 978-1-84564-782-7; eISBN: 978-1-84564-783-4) are available from WIT Press. Orders can be placed on the WIT Press web site at www.witpress.com or by email: marketing@witpress.com, telephone: +44 (0) 238 029 3223 or fax: +44 (0) 238 029 2853.

Papers from the conference will also be hosted online at the WIT eLibrary as Volume 183 of WIT Transactions on the Ecology and the Environment (ISSN: 1746-448X, Digital ISSN 1743-3541). For more details visit the WIT eLibrary at http://library.witpress.com

 

 Related Conferences

• Air Pollution 2015
• Sustainable City 2015
• Ravage of the Planet IV

Heat Transfer 2014 Post Conference Report

Overview

The 13^th International Conference on Simulation and Experiments in Heat and Mass Transfer (Heat Transfer 2014) took place in A Coruña, Spain organised by Lund University of Technology, Sweden and Wessex Institute, UK, with the collaboration of the University of A Coruña.

The Conference Chairmen were Prof Bengt Sunden, from Lund University and Prof Carlos A Brebbia, Director of the Wessex Institute.

The Conference started in Portsmouth, UK in 1988, followed by Milan (1992); Southampton (1994); Udine (1996); Krakow (1998); Madrid (2000); Halkidiki (2002); Lisbon (2004); New Forest, UK, home of the Wessex Institute (2006); Maribor (2008); Tallinn (2010) and Split (2012).

The objective of the series is to provide a forum for presentation and discussion of advanced topics, new approaches and applications of innovative computational methods and experimental measurements in heat and mass transfer.

Heat transfer topics and related phenomena are commonly of a complex nature and different mechanisms like heat conduction, convection, turbulence, thermal radiation and phase change as well as chemical reactions may occur simultaneously. Typical applications are found in heat exchanges, gas turbine cooling, turbulent combustion and fires, fuel cells, batteries, micro- and mini- channels, electronic cooling, melting and solidification, chemical processing and aerospace engineering.

Heat transfer may be regarded as an established and mature scientific discipline, but it plays a major role in new emerging ideas such as sustainable development and reduction of greenhouse gases as well as for micro- and nano-scale structures, nano fluids and bio-engineering. Non-linear phenomena may occur due to temperature dependent thermophysical properties.

To analyse the thermal process and enable design and optimisation, advances in computational methods continue to be important as engineering design and development require reliable and accurate computational tools to replace or complement expensive and time consuming experimental trial and error work. Tremendous advancements have been achieved during recent years due to improved numerical solution algorithms for non-linear differential equations, turbulence modelling and the development of computers and computing programmes to achieve efficient and rapid simulations. Nevertheless, further progress in computational methods will require developments in theoretical and predictive procedures in applied research. Accurate experimental investigations with advanced instrumentation are needed to validate the numerical calculations.

Many excellent research topics were discussed at the Heat Transfer 2014 conference, during which new applications were presented related to the use of advanced computational methods and experimental measurements in heat and mass transfer.

The Conference books containing papers presented at the meeting is Volume 83 of the series WIT Transactions on Engineering Sciences, which is widely distributed around the world in digital as well as hard copy formats. The papers are also permanently archived in the Institute eLibrary (http://library.witpress.com/), where they are easily accessible to the international community.

 Opening of the Conference

The Conference was opened by Prof Carlos A Brebbia who explained the work of the Wessex Institute, in particular its objective to act as a mechanism for knowledge transfer. WIT – Carlos said – carries out this by a series of activities, including industrial research, publication and training.

In the field of industrial applications the Institute is renowned throughout the world because of its pioneering research on boundary elements. The method is used for the analysis of problems affecting electric conduction and offshore structures and other situations used in petroleum engineering. This allows for the design of effective cathodic protection systems against corrosion. The efficient analysis of these systems, Carlos explained, has been possible because of the development of BEM tools.

Fracture mechanics and in particular crack propagation is another problem in which the Institute has carried out original research using BEM. The development of meshes that can follow the growth of cracks allowed for the prediction of the residual life of components with initial cracks. This has important applications in aerospace engineering.

The international WIT conference programme is well known. It consists of 25 or so meetings per year in different locations around the world. The conferences aim to provide the right environment for the exchange of scientific knowledge, promoting discussion and allowing for networking. The conference papers are published in book form and widely distributed throughout the world.

Training activities, including PhD and Post-doctoral research, takes place in the Wessex Institute campus located in the New Forest, a National Park in the South of England. The excellent facilities and the peaceful environment render the campus an ideal place for research.

Carlos concluded his remarks by thanking the delegates for their support of WIT conferences and hoping that they will consider visiting the Institute campus, when convenient. In that way they will be able to better appreciate the work of the Wessex Institute.

 Keynote Address and Invited Presentations

The keynote address of the conference was delivered by Prof Sunden, who spoke about “Computational opportunities of energy related transport processes”. His talk was followed with great interest and gave rise to numerous questions.

This was followed by an invited presentation by Prof Hussain Al-Kayiem from Petronas University of Technology in Malaysia. The title was “Ribbed double pipe heat exchanger experimental analysis”.

Other invited papers were as follows:

• “The thermal performance of thermosyphons employing nanofluids” by Matthias Buschmann, The ILK and Technical University, Dresden, Germany.
• “The thermal conductance of collection tubes in geothermal energy systems” by Ramon Frederick, University of Chile, Chile.
• “Quantitative measuring methods applied for the mixing phenomena of film cooling” by Kenichiro Takeishi, Osaka University, Japan.

 

 Conference Topics

The papers were arranged in the following topics:

• Heat transfer enhancements
• Heat recovery
• Heat exchanges
• Heat transfer in energy producing devices
• Heat and mass transfer
• Conventional radiation
• Multiphase flow heat transfer
• Modelling and experiments
• Experimental and measuring technologies

 

 Special Talk

A special talk was given by Prof Hussain Al-Kayiem of the University of Technology Petronas in Malaysia on the general topic of fluid dynamic developments through aviation history.

