The 5th International Conference on Bridge Design, Construction and Maintenance was held in Beijing, China on the 17th – 18th September 2007.

One of the key aims of this series of bridge engineering conferences is to develop the relationship between engineers in the Asia Pacific region and the UK, and this conference achieved that with a series of high profile Chinese and UK based presenters. In addition the event drew speakers and delegates from across the globe, with presentations from no less than 25 countries, demonstrating the truly international reach of the ICE.

Chaired by Dr Robert Lark of Cardiff University the conference explored themes such as:

• Bridge deformations and deflection
• Innovation in bridge design, construction and repair
• State of the art techniques in long-span bridges
• Lessons to be learnt from the past
• Advances in the understanding of the structural behaviour of bridges
• Durability, structural reliability, risk management and health monitoring
• Bridge Management and its relationship with infrastructure management
• The future of condition monitoring, assessment and maintenance

The conference concluded with a visit to the Beijing 2008 Olympic site, where delegates had a tour of the exhibition hall and visited the National Stadium, known as the Birds’ Nest, and the aquatic centre, known as the Water Cube. Delegates were welcomed by the Chief Engineer on each of these projects and commentary was provided throughout the visit by Dr Goman Ho of Arup.

If you are interested in purchasing the proceedings of the conference please visit http://www.ice.org.uk/bookshop/bookshop_main.asp?ISBN=9780727735935

If you wish to be kept informed about forthcoming events on similar topics, please email your contact details to events@ice.org.uk quoting ‘Bridges 2007’