Chris Hendy

Transportation Technical Director and Head of Bridge Engineering, AtkinsRéalis

Chris is Professional Head of Bridge Engineering in AtkinsRéalis where he has led some of their most complex bridge projects. In 2012 he was awarded the Royal Academy of Engineering Silver Medal and was elected a Fellow of the Royal Academy in 2013.

He was awarded the Institution of Civil Engineer’s Gold Medal in 2016. He is Chairman of the BSI bridge committee, the UK’s Steel Bridge Group and FIBUK. He is a Project Team member for the next generation Eurocodes EN 1993-1-5, EN 1993-2 and EN 1993-1-11 which deal with plate buckling, steel bridge design and cable-supported structures respectively.

My Speaker Sessions

Wednesday 12 March 2025

10:40

Minimising Embodied Carbon by Maximising Efficient Structural Design – Opportunities and Challenges

10:40 - 11:00
  • Minimising the quantity of material specified is one significant way in which bridge engineers can reduce the embodied carbon in their designs and also reduce the cost.
  • In reality, relatively few bridges are currently designed to the limits of the rules in the applicable design codes.
  • This presentation will discuss some of the common reasons why designers are reticent to design for 100% utilisation and makes proposals for why and how they should re-consider their approach in many situations.

Speakers

Thursday 13 March 2025

15:30

Roundtable: The Resilience Agenda

15:30 - 16:15
  • Defining Resilience in Bridge Engineering: Establishing a common understanding of resilience, considering the effects of climate change, scour, and evolving asset management practices on bridge infrastructure.
  • Balancing Proactive Asset Management with Rapid Response: Exploring effective rapid response capabilities alongside proactive asset management to address the threats from climate events and potential human interventions.
  • Addressing System-Level and Individual Asset Resilience: Examining the importance of considering both the resilience of individual bridge assets and the broader resilience of interconnected transport systems.
  • Optimising Resilience Investment and Prioritisation Strategies: Discussing the challenges of prioritising effort and investment, with a chance for the audience to put forward their action points and practical solutions which do not rely solely on calls for more money.

Speakers

Moderator