He referred to the interesting history of Abbas Ibn Firnas, the first man who attempted to fly in the ninth century. He built a glider that has recently been replicated in the USA. Firnas was from Cordoba, Spain, then a cultural centre as important as Damascus. He was an astronomer, musician, mathematician and poet in his 70^th year of age when he flew.

In the XI Century, Elmer in present day Iraq, also tried to fly and much later Ahmed Celebi in the early 1800s glided from one side to the other of the Bosphorus, inspired by the drawings of Leonardo da Vinci.

Also in the 19^th century a series of German aviators contributed to the development of gliding.

It was the Wright brothers who set up the fundamentals of modern aviation, applying scientific principles and developing ways to deal with control and stability.

Hussain described the tests of these early pioneers who set up the foundations of modern aviation with numerous illustrations and photographs.

 Social Occasions

The Conference offered the delegates numerous opportunities for informal discussions outside the sessions, including coffee breaks, complimentary lunches and the conference banquet.

The banquet took place in a restaurant renowned for the quality of its Galician cuisine. The starter was octopus, before the main course, consisting of veal marinated in red wine, followed by a dish of different types of sweets and ice cream.

At the beginning of the dinner Carlos proposed a toast to all conference participants and, in particular, to his Co-chairs, to whom the success of the meeting was in great part due. He also explained the unique culture and traditions of Galicia, derived from its Celtic roots.

At the end of the meal Carlos introduced a Galician musical ensemble. They played a series of classical pieces from the region to the delight and surprise of most of the audience. The Galician bagpipes are more melodious than others and their music is always present in every celebration or family events.

The International Scientific Advisory Committee (ISAC) met over dinner to discuss the progress of the meeting and how to improve it in 2016 when it is to be reconvened. There were a few new topics suggested as well as new members for the committee. The problems of visa requirements in certain locations were a deterrent to hold the meeting there. Some suggested locations were deemed better than others and they will be investigated by the Conference Division at WIT.

 Conference Proceedings

The proceedings Heat Transfer 2014 – Heat Transfer XIII: Simulation and Experiments in Heat and Mass Transfer, 548pp (Print ISBN: 978-1-84564-794-0; eISBN: 978-1-84564-795-7) are available from WIT Press. Orders can be placed on the WIT Press web site at www.witpress.com or by email: marketing@witpress.com, telephone: +44 (0) 238 029 3223 or fax: +44 (0) 238 029 2853.

Papers from the conference will also be hosted online at the WIT eLibrary as Volume 83 of WIT Transactions on Engineering Sciences (ISSN: 1746-4471, Digital ISSN 1743-3533). For more details visit the WIT eLibrary at http://library.witpress.com
 

 Related Conferences

• Energy and Sustainability 2015
• Multiphase 2015
• CMEM 2015

AFM 2014 Post Conference Report

Overview

The 10^th International Conference on Advances in Fluid Mechanics took place in A Coruña, Spain, organised by the Wessex Institute, represented by Prof Carlos A Brebbia and the University of A Coruña, represented by Prof Santiago Hernandez, with the collaboration of Prof Matiur Rahman of Dalhousie University, Canada.

The series started in 1996 when the first conference was held in New Orleans, followed by Udine (1998); Montreal (2000); Ghent (2002); Lisbon (2004); Skiathos (2006); The New Forest, home of the Wessex Institute (2008); The Algarve (2010) and Split (2012).

The field of fluid mechanics has numerous applications and the conference covers a wide range of topics, including basic formulations and their computer modelling as well as the relationship between experimental and analytical results. The emphasis is on new applications and research currently in progress.

The continuous success of the conference is due to being able to attract high quality contributions in a variety of new topics and applications which is represented by the books published since the first meeting took place in 1996. The papers in these books – like others presented at Wessex Institute conferences – are part of the WIT Transactions on Engineering Sciences series and are archived online in the WIT eLibrary (http://library.witpress.com/), where they are immediately and permanently available to the scientific community.

The Conference was opened by Prof Carlos Brebbia, who explained to the delegates the importance of the conference programme for the work of the Wessex Institute, whose aim is for knowledge dissemination at international level.

The Wessex Institute, Carlos explained, is now nearly 30 years old and well established, as it provides a mechanism for interaction between academic researchers and industry. It is well known for its pioneering work on boundary elements, a technique which gave origin to computer software codes now used as a tool for the analysis and design of many engineering systems.

The focus of the Institute activities – Carlos explained – continues to evolve in response to the needs of engineering sciences. Current applications include analysis of energy systems and aerospace, amongst others.

WIT Press is the publishing arm of the Institute which publishes not only the WIT Transactions containing the conference proceedings but also a series of other books and journals.

The training and research are carried out at the Institute campus in the New Forest National Park, near Southampton in England, where WIT has accommodation for visitors as well as residential researchers. Carlos ended his presentation by wishing all a very successful conference and hoping that the delegates will consider visiting the campus next time they are in the region. This – he said – will allow them to have a better understanding of the activities of the Wessex Institute.

Prof Santiago Hernandez from the University of A Coruña, spoke afterwards, explaining the interest of his research group in fluid mechanics and the types of work they carry out in his laboratory which they were to visit during the conference. Santiago also mentioned some of the attractions of the region, hoping that the participants would be able to visit some of them and learn a bit more about Galicia, a unique part of Spain with its own culture, language and traditions, many of them related to its Celtic roots.

