University of Exeter Forum wins international engineering award

The University of Exeter Forum, designed by Buro Happold, won the Award for Education or Healthcare Structures at the Structural Awards 2013

The awards took place at The Brewery in London on Friday 15 November, recognising the finest achievements in structural engineering from around the world.

The University of Exeter Forum  Designed around the theme of assembly and open debate, the Forum is a central part of the University of Exeter’s campus. The Awards judges admired the use of “an elegantly expressed, sustainable and efficient timber gridshell roof,” noting that: “the simplicity of the detailing belies the complexity in analysis and form finding.”

Y.K. Cheng, President of The Institution of Structural Engineers, said: “Congratulations to Buro Happold and Exeter University.  Projects like these help to showcase the highly complex structures which engineers help to make reality.

“The Award will hopefully help educate the general public about the vital work that engineers do creating safe and secure structures, and encourage young people into rewarding structural engineering careers.”
Designed around the theme of assembly and open debate, the Forum is a central part of the University of Exeter’s campus. The Forum Project saw several structures built or refurbished and enclosed under a stunning gridshell roof. As well as unifying these buildings and hosting a dramatic new reception, the roof shelters a range of state of the art teaching and discussion spaces.

For more information on The Structural Awards, visit www.structuralawards.org