OBITUARY Mr I. L. Holmes Was Noted Engineer

Press, Volume CX, Issue 32386, 27 August 1970, Page 14

OBITUARY Mr I. L. Holmes Was Noted Engineer

Mr Ivan Lyall Holmes, who died yesterday, was one of New Zealand’s leading structural engineers and known internationally for his specialist knowledge in the construction -of earthquakeresistant buildings. He was aged 49. Mr Holmes was educated at Wellington College, Victoria University College, and Canterbury University College, taking a bachelor of engineering (civil) degree with honours in 1943. He was then admitted to the Institutions of New Zealand Engineers, Civil Engineers and Structural En-

gineers. In 1945 he was awarded a post-graduate travelling scholarship. In New Zealand Mr Holmes had four years and a half teaching in the civil engineering department of Canterbury College, and six months service with the Public Works Department. In England he spent four years with the consulting engineering firm of Ove, Arup and .Partners, London (the firm which later designed the Sydney Opera House). For one year he was a parttime lecturer at the Hammersmith School of Engineering, London, and read under Professor A. J. S. Pippard, of the Imperial College, London University. In 1952 Mr Holmes was appointed a senior lecturer in civil engineering at Canterbury College, and he also practised as a private consultant engineer. In 1957 he left the university because of increasing calls on him as a consulting engineer. But he was for many years an external examiner and assessor at the university, and this year was appointed a member of the Engineering Faculty at the university. Many Big Projects

Mr Paul Pascoe, the architect appointed to design the Christchurch Airport terminal complex, invited Mr Holmes to be the consultant structural engineer for the project. Mr Holmes was the structural engineer for the Town Hall, He formed a partnership with Mr B. J. Wood in 1967, and the office grew to be the biggest consulting engineering one in the South Island, and one of the biggest in New Zealand. The firm did the structural engineering work in many big buildings besides the Town Hall, the S.I.M.U. being a recent job. The firm has also been involved in the design and construction of several

high-rise office and apartment blocks, up to 18 storeys, in Wellington and Auckland. Mr Holmes was extremely interested in progress in the Pacific Islands, and the firm did the structural design work for Government House in the Solomon Islands, and the Condominium offices in the New Hebrides. They have also designed hospitals and schools in the islands. Mr Holmes would not work

on a big job unless there was an architect involved. He was internationally : known for his work on re- ■ inforced concrete block masonry building as a factor in resisting earthquakes. Japanese engineers a few years ago were astonished to discover that Mr Holmes had designed the structure of buildings up to nine storeys with reinforced concrete block, while they had limited concrete block building to three storeys. Mr Holmes attended a number of international seminars on structural engineering. He travelled widely overseas, and last month returned from an international engineering conference on pre-stressed concrete. Mr Holmes, current president of the New Zealand Pre-Stressed Concrete Institute, was invited to preside at the first session and received a standing ovation after describing his work in that field. He was a past president of the Canterbury branch of the New Zealand- Institution of Engineers; a member of the National Committee of Earthquake Engineering, and a member of the Standards Institute committees for loading, farm buildings and concrete working. He was on the board of governors of Christchurch College. Interest In Drama As a student at Canterbury College, Mr Holmes was extremely active, and was one of the few students elected a life member of the Students’ Association without being president of it. He was chairman of a committee which wrote a paper on university reform, which resulted in the re-writing of the association’s constitution. Mr Holmes was very active in the Canterbury College Drama Society, and was stage manager in two Shakespearean plays, produced by Dame Ngaio Marsh, that went on tour. He kept his interest in the stage and was structural engineer for the Ngaio Marsh Theatre, designed by Warren and Mahoney, at Canterbury University. He was instrumental with Mr Pascoe in obtaining the Steeds Memorial Hut at, Arthur’s Pass for student climbers, and instituted the i Cashmere Children’s Library, 1 being chairman of the 1 library committee. Mr Holmes was noted for , the enormous vitality and enthusiasm he brought to all his pursuits. In engineering 1 particularly, he was known for his conscientiousness and 1 thoroughness; he was always striving for perfection. He is survived by his wife, Mrs Helen Holmes, daughter < of Dr G. Jobberns, who is ' known, for her work on radio and television programmes, and four daughters.