 Conference Topics

The conference papers were grouped in a series of topics as follows:

• Fluid structure interaction
• Turbulent flow
• Hydrodynamics
• Heat and mass transfer
• Industrial applications
• Fluid mechanics and heat transfer
• Computer simulation and experiments
• Nano and micro fluids
• Bubble and drop dynamics

 

 Invited Presentations

There were a series of invited presentations which helped to enhance the conference:

• “Applications of 2D URANS in fluid structure interaction problems of rectangular cylinders” by Felix Nieto of the University of A Coruña, Spain.
• “Turbulence: the covariant structure”, by Trevor Moulden, The University of Tennessee Space Institute, USA.
• “The equatorial meandering of abyssal ocean currents” by Gordon Swaters, University of Alberta, Canada.
• “Differentially heated flow from a rotating sphere” by Chun Ho Leung, University of Toronto, Canada.
• “Assessment of the aerodynamic response of bridge decks by means of 2D Reynolds Averaged Navier-Stokes simulations” by Santiago Hernandez, University of A Coruña, Spain.

 

 Special Talk

A special talk was given by Prof Hussain Al-Kayiem of the University of Technology Petronas in Malaysia on the general topic of fluid dynamic developments through aviation history.

He referred to the interesting history of Abbas Ibn Firnas, the first man who attempted to fly in the ninth century. He built a glider that has recently been replicated in the USA. Firnas was from Cordoba, Spain, then a cultural centre as important as Damascus. He was an astronomer, musician, mathematician and poet in his 70^th year of age when he flew.

In the XI Century, Elmer in present day Iraq, also tried to fly and much later Ahmed Celebi in the early 1800s glided from one side to the other of the Bosphorus, inspired by the drawings of Leonardo da Vinci.

Also in the 19^th century a series of German aviators contributed to the development of gliding.

It was the Wright brothers who set up the fundamentals of modern aviation, applying scientific principles and developing ways to deal with control and stability.

Hussain described the tests of these early pioneers who set up the foundations of modern aviation with numerous illustrations and photographs.

 Social Occasions

The Conference offered many opportunities for the participants to interact outside the lecture rooms, through coffee breaks, complimentary lunches and during the conference banquet, amongst others.

The banquet took place in a restaurant renowned for the quality of its Galician cuisine. The starter was octopus, before the main course, consisting of veal marinated in red wine, followed by a dish of different types of sweets and ice cream.

At the beginning of the dinner Carlos proposed a toast to all conference participants and, in particular, to his Co-chairs, to whom the success of the meeting was in great part due. He also explained the unique culture and traditions of Galicia, derived from its Celtic roots.

At the end of the meal Carlos introduced a Galician musical ensemble. They played a series of classical pieces from the region to the delight and surprise of most of the audience. The Galician bagpipes are more melodious than others and their music is always present at every celebration or family event.

The International Scientific Advisory Committee of the conference met over dinner at an excellent restaurant known by the quality of its local cuisine. The dinner consisted of seafood and fish for which Galicia is renowned, accompanied by excellent Albarino white wines. The dinner focused on the topics to be included in 2016, nominations for the committee and possible locations.

 Special Visit

A special visit was arranged for the delegates to see the experimental facilities at the School of Engineering, University of A Coruña. As an introduction, Prof Santiago Hernandez gave a short talk regarding the laboratories at the School and described the experiments recently carried out at the aerodynamics wind tunnel.

The visit not only comprised the wind tunnel but also the basin for coastal and harbour modelling and the laboratory dealing with hydraulics testing.

The delegates were most interested in the laboratories and in particular the way in which physical models of some components – such as bridge deck sections – were used to obtain data for running computer models of large suspension and cable stayed bridges, amongst others.

 Closing of the Conference

At the end of the conference the delegates were invited to visit the Historical Town Hall in La Coruña, where they were received in the Council Chamber by the Lieutenant Major in charge of tourism. She explained about the origins of the town and its Roman past, including the Hercules legend which gave rise to the name of the ancient lighthouse which has become the symbol of the city.

The delegates were shown the different rooms and the unique clock collection which was the passion of a wealthy citizen, who donated it to the city afterwards. The town hall building is very much in daily use and covers a whole side of the Maria Pita town square, one of the nicest in Europe.

The visit was a most fitting end for a successful and very friendly meeting.

 Conference Proceedings

The proceedings AFM 2014 – Advances in Fluid Mechanics X, 472pp (Print ISBN: 978-1-84564-790-2; eISBN: 978-1-84564-791-9) are available from WIT Press. Orders can be placed on the WIT Press web site at www.witpress.com or by email: marketing@witpress.com, telephone: +44 (0) 238 029 3223 or fax: +44 (0) 238 029 2853.

Papers from the conference will also be hosted online at the WIT eLibrary as Volume 82 of WIT Transactions on Engineering Sciences (ISSN: 1746-4471, Digital ISSN 1743-3533). For more details visit the WIT eLibrary at http://library.witpress.com
 

 Related Conferences

• Multiphase Flow 2015
• CMEM 2015
• Energy and Sustainability 2015

COMPRAIL 2014 Post Conference Report

Overview

The 14^th International Conference on Railway Engineering Design and Optimisation (COMPRAIL 2014) has taken place in Rome, organised by Wessex Institute and sponsored by WIT Transactions on the Built Environment and the International Journal of Sustainable Development and Planning, with the EURAIL magazine as media partner.

The Conference Chairmen were Prof Carlos A Brebbia, from Wessex Institute, UK; Prof Norio Tomii from the Chiba Institute of Technology, Japan; Dr Panos Tzieropoulos from the Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne, Switzerland; and Dr Jose Manuel Mera of the Polytechnic University of Madrid, Spain.

The conference is part of a very successful series which started in Frankfurt in 1987 and continued in Rome (1990); Washington (1992); Madrid (1994); Berlin (1996); Lisbon (1998); Bologna (2000); Lemnos (2002); Dresden (2004); Prague (2006); Toledo (2008); Beijing (2010) and the New Forest, home of the Wessex Institute in 2012.

