P003740 revised AU-VU:EOAS Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation

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

These key entries are listed separately below with other indexes and lists.

 English AACR2 Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules Person created 2001-05-25 human Rosanne Walker; Ken McInnes updated 2025-11-05 human https://www.eoas.info/biogs/P003740b.htm person Macdonald Alexander Simpson AACR2 17 March 1888 2 October 1955 Place of Birth Urquhart, Rosshire, Scotland Place of Death Surfers Paradise, Queensland, Australia Civil engineer Structural engineer Surveyor Alex Macdonald, ARTC BSc AssocMInstCE MIEAust, was senior partner with Eric Wagner in the consulting engineering firm Macdonald Wagner, formed in Sydney in 1934. 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. He was very active in professional and public affairs - as a founding member and first Treasurer of the Association of Consulting Structural Engineers New South Wales in 1933 and President in 1936, and on committees of the Institution of Engineers Australia and the Standards Association of Australia. 1901 1905 Education - Royal Academy, Dingwall 1905 1909 Career position - Apprenticeship, with David J Reid AssocMInstCE 1906 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 in 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 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 1915 Life event - Arrived in Australia 1915 1915 Career position - Engineer, Harbour Trust, Sydney, New South Wales [Design of steel work, under Walter Edward Adams MInstCE] 1915 1919 Military service - First World War. Captain, 5th Field Artillery Brigade, Australian Imperial Force 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 1920 Career position - Resumed as engineer, Harbour Trust, Sydney, New South Wales [under Walter Edward Adams MInstCE] 1920 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 1921 Career event - Associate Member (AMIEAust), Institution of Engineers Australia 8 Mar 1921 8 Mar 1921 Career event - Associate Member (AssocMInstCE), Institution of Civil Engineers, London 1933 Career position - Founding member and first Treasurer of the Association of Consulting Structural Engineers of New South Wales 1934 1948 Career event - Partnered with Eric Wagner, to form consulting engineering firm A. S. Macdonald and Wagner 1936 Career position - Member, Building Advisory Council, Sydney City Council 1936 1936 Career position - President, Association of Consulting Structural Engineers of New South Wales 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] 1948 1955 Career position - Senior Partner, Consulting engineers, MacDonald Wagner & Priddle Priddle, Raymond Arthur (1913 - 1971)

1944 - 1955

 Wagner, Eric Gordon (1898 - 1987)

1934 - 1955

 Association of Consulting Structural Engineers of New South Wales (1933 - )

Founding member, founding Treasurer 1933, President 1936

 Dunphy, Myles Joseph (1891 - 1985)

Myles worked as a draughtsman with Macdonald 1920-1922

 Crooks, Robert (1902 - 1971)

Alexander Macdonald AssocMInstCE endorsed Robert Crooks's nomination for AssocMInstCE 1927

 MacDonald Wagner & Priddle Pty Ltd (1934 - 1989)

Founded the firm with Eric Wagner in 1934

 Macdonald, A. S.

Trove

 'Macdonald, Alexander Simpson', in Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation, Centre for Transformative Innovation, Swinburne University of Technology Macdonald, Alexander Simpson Swinburne University of Technology, Centre for Transformative Innovation Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation Edited Book: Two hundred years of concrete in Australia Lewis, Miles Two hundred years of concrete in Australia North Sydney Concrete Institute of Australia 1988 Journal Article: Black Soil Foundations Macdonald, A. S. Black Soil Foundations 1938 Architecture 209-213 Resource: B2455 First Australian Imperial Force Personnel Dossiers, 1914-1920 CA 2001 Australian Imperial Force, Base Records Office B2455 First Australian Imperial Force Personnel Dossiers, 1914-1920 National Archives of Australia, RecordSearch Resource: Civil Engineer Membership Forms, 1818-1930 Institution of Civil Engineers, London Civil Engineer Membership Forms, 1818-1930 ancestry.com 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