Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/318021
Events 44 maltatoday, Sunday, 25 May 2014 Frank Salt goes abseiling! Volvo Car Group's first self-driving Autopilot cars test on public roads around Gothenburg First winners of GasanMamo's Ray's Adventure announced Frank Salt Real Estate employees and consultants from all the com- pany's branches recently came to- gether for a great outdoor adven- ture organised by the company as part of their annual Spring Team Building event. This year, the activity took place in Mtahleb where participants had to face several challenges, includ- ing abseiling, biking and other im- aginative challenges that gave the various teams a good run for their money, both mentally and physi- cally. The highlight was the abseiling session, where after a quick crash course in the do's and dont'ts of the sport, the various teams were instructed to go down the majestic Mtahleb cliffs to recover the treas- ure bounty and complete the task at hand. The day was a resounding success, and a fun and rewarding day out for all of Frank Salt Real Estate's employees. Team building activities are no novelty to the company's calendar of events. With Malta's largest team of property people, team building and social activities play an important role in the com- pany's calendar. The aim of the event was to engage the partici- pants in team-building activities away from their offices and day- to-day roles, while encouraging them to get to know each other better, and try their worth at some unusual outdoor activities. "Our team is composed of over one hundred employees, all coming from different walks of life,"says Joseph Lupi, Managing Director, "but as a team, we over- come such situations and turn them into opportunities. We are a growing family business, and we want to make sure that our employees feel part of this fam- ily." For more information about taking up a career at Frank Salt Real Estate one may visit www.franksalt.com.mt. Volvo Car Group's groundbreaking project 'Drive Me' – featuring 100 self-driving Volvos on public roads in everyday driving conditions – is moving forward rapidly. The first test cars are already rolling around the Swedish city of Gothenburg and the sophisticated Autopilot technology is performing well. "The test cars are now able to han- dle lane following, speed adaption and merging traffic all by them- selves. This is an important step to- wards our aim that the final 'Drive Me' cars will be able to drive the whole test route in highly autono- mous mode. "The technology, which will be called Autopilot, enables the driver to hand over the driving to the ve- hicle, which takes care of all driv- ing functions," says Erik Coelingh, Technical Specialist at Volvo Car Group. What makes the 'Drive Me' project unique is that it involves all the key players: legislators, transport au- thorities, a major city, a vehicle man- ufacturer and real customers. The customers will drive the 100 cars in everyday driving conditions on ap- proximately 50 kilometres of select- ed roads in and around Gothenburg. These roads are typical commuter arteries, including motorway condi- tions and frequent queues. "That Volvo Cars' hometown Gothenburg becomes the world's first arena for self-driving cars in everyday driving conditions dem- onstrates both our technological leadership and Sweden's dedica- tion to pioneering the integration of self-driving vehicles," says Erik Coelingh. Joint initiative 'Drive Me – Self-driving cars for sustainable mobility' is a joint initia- tive between Volvo Car Group, the Swedish Transport Administration, the Swedish Transport Agency, Lind- holmen Science Park and the City of Gothenburg. The Swedish Govern- ment is endorsing the project. Following the launch of Ray's Adven- ture, a new fun and interactive game that guides players through a number of important stages in one's life, the first three winners of the game have been announced. Elena Mallia was presented with the first prize, that of a €500 voucher that can be spent at SCAN Malta Computer Centre, Jokate Malta or the iCentre for obtaining the most points in the game. "Winning was a wonderful sur- prise. I am not a person who plays games all the time and started play- ing Ray's Adventures accidentally. I simply liked how the game looked and thought that since GasanMamo are a reliable company I will give it a try. "The game is very easy going and it finally lead to a wonderful prize. I would like to thank GasanMamo for creating the game and providing me with such a rewarding experi- ence," said Elena Mallia whilst being presented with the voucher by Mark Mamo, General Manager at Gasan- Mamo. Joseph Galea placed second and won a €250 voucher which can be spent at MORE, Pavi, GS or Smart Su- permarket and Luke Sultana placed third, taking home a €150 voucher to be spent at Hotel Ta' Cenc, Cornuco- pia Hotel or St. Patrick's Hotel. Keen players playing Ray's Adventures in the coming weeks can win more fan- tastic prizes. Ray's Adventure can be played through Facebook, by liking GasanMamo's Facebook Page or on www.raysadventure.com. MSc thesis analyses local applications to structural engineering Perit Angelina Muscat, who has recently graduated with a Mas- ter of Science degree (M.Sc.) in Structural Engineering from the University of Surrey, United King- dom with distinction, has carried out a research dissertation with a particular relevance to the local construction industry. In recent years, typical develop- ments in Malta consist of under- ground parking levels, open-plan (often double-height) commercial f loors at ground level and cellular construction of residential levels above. Such developments pose a challenge to the architects and structural engineers, who have to find viable and economic architec- tural and structural solutions that satisf y the requirements set out by clients and planning regulation bodies. Load-bearing masonry walls made of globigerina limestone blocks or concrete-infilled un/ reinforced hollow concrete block- work and concrete slab construc- tion are usually adopted for the upper f loors while a concrete frame system is often chosen for the lower f loors. The transition between these two construction systems is fundamental. Whilst providing very stiff upper levels, the cellular wall construc- tion exerts considerable loading due to the heav y nature of ma- sonry and concrete. As load-paths become increasingly difficult and critical, correct detailing becomes essential to avoid undesirable outcomes in the event of acciden- tal loading scenarios, such as an earthquake, an explosion or loss of key structural elements (e.g. a removed column following an im- pact by a vehicle). Even though the probability of occurrence of such hazardous events is remote and ignored by various engineers, its effect can be quite catastrophic. Codes of prac- tice aim at preventing such failure mechanisms by requiring the pro- vision of adequate ties between critical elements and by ensuring that alternative load paths exist. It has been shown that code- specified ties are unsatisfactory in some cases; reliance on provision of adequate strength and stiffness in the rest of the structure, which remains intact after failure of some elements, is necessary. The aim of the dissertation, enti- tled 'Investigating Disproportion- ate Collapse Mitigation in Mason- ry Structures', was to investigate the contribution of solid masonry walls in transferring the load from the typical cellular upper f loor to the ground as a 'deep beam' in an attempt to prevent catastrophic collapse in an accidental design scenario. It has been shown that masonry walls are not merely a source of load but act compositely with the transfer structure (e.g. re- inforced concrete beams) to resist the applied loads. Funding for this postgradu- ate degree has been through the award of a Strategic Educational Pathways Scholarship (STEPS), entitled 'Empowering People for More Jobs and a Better Quality of Life', which was co-financed by the European Social Fund (ESF) under Operational Programme II Cohe- sion Policy 2007-2013.