The conference aimed to update the use of advanced systems, promoting general awareness throughout the management, design, manufacture and operation of railways and other emerging passenger, freight and transit systems. It emphasised the use of computer systems in advanced railway engineering.

The meeting attracted a substantial number of specialists interested in the development of railways, including managers, consultants, railway engineers, designers of advanced train control systems and computer specialists. It provided a forum for researchers, academics and practitioners involved in railway engineering to present and discuss their latest developments.

The papers were published in Volume 135 of WIT Transactions on the Built Environment series which are widely distributed throughout the world in digital as well as hard copy versions. All conference papers are archived online in the WIT eLibrary (http://library.witpress.com/) where they are immediately and permanently available to the international scientific community.

 Conference Topics

The papers were divided into a series of topics and presented at the corresponding session:

• Train control systems
• Communications and signalling
• Computer techniques and simulations
• Monitoring and maintenance
• Operations quality
• Planning
• Timetable planning
• Rescheduling
• Energy supply and consumption
• Safety
• Railway vehicle dynamics

 

 Invited Presentations

The Conference started with plenary sessions consisting of talks delivered by invited speakers. They were:

• “Some experience and preliminary conclusions from the experimental monitoring of the temperature regime of a subgrade structure”, by Libor Izvolt, University of Zilina, Slovakia.
• “Evaluation of robustness indicators using railway operation simulation”, by Alex Landex, Ramboll, Denmark.
• “Is it worth it? Sketch appraisal of the relevance of proposals for new rail lines”, by Panos Tzieropoulos, Ecole Polytecnique Federale de Lausanne, Switzerland.
• “Modelling a temperature regime of a railway track structure and its comparison with the results of experimental measurements”, by Stanislav Hodas, University of Zilina, Slovakia.
• “Rail vehicles recycling”, by Agnieszka Merkisz-Guranowska, Poznan University of Technology, Poland.
• “Punctuality analysis by the microscopic simulation and visualization of web-based train information system data”, by Yasfumi Ochiai, Odakyu Electric Railway Co, Japan.
• “A 3D simulation approach for railway conflict detection in Traffic Management System layer”, by Jose Manuel Mera, Polytechnic University of Madrid, Spain.
• “Optimisation of the DC railway power feeding system using the embedded simulation technique”, by Ryo Takagi, Kogakuin University, Japan.
• “A holistic approach to analysis the interoperability of the railway system”, by Marianna Jacyna, Warsaw University of Technology, Poland.

 

 Social Occasions

The delegates had ample opportunities for meeting in informal settings, including not only coffee breaks but also the conference lunches and the social events.

The International Scientific Advisory Committee (ISAC) of the Conference met over dinner to discuss the conference and improve the Call for Papers in 2016. It was agreed that the title of the meeting could be shortened to Railway Engineering. Several new topics were suggested for inclusion in the call for papers and it was agreed to invite a few more colleagues to join the ISAC.

The ISAC also discussed where to hold COMPRAIL 2016 and a series of locations were proposed, which the conference department of WIT will investigate shortly.

The ISAC meeting offered the possibility to thank the members for their work in reviewing abstracts and papers, as well as promoting the conference.

The conference dinner took place in a Sardinian restaurant renowned for the quality of its cuisine, particularly the fish. The meal started with a series of antipasti of different types and Sardinian specialities. This was followed by pasta and afterwards a fish risotto. The main course was baked fish covered in zucchini, and the dinner ended with a semifreddo, coffee and liqueurs. During the banquet Carlos thanked the delegates for having attended COMPRAIL and stressed the importance of international collaboration.

 Conference Proceedings

The proceedings COMPRAIL 2014 – Computers in Railways XIV, 940pp (Print ISBN: 978-1-84564-766-7; eISBN: 978-1-84564-767-4) are available from WIT Press. Orders can be placed on the WIT Press web site at www.witpress.com or by email: marketing@witpress.com, telephone: +44 (0) 238 029 3223 or fax: +44 (0) 238 029 2853.

Papers from the conference will also be hosted online at the WIT eLibrary as Volume 135 of WIT Transactions on the Built Environment (ISSN: 1746-4498, Digital ISSN 1743-3509). For more details visit the WIT eLibrary at http://library.witpress.com

 Related Conferences

• SAFE 2015
• Urban Transport 2015
• Energy and Sustainability 2015

FRIAR 2014 Post Conference Report

Overview

The 4^th International Conference on Flood Recovery, Innovation and Response (FRIAR) took place in Poznan, organised by the University of the West of England, represented by Prof David Proverbs, and the Wessex Institute of Technology, represented by Prof Carlos A Brebbia.

FRIAR 2014 is the fourth conference in this successful series. The meeting started at the Institute of Civil Engineers in London (2008) and reconvened at the Lombardy Region Headquarters in Milano (2010), followed by a meeting in Dubrovnik in 2012.

Flooding is a global phenomenon that claims numerous lives worldwide each year. When flooding occurs in populated areas it can cause substantial damage to property as well as threatening human life. In addition, many more people must endure the homelessness, upset and disruption that are felt in the wake of floods. The increased frequency of flooding in the last few years, coupled with climate change predictions and urban development, suggests that these problems are set to worsen in the future.

Apart from the physical damage to buildings, contents and loss of life, which are the most obvious aspects of floods upon households, other more indirect losses are often overlooked. These indirect impacts are generally associated with disruption to normal life as well as long term health issues, including stress related illness. Flooding represents in many cases a major barrier to the alleviation of poverty in many parts of the world, where vulnerable communities are exposed to sudden and life threatening events.

 Opening of the Conference

The Conference was opened by Prof Brebbia who referred to the importance of the series for the Wessex Institute, whose primary function is to disseminate knowledge at an international level.

