DICTIONARY OF BUILDING AND CIVIL ENGINEERING DICTIONNAIRE DU BÂTIMENT ET DU GÉNIE CIVIL ABOUT THE AUTHOR Don Montague is a Chartered Engineer (MICE, MIMechE) with experience in many fields of engineering, building and construction. He read Engineering Science at Oxford (MA) and then did pioneering work on machine design using the early DEUCE digital computer in the 1960s. Subsequently he worked in the public service in timber research (AJWSc), became deeply involved in environmental conservation and began a love affair with the practice of building. In 1971 he joined Ove Arup & Partners and spent his first five years with them co-ordinating multidisciplinary building design teams. After a period running his own structural component firm he rejoined Arups and became responsible for their engineering specifications, design guides and feedback notes. He has published articles on a wide range of topics, from environmental conservation to structural components, and integrated design to maintenance of building services. He retired as Technical Director of Arups in 1991. A life-long interest in the French language and life led him and his wife to move to France, where he is now as busy as ever working for himself with local French building professionals. L’AUTEUR Don Montague est un ingénieur (MICE, MIMechE) dont l’expérience couvre de nombreux domaines du génie, du bâtiment et de la construction. Après avoir fait ses études d’ingénieur à Oxford (MA), il entreprit des travaux innovateurs sur la conception des machines en faisant appel à l’ordinateur numérique DEUCE dans les années 1960. Par la suite, il travailla dans le secteur public dans la recherche sur le bois (AJWSc). Il devint alors un fervent défenseur de la protection de l’environnement et se passionna pour le bâtiment. En 1971, il entra chez Ove Arup & Partners où il fut pendant cinq ans responsable de la coordination des équipes multidisciplinaires de conception du bâtiment. Ayant quitté Arup pour diriger sa