Oscar Faber (5 July 1886 – 7 May 1956) was a British

structural engineer Structural engineers analyze, design, plan, and research structural components and structural systems to achieve design goals and ensure the safety and comfort of users or occupants. Their work takes account mainly of safety, technical, economic ...

. He was influential in the development of the use of

reinforced concrete Reinforced concrete (RC), also called reinforced cement concrete (RCC) and ferroconcrete, is a composite material in which concrete's relatively low tensile strength and ductility are compensated for by the inclusion of reinforcement having hig ...

in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

. Because many engineers were not certain of the material, Faber pioneered simple

deflection Deflection or deflexion may refer to: Board games * Deflection (chess), a tactic that forces an opposing chess piece to leave a square * Khet (game), formerly ''Deflexion'', an Egyptian-themed chess-like game using lasers Mechanics * Deflection ...

tests, which enabled him to develop his theory of ‘ Plastic yield in

concrete Concrete is a composite material composed of fine and coarse aggregate bonded together with a fluid cement (cement paste) that hardens (cures) over time. Concrete is the second-most-used substance in the world after water, and is the most wi ...

’, and to calculate

shear Shear may refer to: Textile production *Animal shearing, the collection of wool from various species **Sheep shearing *The removal of nap during wool cloth production Science and technology Engineering *Shear strength (soil), the shear strength ...

in reinforced concrete beams. Faber was born in London, the son of the

Danish Danish may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark People * A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark * Culture of Denmark * Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish a ...

Commissioner of

Agriculture Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people to ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. His work for

Trollope & Colls Trollope & Colls was once one of the United Kingdom's largest construction companies. History The Company was formed in 1903, out of the merger of ''George Trollope & Sons'' (founded by Joseph Trollope, a wallpaper hanger, in 1778) and ''Colls & S ...

on non-magnetic mine casings during the First World War earned him the OBE in the

1918 Birthday Honours The 1918 Birthday Honours were appointments by King George V to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of the British Empire. The appointments were made to celebrate the official birthday of The King, 3 June a ...

. He set up as an independent consultant at the age of 35 in 1921, with £2000 capital, in Finsbury Circus, City of London. The firm comprised 2 engineers, an office junior and a typist. This was to grow to become Oscar Faber and Partners. Oscar Faber. His work, his firm and afterwards. By John Faber. Quiller Press Ltd. Copyright John Faber 1989. Notable projects include the

Bank of England The Bank of England is the central bank of the United Kingdom and the model on which most modern central banks have been based. Established in 1694 to act as the English Government's banker, and still one of the bankers for the Government of ...

, the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. ...

, Africa House and

India House India House was a student residence that existed between 1905 and 1910 at Cromwell Avenue in Highgate, North London. With the patronage of lawyer Shyamji Krishna Varma, it was opened to promote nationalist views among Indian students in Britai ...

. He co-authored the book, ''Reinforced Concrete Design'', with P.G. Bowie, which became a standard work. Faber's work on rebuilding the House of Commons won him a

CBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

in 1951. He also worked on the Snow Hill, Bath, re-development scheme - 11-storey block of 56 maisonettes opened by Alderman Sam Day in March 1958 - in association with architects Snailum, Huggins and Lefevre. Faber was president of the

Institution of Structural Engineers The Institution of Structural Engineers is a professional body for structural engineering based in the United Kingdom. The Institution has over 30,000 members operating in over 100 countries. The Institution provides professional accreditation ...

between 1935 and 1936. The Institution named an award after him, the Oscar Faber Medal, one of which was presented to Fazlur Khan in 1973. Faber's company Oscar Faber & Partners eventually merged with G Maunsell & Partners to become Faber Maunsell. In 2009, Faber Maunsell was rebranded

AECOM AECOM (, ; formerly AECOM Technology Corporation) is an American multinational infrastructure consulting firm. AECOM has approximately 51,000 employees, and is number 157 on the 2019 Fortune 500 list. The company's official name from 1990 t ...

References

1886 births 1956 deaths Presidents of the Institution of Structural Engineers English people of Danish descent British structural engineers Commanders of the Order of the British Empire {{UK-engineer-stub