The Institute – Carlos said – carries out research in computational models and their application in engineering and sciences. It developed the boundary element method, in particular, as a practical design tool for a variety of problems, ranging from offshore engineering to aerospace, automotive problems, acoustics and many others.

In addition, its publishing arm – WIT Press – has a very active programme publishing a substantial number of books – including the conference proceedings – as well as a series of international journals; the closest associated to this conference being the International Journal of Safety and Security Engineering.

The conference papers presented at FRIAR 2014 are published in Volume 184 of the WIT Transactions on Ecology and the Environment, which ensures the maximum worldwide dissemination in digital and hard copy formats. They are also archived online in the WIT eLibrary (http://library.witpress.com/), where they are immediately and permanently available to the international community.

Carlos ended by thanking the delegates for attending the conference and wishing them a very successful meeting. He then introduced Prof Konrad Domke from the Technical University of Poznan’s School of Engineering, who welcomed the participants to the city and read a letter by the Mayor of Poznan which referred to the importance of flooding for the region and the interest of Poznan in promoting this type of scientific meeting. The city particularly welcomes international delegates who can bring their expertise to solve problems of great practical importance.

 Invited Presentations

The conference opened with a series of invited presentations:

• “A new approach for flood forecasting of river flows”, by Magdy Mohssen, Lincoln University, New Zealand.
• “Future agricultural water demand under climate change in Saskatchewan, Canada”, by Suren Kulshreshtha, University of Saskatchewan, Canada.

•  “The impact of flooding on small and medium sized enterprises”, by David Proverbs, The University of the West of England, UK.

 

 Special Sessions

A special session organised by Prof Molinari consisted of three papers on the topic of “State of the Art on flood damage survey and assessment”:

• “Implementing tools to meet the floods directive requirements: A procedure for collect, storage and manage damage data in the aftermath of floods events”, by Daniela Molinari, Politecnico di Milano, Italy.
• “Flood damage survey after major flood in Norway 2013 – cooperation between the insurance business and a government agency”.
• “A practical approach to floodplain mapping for large-scale catastrophe models”.

Another excellent session on “Property-level flooding and health consequences” was organised by Dr Colin Booth from the University of the West of England, and consisted of two invited presentations:

• “Improving the uptake of flood risk adaptation measures for domestic properties in an insurance regime under transition”, by David Proverbs, University of the West of England, UK.
• “Waterproofing basement apartments: technical insights of a new flood protection solution”, by David Beddoes, University of the West of England, UK.

These presentations were followed by another four papers:

• “An investigation of patterns of response and recovery among flood affected businesses in the UK: Case study in Sheffield and Wakefield area”.
• “Resilient reinstatement – what can we learn from the 2007 flooding in England?”
• “The role of flood memory in the impact of repeat flooding on mental health”.
• “The long term health impacts resulting from repeated flooding”.

 

 Social Occasions

There were many occasions for the delegates to interact and hold discussions in a friendly environment. In addition to coffee breaks and complimentary lunches they were offered a complimentary excursion to see some places of interest which helped the delegates to become better acquainted with each other. The guided excursion took them to the Kornik Castle, a well know location in the Wielkopolski region, originally built by the Gorka and Działyński family in the XVI-XVII century and redeveloped by successive generations. The delegates were shown some of the antique books and maps preserved in the library of the castle, which include some hand written and illustrated manuscripts on vellum, as well as one of the oldest deeds in Poland. The library was built by one of the Dzialynski family members, many of whom added different collections to the castle. Of special interest were the ancient suits of armour, dating from the XVth century and including some of those worn by the famous “winged” Polish horseman during the wars in west Ukraine and Eastern Europe. The knowledge of the guide and the beautiful setting added to the enjoyable excursion.

 Conference Dinners and Closing of the Conference

The conference banquet took place in a restaurant renowned for its cuisine, located in one of the oldest houses in the Market Square. The house, originally belonging to a merchant family, has private dining facilities, and offered an excellent cuisine. The main dish was roasted duck for which Poznan is famous. This was accompanied by good wines. The banquet was very friendly with a series of toasts, including one to Prof Konrad Domke from the Technical University of Poznan, for his help in arranging the conference and welcoming the delegates to his beautiful city.

The International Scientific Advisory Committee met over dinner to discuss ways of improving the meeting in future in 2016. New members were also nominated and those selected will receive a letter of invitation shortly.

The meeting was closed by Carlos and David who thanked the delegates for their presence and hoped to see them in 2016.

 Conference Proceedings

The proceedings FRIAR 2014 – Flood Recovery, Innovation and Response IV, 320pp (Print ISBN: 978-1-84564-784-1; eISBN: 978-1-84564-785-8) are available from WIT Press. Orders can be placed on the WIT Press web site at www.witpress.com or by email: marketing@witpress.com, telephone: +44 (0) 238 029 3223 or fax: +44 (0) 238 029 2853.

Papers from the conference will also be hosted online at the WIT eLibrary as Volume 184 of WIT Transactions on the Ecology and the Environment (ISSN: 1746-448X, Digital ISSN 1743-3541). For more details visit the WIT eLibrary at http://library.witpress.com

Related Conferences

• SAFE 2015
• Disaster Management 2015
• Sustainable Development and Planning 2015

Sustainable Irrigation 2014 Post Conference Report

 Overview

The 5^th International Conference on Sustainable Irrigation and Drainage: Management, Technologies and Policies, took place in Poznan, organised by the University of Lethbridge, Canada, and University of South Australia, represented by Prof Henning Bjornlund, and the Wessex Institute, represented by Prof Carlos A Brebbia.

The meeting provided a forum to generate debate and ideas about how to improve irrigation and drainage systems, making them more environmentally, socially and economically sustainable.

