Person

Macdonald, Alexander Simpson (1888 - 1955)

Born
17 March 1888
Urquhart, Rosshire, Scotland
Died
2 October 1955
Surfers Paradise, Queensland, Australia
Occupation
Civil engineer and Surveyor

Summary

Alexander S. Macdonald, ARTC BSc AssocMInstCE MIEAust, went into partnership with Eric Wagner in Sydney in 1934 to form the consulting engineering firm Macdonald Wagner.

Prior to moving to Australia in 1915, Macdonald gained experience in reinforced concrete design and construction in UK, Brazil and Canada. And after returning from service in the First World War, helped pioneer the design of reinforced concrete in buildings in Sydney from 1920, working with Arthur Hart, then working as an independent consultant, occasionally partnering with others on projects, such as the Astor Flats (1921).

In 1937, Macdonald used an innovative foundation design for the Bank of New South Wales at Moree. His design was able to overcome the effects of cracking caused by the seasonal variation in moisture content in the highly unstable black soils found there, and found over wide areas of New South Wales and Queensland.

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Details

Chronology

1901 - 1905
Education - Royal Academy, Dingwall
1905 - 1909
Career position - Apprenticeship, with David J Reid AssocMInstCE
1906
Career event - Student Member (StudInstCE), Institution of Civil Engineers, London
1907 - 1909
Education - Associate Royal Technical College (ARTC), Glasgow
1907 - 1910
Education - Bachelor of Science (Engineering), (BSc(Eng)), Glasgow University
1910 - 1912
Career position - Assistant engineer, Para'Port Works, Brazil. Later Certificate Engineer, Sir Wheatman Pearson and Son Ltd.
1912
Career position - Designing engineer, Pacific Great Eastern Railway, Canada
1912 - 1914
Career position - Consulting engineer, DuCane, Dutcher & Co. Vancouver B.C. [Associated with design and execution of Hydro-electric, Reinforced concrete, steel, irrigation, harbour and water and sewerage contracts]
1915
Career position - Engineer, Harbour Trust, Sydney, New South Wales [Design of steel work, under Walter Edward Adams MInstCE]
1915
Life event - Arrived in Australia
1915 - 1919
Military service - First World War. Captain, 5th Field Artillery Brigade, AIF
1918 - 1919
Career position - Designing engineer, Considere Construction Company, Victoria Street, London
1918 - 1919
Career position - Designing engineer, Trussed concrete steel Company, London
1918 - 1919
Career position - Engineer, Melville Dundas & Whitson, Reinforced concrete contractors, Glasgow
1920
Career position - Resumed as engineer, Harbour Trust, Sydney, New South Wales [under Walter Edward Adams MInstCE]
1920
Career position - Consulting engineer, in association with Arthur John Hart AssocMInstCE, structural engineer, Sydney
1920 - 1933
Career position - Consulting engineer, on own account
1921
Career event - Associate Member (AMIEAust), Institution of Engineers Australia
8 Mar 1921
Career event - Associate Member (AssocMInstCE), Institution of Civil Engineers, London
1934
Career event - Partnered with Eric Wagner, to form consulting engineering firm Macdonald Wagner
1936 -
Career position - Member, Building Advisory Council, Sydney City Council
1939 - 1955
Career position - Member, Board of Appeal Panel, Sydney Corporation Act
1945 - 1955
Career position - Member, Building Regulation Advisory Committee, Local Government Act NSW [Nominee of Institution of Engineers Australia]

Related Corporate Bodies

Related People

Published resources

Edited Books

  • Lewis, Miles ed., Two hundred years of concrete in Australia (North Sydney: Concrete Institute of Australia, 1988), 137 pp. See pp.16, 101, 102. Details

Journal Articles

Resources

See also

Rosanne Walker; Ken McInnes

Created: 25 May 2001, Last modified: 5 December 2024

EOAS ID: biogs/P003740b.htm

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