Twenty-fifth anniversary

Structural Survey

ISSN: 0263-080X

Article publication date: 10 April 2007

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Citation

Hoxley, M. (2007), "Twenty-fifth anniversary", Structural Survey, Vol. 25 No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/ss.2007.11025aaa.001

Publisher

:

Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2007, Emerald Group Publishing Limited


Twenty-fifth anniversary

I am writing this Editorial a week or so before Christmas and my thoughts are once again turning to the only Christmas present I have to buy each year – yes, you’ve guessed, that for my lovely wife. I am wondering if I can leave it any later than last year when I bought it just after lunch on Christmas Eve. I was buying a piece of jewellery and I cannot venture into a jewellers these days without my younger daughter who seems to have the uncanny knack of knowing exactly what her mother will like. My daughter was very busy last year and could only accompany me on Christmas Eve. This year things will be different. You see my wife has already said that I shouldn’t buy her any jewellery for Christmas as I need to save up to buy her some pearls next October – that month being when our 30th Wedding Anniversary falls! From these manic ramblings (brought on by the prospect of poverty) you will realise that just over four years ago we celebrated our Silver Wedding Anniversary. That year was very special, not only for us but also for H.M. the Queen who was celebrating her Golden Jubilee. The observant among you, will have realised that we were married in Her Majesty’s Silver Jubilee year of 1977. What is even more remarkable about all this, is that my wife and I, were both born in 1952, the year that the Queen ascended to the throne.

The point of all this self-indulgent nostalgia is to announce that this year Structural Survey celebrates its very own Silver Jubilee. This issue is the first of the 25th volume and we are planning to celebrate this very special year by having not one, but two, special issues. The first will be an issue of legal papers guest edited by Paul Chynoweth of the University of Salford (and Structural Survey’s Legal Editor) which promises to be very interesting. The second is an anniversary issue in which we will be presenting some seminal papers of the first 25 years together with an expert commentary on why they have proved to be so important. On a personal note, I am absolutely delighted to be at the helm of the leading international academic and practitioner journal for those interested in building pathology and the assessment of condition, as it celebrates such an important milestone. I have been associated with Structural Survey for ten of its 25 years, including the last eight years as editor.

Of course the past informs the future and I wonder what the next 25 years will bring to the area of professional expertise for which this journal caters? Will buyer commissioned surveys become the norm? Up until a few months ago I would have said “yes”, but we will have to wait and see whether the home condition report actually takes off. What will new technology bring to the world of condition surveying? Will we be able to develop new ways of carrying out non-invasive inspections that will allow us to see into the interior of elements of structure? A portable X-ray machine to be taken to site? Will standard protocols (such as are used in the diagnosis of medical conditions) become the norm in building pathology? Will there be fewer professional negligence claims against surveyors? I guess we will just have to wait to see.

Papers in this issue

There is a truly international flavour to this issue with two papers from the UK, one from Australia, one from Malaysia and another from Sweden. The latter paper by Stephen Burke looks at the problems caused by providing under-floor access compartments to houses in Sweden. Over a quarter of all houses in Sweden are built in this manner and Stephen’s doctoral research investigates the dampness and condensation problems associated with this method of construction. Khan et al. have established a regression model between ultrasonic pulse velocity tests and actual strength of high performance concrete. Smith and Stewart’s paper describes the process of carrying out stock condition surveys of school buildings in the State of Victoria in Australia. The two UK based papers are concerned with sustainability and construction education (Murray and Cotgrave) and the significance of owner-occupiers’ prior knowledge of housing defects on maintenance decisions (Kangwa and Olubodun).

Now, what shall I buy her for Christmas?

Mike Hoxley

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