Irrigation, as the biggest water user in most regions of the world, is facing significant challenges in balancing social, economic and environmental needs for water.

The conference provided examples of how irrigation and drainage can become more sustainable, while acknowledging that the concept of sustainability is a goal that continues to change as our knowledge of the biophysical realities alters. In that sense moving towards sustainability is an ever evolving journey.

Researchers and practitioners should focus on the implications of their work for improving sustainability, whether this be drainage, irrigation technologies, economic modelling, governance studies for irrigation, management, reuse of water or any other aspects.

The conference was opened by Prof Carlos A Brebbia who explained the aims of Wessex Institute and its commitment to act as a medium for the transfer of knowledge.

Carlos explained that although the expertise of the Institute is in the field of computational modelling, its objective is to further interdisciplinary work. WIT has contributed to many joint projects with its unique experience on boundary element techniques. Their application varied from classical mechanical engineering to biomechanics. At present most of the advanced research carried out on campus has focused on the petroleum industry and aerospace.

WIT boundary element research has resulted in the development of powerful computer codes which are applied in designing electric cathodic protection systems and structures, a problem for which boundary elements is the most appropriate method. The techniques are also useful for analysing extreme problems such as fracture mechanics, for which very accurate results are required.

The substantial amount of industrial experience accumulated at the Institute over the last three decades since its foundation, has resulted in a close collaboration with industry and other avenues for technology transfer.

 Keynote Address and Invited Presentations

The Co-chairman of the conference, Prof Henning Bjornlund, gave a keynote address on “Water Governance for Sustainable Irrigation: the role of civil society”, discussing how the government influences irrigation policies, a process that needs to be improved all over the world as the need for optimisation of water resources becomes more pressing. The accumulation of different bureaucratic organisations complicates even further this process. Governments ought to facilitate rather than adhere to rigid rules. Although Henning illustrated his presentation with case studies in Australia, the problems are similar in all parts of the world. Furthermore, the Australian experience because of its complexity offers many valuable lessons.

Other invited presentations included:

• “A comparative study of the impact of deficit irrigation on cucumber yield planted on greenhouse and open field under arid environment”, by Abdul Rasoul Al-Omran, King Saud University, Saudi Arabia.
• “A new approach for flood forecasting of river flows”, by Magdy Mohssen, Lincoln University, New Zealand.
• “Verification of the water supply rules in an arid area – Case study of the Xayar irrigation district in the northern part of the Taklamakan Desert”, by Tadao Yamamoto, Hokkaido University, Japan.
• “Policy options and preferences for water sharing”, by Henning Bjornlund, University of Lethbridge, Canada and University of South Australia, Australia.

 

 ISAC Dinner

The International Scientific Advisory Committee (ISAC) of the conference met over dinner to discuss new topics for the meeting and nominate colleagues to be invited to join the Committee. The general feeling was that the conference ought to be reconvened in 2016 in a country where irrigation is intensively applied, probably in the Mediterranean region.

 Social Occasions

There was a special complimentary afternoon excursion to see some places of interest and to help the delegates to become better acquainted with each other. The guided excursion took them to the Kornik Castle a well know spot in the Wielkopolski region, originally built by the Gorka and Działyński family in the XVI-XVII century and redeveloped by successive generations. The delegates were shown some of the antique books and maps preserved in the library of the castle, which include some hand written and illustrated manuscripts on vellum, as well as one of the oldest deeds in Poland. The library was built by one of the Dzialynski family members, many of whom added different collections to the castle. Of special interest was the ancient suits of armour, dating from the XVth century and including some of those worn by the famous ‘winged’ Polish horseman during the wars in west Ukraine and eastern Europe. The knowledge of the guide and the beautiful setting added to the enjoyable excursion.

The conference banquet took place in a restaurant renowned for its cuisine, located in one of the oldest houses in the Market Square. The house, originally belonging to a merchant family, has private dining facilities, and offered an excellent cuisine. The main dish was roasted duck for which Poznan is famous. This was accompanied by good wines. The banquet was very friendly with a series of toasts, including one to Prof Konrad Domke from the Technical University of Poznan, for his help in arranging the conferences.

 Closing of the Conference

The conference was closed by Professors Bjornlund and Brebbia, who thanked the delegates for their presence and having collaborated to yet another successful edition of this important meeting, which will be reconvened in 2016.

 Conference Proceedings

The proceedings Sustainable Irrigation 2014 – Sustainable Irrigation and Drainage V, 480pp (Print ISBN: 978-1-84564-788-9; eISBN: 978-1-84564-789-6) are available from WIT Press. Orders can be placed on the WIT Press web site at www.witpress.com or by email: marketing@witpress.com, telephone: +44 (0) 238 029 3223 or fax: +44 (0) 238 029 2853.

Papers from the conference will also be hosted online at the WIT eLibrary as Volume 185 of WIT Transactions on the Ecology and the Environment (ISSN: 1746-448X, Digital ISSN 1743-3541). For more details visit the WIT eLibrary at http://library.witpress.com

 Related Conferences

• Water Resources Management 2015
• River Basin Management 2015
• Water and Society 2015

Memorandum of Agreement with University of Wales

The Wessex Institute of Technology and the University of Wales have recently signed a Memorandum of Agreement which confirms their relationship.  Both institutions propose to develop a partnership to undertake research, advanced scholarships and knowledge transfer in areas of mutual academic and commercial interest and benefit. These are defined as:  Pursuing research and advanced scholarships through the appointment of postdoctoral research fellows and postgraduate research students; Investigating and realising opportunities for commercialisation of technology and other enterprise and innovation activities; Investigating and realising opportunities for mutual collaboration in research and development projects; Exploring potential opportunities for collaboration of both institutions’ press departments, including publishing of books and journals; Exploring potential opportunities for organising and participating in joint academic and scientific activities, such as seminars and conferences. The agreement was signed at the Dylan Thomas Centre in Swansea by Mr Alan Thomas, Chair of the Council, University of Wales, and Prof Carlos Brebbia, Director of Wessex Institute. After the signing, the visitors from Wessex Institute, which included Prof Giorgio Passerini of the University of La Marche, member of the WIT Board of Directors, and Prof Stavros Syngellakis from WIT, in addition to Prof Carlos A Brebbia, were shown around the newly created Innovation Centre by the Director, Prof Robert Brown from the University of Wales.  There they had occasion to see the rapid manufacturing facilities and discuss plans for future collaboration. Wessex Institute has been affiliated with the University of Wales since 1998 and this visit helped to consolidate their relationship as well as cover new areas for collaboration.

