What’s On
From Earthquakes to Opportunities
Structural Resilience and Academic Discovery
Prof. Flavia de Luca
6:00pm, Tues 20th May, 2025
Whitby Wood
Friars Yard
160 Blackfriars Road
London SE1 8EZ
Structural engineering evolves through disruptive events, much like careers do. The 2009 L’Aquila earthquake significantly shaped Flavia De Luca’s PhD journey in Italy, opening doors to the study of soil-structure interaction and earthquake resilience—particularly in the context of schools in Nepal. As part of the Earthquake Engineering Field Investigation Team, she has explored the challenges and opportunities that arise in the pursuit of safer, smarter structures.
In this talk, Flavia will share lessons learned from earthquakes in Italy, Spain, and Nepal, examining how post-earthquake assessments have shifted focus from visible damage to wider indirect losses in an increasingly interconnected world. She will also discuss the potential of social media data to support engineers in post-earthquake contexts, and reflect on the enduring value of experimental work in helping us better understand and improve structural resilience.
Refreshments will be provided.
Prof. Flavia De Luca is Professor of Structural and Earthquake Engineering at the University of Bristol, where she specialises in the seismic performance of reinforced concrete structures and soil-structure interaction. Her work has contributed to many publications and seismic assessment programmes and she is an active member of the Earthquake and Geotechnical Engineering Research Group.
The Drawing Gym
18:00 - 20:00
28th May, 4th June, 11th June, 18th June
Kindly hosted by McBains at 26, Finsbury Square, London, EC2A 1DS
We are excited to announce that the Drawing Gym will be returning for a 4-week run at the end of Spring.
The Drawing Gymnasium is a freehand drawing course designed to improve communication skills and provide a broad set of techniques for effectively expressing ideas in the design process. Run in partnership with DRAWING AT WORK, the course is tailored for practicing engineers but has also benefited architects, students, manufacturers, set designers, and other professionals looking to enhance their sketching and drawing abilities.
Course Approach
The emphasis is on communication rather than virtuoso drawing, with a mix of semi-formal exercises (where line weight is critical) and fast 'conversational sketches' for rapid idea generation. Attendees work from the Dr@w teaching sketchbook to develop skills in:
✔ Axonometric drawings
✔ One and two-point perspective
✔ Section drawing techniques
Costs:
Engineering Club Members £225 + VAT
Non-members £295 + VAT
Students £162.50 + VAT
TO SIGN UP FOR THIS COURSE OR FIND OUT MORE, FILL IN THE FORM BELOW
The Engineering Club Book Club
We are excited to announce the launch of the Engineering Club Book Club! (...or ECBC for short!)
The book club aims to bring together members who enjoy exploring ideas through books (loosely tied to engineering... in the most fluid sense possible!) sharing their thoughts and interpretations in informal, light-hearted discussions.
We meet roughly every two months to discuss a chosen book and to select the next one together.