Keynote Speaker - Vasilis Sarhosis

Inevitably, all structures deteriorate towards a state of unserviceability and collapse. Maintenance is the art of controlling the rate at which our structures deteriorate. Proficiency in this filed relies on judgement derived from regular inspection, monitoring and experience. This talk will give a practical view on the assessment and maintenance strategies of our existing and ageing masonry infrastructure (i.e., masonry arch bridges). It will deal from identification of defects and their diagnosis to their treatment and the monitoring of its costs effectiveness. It will also bring together information from proven techniques and illustrate these through case studies.

Dr Vasilis Sarhosis is an Associate Professor in Structural Engineering at the School of Civil Engineering, University of Leeds. He holds both undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in Civil Engineering from the University of Leeds, and worked as a consultant Civil Engineer in the UK. Dr Sarhosis is a Chartered Engineer (CEng), Fellow of the Institute of Civl Engineering (FICE), and Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA) in UK. He is currently chairing the National Scientific Committee on the Analysis and Restoration of Structures of Architectural Heritage in UK (ISCARSAH-UK) which is part of the ICOMOS-UK. He is currently undrtaking research to quantify degradation and understand the long-term behaviour of existing ageing masonry structures subjected to different environmental conditions and loads. He works together with industry to develop technologies and tools to reduce maintenance demands and improve the life-span of ageing masonry infrastructures and buildings.