Working Group 4: Technical Expert Group on Masts and Towers

Mission

On decision by the Executive Council of the IASS in 2014 the name of the IASS Working Group 4 has been enlarged to: "WG4 Technical Expert Group on Masts and Towers". The idea by adopting Technical Expert Group is to emphasize that the main mission of the Group is to be an active group for technical experts interested in the analysis, design, construction and operation of masts and towers, while the name Working Group may suggest a group that is appointed to investigate and document some special issues for an association.

The overall mission of IASS WG4 is to encourage and synthesize presentations, reports and publications on projects, designs and research related to telecommunication towers and masts.

Background

In the 1960s, the development of broadcasting structures highlighted many design problems for tall lattice and spatial structures.  At a meeting of the IASS in 1969, a special working group (No. 4) was proposed to exchange ideas and experiences in order to form recommendations for design of guyed masts.  The resulting recommendations, published by the IASS in 1981, now form the basis of several international design codes and have considerably influenced the European and North American practice.

Current Objectives

The objectives of the Working Group are threefold:

1. To act as the Global forum on mast and tower issues, whether they be commercial, aesthetic, theoretical or practical;
2. To present and discuss papers on various topics related to masts and towers; and
3. To provide design guidance for National and International Code drafting Committees.

Recent Activities

·  The 31^st Biennial Meeting of the Working Group for Masts and Towers will be held in Porto, Portogal 8^th - 12^th September 2024 by kind invitation from Helder Costa and Jose Barros from Metalogalva

·  The 30^th Biennial Meeting of the Working Group for Masts and Towers was postponed due to COVID-19 and was be held in Toronto, ON, Canada 11^th - 15^th September 2022 by kind invitation from John Wahba from Turris

·  A web-meeting of 3-4 hours was held on Monday 13th of September 2021 at 9.00 Toronto time (US Eastern time). At this meeting short presentations were presented. 

·  As a consequence of the postponed meeting the meetings of the IASS WG4 (TEG) will be held every even year from 2022

Membership

The Group comprises experts in this field including clients, designers, contractors and researchers who can address with authority the special problems related to masts and towers.  All meetings are held in an informal and confident spirit, and it is very important for the Group to maintain the informality and confidence built up over the years.  All members listed below are members of the IASS.  The Working Group welcomes additional members who have an interest and work with masts and towers.  Those interested should please contact the Chair or the Secretary of the Working Group.

Further Information for IASS Members