P003543 revised AU-VU:EOAS Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation

All key entry types: Awards; Concepts; Corporate Bodies (Organisations); Cultural Artefacts; People; etc

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 English AACR2 Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules Person created 2001-05-25 human Rosanne Walker; Ken McInnes updated 2026-05-12 human https://www.eoas.info/biogs/P003543b.htm person Francis Arthur James AACR2 8 February 1914 12 August 2008 Place of Birth Newport, Monmouthshire, Wales Place of Death Colac, Victoria, Australia Civil engineer Professor Arthur Francis, MCE MSc PhD DEng MInstCE MIStructE FIEAust, was Professor of Civil Engineering at the University of Melbourne from 1951 to 1969. He worked closely, and was friends with, some of the leading architects of the time, including Osborne McCutcheon, Roy Grounds, Robin Boyd and Peter McIntyre. He was the consulting engineer for the design of the Australian Academy of Science domed building in Canberra; influenced the change to building regulations in Melbourne that abandoned the set height limit; and was on many panels that supported the buildings for the 1956 Olympic Games in Melbourne. With colleagues at the University he developed composite piles for bridge supports. These were incorporated into the design for the Captain Cook Bridge in Sydney by John Holland Constructions. With an overall length of 220 ft, they consisted of 20 inch square pre-stressed concrete upper sections joined to 14 x 14 1/2 inch steel H piles. At the time (1962), they were claimed to be the longest driven piles in the world; they may well remain the most slender. In the 1970s, he travelled widely overseas and worked on educational projects in developing countries - with UNESCO to establish an engineering faculty at Trabzon in Turkey, and an appropriate technology unit at the University of Nairobi in Kenya. He spent two years as pro-vice chancellor at the University of Lae in PNG, and in 1980 returned to the University of Melbourne to run new technology courses, as the Co-ordinator, Appropriate Technology Section, Faculty of Engineering. His distinguished career was acknowledged when he was awarded the Kernot Memorial Medal for distinguished engineering achievement in Australia in 1983, as well as an Honorary Doctor of Engineering in 1983 by the University of Melbourne. 1935 1935 Education - Master of Science (MSc), University of Birmingham 1935 1945 Career position - Civil engineer, Design and Construction 1946 1950 Career position - Lecturer, Civil Engineering, University of Birmingham c. 1950 c. 1950 Education - Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), University of Birmingham 1951 1951 Career event - Member (MIEAust), Institution of Engineers Australia 1951 1969 Career position - Professor of Civil and Agricultural Engineering, University of Melbourne 1956 1958 Career position - Dean of Engineering, University of Melbourne 13 Sep 1968 13 Sep 1968 Career event - Fellow (FIEAust), Institution of Engineers Australia [Former Members were designated Fellows on this date.] 1969 1969 Award - R W Chapman Medal, Institution of Engineers Australia 1970 1970 Life event - Retired from the University of Melbourne c. 1974 c. 1974 Career position - Established an engineering faculty, Trabzon, Turkey. With UNESCO. c. 1976 c. 1976 Career position - Appropriate Technology Unit, University of Nairobi, Kenya. With UNESCO. c. 1978 c. 1980 Career position - Pro-vice Chancellor, University of Lae, PNG 1980 1980 Career position - Co-ordinator, Appropriate Technology Section, Faculty of Engineering, University of Melbourne 1983 1983 Award - Kernot Memorial Medal, for distinguished engineering achievement in Australia. Faculty of Engineering, University of Melbourne 1983 1983 Award - Doctor of Engineering (DEng), honoris causa, University of Melbourne Grounds, Roy (1905 - 1981)

Prof Francis collaborated with Roy Grounds on the design of the Australian Academy of Sciences Building, Canberra and the Victorian Arts Centre and National Gallery, Melbourne.

 Brown, William Piper (Bill) (1914 - 2004)

Prof Arthur Francis and Bill Brown collaborated on the design of pre-cast pre-stressed multi-storey buildings for the Housing Commission, c 1956.

 The University of Melbourne (1853 - )

Professor of Civil and Agricultural Engineering 1951 - 1969; Co-ordinator, Appropriate Technology Section, Faculty of Engineering 1980 -

 R. W. Chapman Medal, Institution of Engineers, Australia (1935 - )

Awarded the Medal 1969, for the paper "Structural brickwork research in relation to the SAA Brickwork Code", Civil Engineering Transactions, Oct 1969.

 Kernot Memorial Medal, Faculty of Engineering, The University of Melbourne (1926 - )

Awarded the Medal 1983

 Victoria Division, Institution of Engineers, Australia (1919 - )

Chairman, Melbourne Division 1959

 Francis, A J (1914-)

Trove

 'Francis, Arthur James', in Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation, Centre for Transformative Innovation, Swinburne University of Technology Francis, Arthur James Swinburne University of Technology, Centre for Transformative Innovation Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation Journal Article: R. W. Chapman Medal - 1969 Award R. W. Chapman Medal - 1969 Award 1971 Journal of the Institution of Engineers, Australia 43 1-2 31 Resource: Honorary degree holders University of Melbourne Honorary degree holders University of Melbourne 2023 Report: Fifty-first Annual Report [1970] Institution of Engineers Australia Fifty-first Annual Report [1970] 1971 Journal Article: The S.A.A. Brickwork Code: The research background Francis, A. J. The S.A.A. Brickwork Code: The research background Institution of Engineers Australia 1969 Civil Engineering Transactions CE11 2 165-176 Conference Paper: Some recent developments in structural analysis and design Francis, A. J. Some recent developments in structural analysis and design Sydney Institution of Engineers Australia 1953 Proceedings of the Engineering Conference, 1953, Melbourne 1-11 Conference Paper: Technology for development: How Australian engineering schools can help. Francis, A. J.; and Mansell, D. S. Technology for development: How Australian engineering schools can help. Barton, ACT Institution of Engineers, Australia 1980 First International Conference on Technology for Development 1980: Preprints of Papers 98-102 Journal Article: Mr A. G. M. Michell, F.R.S. [Obituary] Francis, A. J. Mr A. G. M. Michell, F.R.S. [Obituary] 1959 Nature 183 4677 1714-5 Journal Article: Struts in triangulated frames Francis, A. J.; and Stevens, L. K. Struts in triangulated frames Institution of Engineers, Australia 1961 Civil Engineering Transactions CE3 1- Journal Article: Single cables subjected to loads Francis, A. J. Single cables subjected to loads Institution of Engineers, Australia 1965 Civil Engineering Transactions CE7 173- Journal Article: Prof. A. J. Francis: man and the environment O'Brien, William Prof. A. J. Francis: man and the environment Parkville, VIC University of Melbourne's Engineering Students Club 1970 Cranks and nuts magazine 48-49 Newspaper Article: A bridge-builder in all spheres. [Obituary: Arthur James Francis 1914-2008] Francis, David A bridge-builder in all spheres. [Obituary: Arthur James Francis 1914-2008] 2008 The Age 11 Resource: Technology in Australia 1788-1988 Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering Technology in Australia 1788-1988 Online Melbourne Australian Science and Technology Heritage Centre 2000