MARAS 2014 Post Conference Report

Overview

The fourth International Conference on Mobile, Adaptable and Rapidly Assembled Structures (MARAS 2014) took place in Ostend, following previous meetings held in Southampton, Seville and Madrid.

The Conference was organised by the Free University of Brussels, represented by Prof Niels De Temmerman, and the Wessex Institute, represented by Prof Carlos A Brebbia. The meeting was sponsored by the International Journal of Design & Nature and Ecodynamics.

The conference book corresponds to Volume 136 of the WIT Transactions on the Built Environment which is now available throughout the world in digital and hard copy formats. All papers are archived online in the WIT eLibrary (http://library.witpress.com/), where they are permanently available to the international scientific community.

Transferable objects and structures can change their shape in order to adapt to a different function, various morphological or structural requirements, or simply another location. They do this by means of a kinematic mechanism or by allowing disassembly or reconfiguration of their constituent components, allowing them to evolve over time.

There is something truly mesmerizing about structures that can suddenly change their shape or appearance, or that demonstrate a substantial increase in volume in their final displayed configuration, whether it be in aerospace engineering or in earthbound applications. Utilising transportation and using it to one’s benefit has been, and still is, an inspiration to a vast number of researchers worldwide.

The conference papers described some of the latest developments in deployable systems and structural mechanisms, rapidly assembled systems, temporary structures and dwellings, a variety of sustainable and innovative approaches as well as the applications of tensegrity and reciprocal frames.

Carlos welcomed the delegates and explained how the series of international conferences fits within the objectives of WIT, ie the dissemination of knowledge at an international level. The MARAS conference is part of a series of 25 or so international meetings organised each year by the Wessex Institute. The papers are published in relevant volumes of the WIT Transactions in order to achieve the widest possible dissemination. Other activities of WIT include advanced engineering consultancy, short courses and seminars, in addition to postgraduate training and research. The Institute collaborates with many institutions all over the world and supports a network of well-known colleagues.

Carlos ended by thanking the delegates for having come to Ostend, and hoped that they would have an occasion to see some of the sights offered by the city.

 Keynote Addresses

The conference opened with two keynote addresses by Lincy Pyl and Niels De Temmerman, both from the Free University of Brussels. The first was on “Synergy between structural and architectural engineering: the point of view of the structural engineer”, while the latter dealt with lightweight transferable structures, discussing also the synergy between architectural and structural engineers.

The first talk was given by Prof Lincy Pyl from the Department of Mechanics and Material Construction, at the Free University of Brussels. She is a specialist in numerical modelling and steel structures. Her talk dealt with the synergy from the point of view of the structural engineer.

Lincy discussed the requirements that both professions ought to consider for the conceptual design of any building. They include the need to design for strength. The design should consider morphological indicators, ie indicating what type of structural shape to be applied. The choice is vast if not infinite but it is possible to find morphologies which result in less material for instance. Another important consideration is designing for stiffness and stability as offered by the structural index developed by Shanley.

Lincy referred as a case study to a letter of Leonardo da Vinci regarding the design of a strong but light bridge, which would be practically indestructible. This idea, a transformable pedestrian bridge, was explored at the Free University in designing a bridge using only two types of members which can be rapidly assembled.

Lincy also referred to the number of bridges that they have been designing for Kenya, trying to find simple forms. This work was also extended to roof trusses. The talk presented other interesting examples, including the study of the stability of the tall tower of Brussels Town Hall. The study aimed to decide if a corroded metal ring needed to be replaced. It was proved that the ring was not required after a finite element analysis.

The next talk by Prof Niels De Temmerman, stressed the importance of the collaboration, with particular reference to the designing, engineering and constructing of transformable structures. The objective of his research group is to look at the material and structural aspects as well as the construction.

Transformable structures should be a function of a few component types, such as in the case of Meccano pieces. Transformable mechanisms should allow them to be rapidly deployed.

Niels explained the need of such sustainable solutions, including recovery of materials and components. They also aim for low tech mechanisms and use kit-of-parts sets.

He then showed some of the case studies carried out in his Department, including deployable scissor type shelters. He also felt that a transitional system ought to be able to evolve into a more permanent structure.

Scissor structures have the advantage of being transferable and mobile. In order to achieve their design, Niels used finite element analysis as a parametric tool at the conceptual design stage.

Another interesting application presented by Niels was the design and development of a dome. It was also based on scissor components.

Niels ended his talk by inviting the participants to visit the Exhibition put together by his group in an adjoining room where some of his collaborators would be available to answer any questions. The exhibition provided a wide range of transformable structures models, including not only many types of scissor structures but also several different types of domes.

 Invited Presentations and Conference Sessions

Other invited lectures were as follows:

• “Parametric modelling of an air-liftable origami-inspired deployable shelter with a novel erection strategy”, by Ashley Thrall, University of Notre Dame, USA.
• “Movable and launched bridges: recent realizations and improved techniques”, by Santiago Hernández, University of A Coruña, Spain.
• “Reciprocal frame optimized timber truss structure: a design and build case study”, by Olga Popovic Larsen, School of Architecture, Denmark.

