An afternoon of practical design and good conversation
On 4 November, we filled the room at the Institution of Structural Engineers in London with engineers from 16 different leading consultancies and contractors for the IDEA StatiCa Cast-in Plates Forum. The energy in the room, the quality of the discussion and the positive feedback afterwards made it one of the best events we’ve held in the UK.
We opened the afternoon with a practical workshop on cast-in plate design. Using worked examples, we followed the load from the steelwork through the plate and anchors and into the reinforced concrete. This gave us a chance to explore why these connections can be challenging, where existing design guidance leaves room for engineering judgement, and how linking the steel and concrete models helps engineers assess the connection as a whole.
The audience brought plenty to the discussion, asking thoughtful questions about the choices behind the models and sharing experiences from their own projects. Hearing how different teams approach similar details made the workshop a valuable exchange for everyone in the room, including our own team.
What we took away from the forum
The discussion reinforced why we wanted to hold this workshop. Cast-in plates sit at the intersection of steel and concrete design, and the guidance engineers rely on doesn’t always give them a straightforward route through the more complex details they encounter in practice. That makes it all the more useful to explain where the guidance is clear, where engineers need to make assumptions, and how a linked model can help them examine those assumptions.
The afternoon also showed how much there is to gain from bringing more of the structure into the connection design workflow. Conversations about reinforcement already modelled in BIM and timber members connecting to concrete cores highlighted how differently engineers could use the same workflow across their projects.
That’s why we’ll keep sharing worked examples and practical guidance, and why we value hearing directly from engineers about the details they’re working on. Those conversations help us see where the workflow can make the biggest difference and where there’s more work to do.
The networking reception was a highlight in its own right. It was great to see so many people stay on for drinks, meet engineers from other firms and pick up conversations that had started during the workshop. There’s real value in getting people from different practices in the same room and giving them time to compare how they tackle similar challenges.
A big thank you to everyone who joined us and made the afternoon such a success.
If you missed the forum or would like to explore the workflow further, our Practical Guide to Cast-In Plate Design is a good place to start.