The rest of the papers were classified in the following sections:

• Temporary structures and dwellings
• Engineering transformation
• Rapidly assembled kit-of-parts systems
• Innovative approaches
• Tensegrity and reciprocal frames

 

 Special Session

The special session of Engineering transformation, organised by Prof Christoph Gengnagel of the University of Arts in Berlin, consisted of eight invited presentations:

• “Form-finding bending-active structures with temporary ultra-elastic contraction elements”
• “Pliable structures with rigid couplings for parallel leaf-springs: a pliable timber torus pavilion”
• “A review of elastic grid shells, their erection methods and the potential use of pneumatic formwork”
• “The design and physical modelling of deployable structures based on curved-line folding”
• “A new hybrid: elastic gridshells braced by membranes”
• “Transformable active bending: a kinematical concept”
• “Evaluation of design parameters for deployable planar scissor arches”
• “The design of a foldable triangulated scissor grid for single-curvature surfaces”

 

 Social Occasions

There were ample opportunities for the delegates to interact and hold discussions during the conference, outside as well as within the meeting room.  In addition to coffee breaks and lunches, they were able to visit the special exhibition arranged by Niels De Temmerman and his team, members of which were at hand to explain the different architectural forms.

The International Scientific Advisory Committee met over dinner to discuss the conference and ways to improve the meeting when it reconvenes. There was general agreement that the conference was most successful and promoted interchange of ideas between the participants, mainly architects and structural engineers.

Before the Conference banquet, Patrick de Wilde gave a short talk regarding the history of Ostend, which started as a small fishing village but rapidly grew in importance because of its excellent port facilities. Trading was for a long time the main strength of its economy, which grew to compete with that of the Dutch East India Company. The highlight of the city’s history was a three years’ long siege by Spanish forces. Although the city was eventually taken, the heroic resistance became part of the local folklore. The city suffered during the two World Wars, due to its strategic importance as a port. Ostend is now a vibrant seaside resort with many cultural events as well as renowned beaches. The reputation of Ostend as a holiday resort was started by Leopold II, King of Belgium and Congo, who built the promenade, hotel, racecourse and numerous parks during another golden period of the town’s history. Nowadays, Ostend is once again associated with charming and relaxing seaside holidays.

The Conference banquet took place in a fort built by Napoleon to control access to the port of Ostend. The fort has been renovated and comprises an excellent restaurant with terrace from which it is possible to have a panoramic view of Ostend. The delegates were welcomed with a glass of Spumante and a taste of the local beer, including the famous Koite beer originated during the siege of Ostend, when the city was surrounded by a strong army. The food – as usual in Ostend – was excellent and accompanied by good wines, resulting in a most happy and friendly evening. On their way to the Fort and back Anne Marie de Wilde, Patrick’s wife, described the different sights and some of the local history.

 Closing of the Conference

The Conference was closed by Carlos who thanked the delegates for their contribution to this most interesting meeting, in which many new ideas were discussed. Because of the originality of the presentations and their topics, Carlos hoped that the presenters would consider sending the extended version of their work to the International Journal of Design & Nature and Ecodynamics. Carlos concluded by saying that the conference will be reconvened at a time and in a place to be shortly announced. He hoped that all the delegates would be able to participate.

 Conference Proceedings

The proceedings MARAS 2014 – Mobile and Rapidly Assembled Structures IV, 336pp (Print ISBN: 978-1-84564-772-8; eISBN: 978-1-84564-773-5) are available from WIT Press. Orders can be placed on the WIT Press web site at www.witpress.com or by email: marketing@witpress.com, telephone: +44 (0) 238 029 3223 or fax: +44 (0) 238 029 2853.

Papers from the conference will also be hosted online at the WIT eLibrary as Volume 136 of WIT Transactions on the Built Environment (ISSN: 1746-4498, Digital ISSN 1743-3509). For more details visit the WIT eLibrary at http://library.witpress.com

 Related Conferences

• Eco-Architecture 2014
• Sustainable Development and Planning 2015
• ECOSUD 2015

Obituary - Professor Paul William Partridge

1951-2014
I am deeply sorry to announce that Professor Paul William Partridge has passed away unexpectedly after a short time in hospital.

Paul graduated in civil engineering at the University of Southampton where he completed a PhD in 1976 working in my research group.  His area of research was the solution of ocean currents in large areas such as the North Sea, using finite elements.  At that time our group was closely involved with researchers at several Brazilian universities who were starting to become interested in boundary elements.  I helped him apply for a post-doctoral position at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, in Porto Alegre, where he started to work on boundary elements and rose to become an Adjunct Professor.

Paul enjoyed Brazil and quickly adapted to the culture and society.  Brazil offered the friendly outgoing environment that suited him, and after Porto Alegre, he moved to the University of Brasilia, where he stayed to become a permanent member of staff and eventually a Full Professor.

He came back to visit us on many occasions, including spending a year at our Wessex Institute of Technology (WIT) as Visiting Professor, but declined the possibility of staying permanently to return to his beloved Brazil.

He became Head of the Civil Engineering Department at the University of Brasilia and was one of the founders of the graduate programme in Structures and Civil Construction.  Paul was advisor to many Master and PhD theses and became one of the most well-known Boundary Element researchers in the world.  It was only two years ago that he retired from the University of Brasilia.

Paul collaborated with WIT not only by regularly attending the International Boundary Element Methods conference, organised by our Institute, but by having his work published in book form by WIT Press, the publishing arm of our Institute.  Special reference ought to be made to his book on “The Dual Reciprocity Method” in which he extended the range of applications of the technique and set the basis for what was to become his main research theme.

He will be sorely missed by his many colleagues and friends from all over the world.  We will always remember his simplicity, kindness and friendliness.

Carlos A Brebbia