IStructE · Resources
Practice examination briefs
Seventy-seven original briefs across the Chartered, Incorporated, supplementary and energy papers.
Who this is for:Candidates at any stage
A site, a function, a constraint and a piece of ground. Everything after that is the exercise.
What a brief gives you, and what it withholds
Each brief here carries four things: what the client wants, the constraint that should decide between your schemes, the ground, and — where the brief offers one — a reuse opportunity.
That is deliberately all. The examination gives you more words but not much more information, and the skill being practised is extracting the governing constraint from what you are given and building a scheme around it.
Every brief also carries a note on what makes it hard, hidden until you open it. Read that after your attempt, not before. If your two schemes did not engage with the difficulty it names, that is the lesson.
Working through them
- Twenty minutes gets you two outline schemes and a stability sketch for each. Do this often; it is the cheapest and highest-value practice available.
- Ninety minutes gets you schemes, an appraisal and a recommendation — the whole of section 1a.
- The full paper should be sat under real conditions, with the mock examination tool.
Rotate the building type. Candidates who only practise on the structure they design at work are practising the thing they are already good at.
They are original
None of these is taken from, adapted from, or derived from the Institution's examination archive — its question papers, its examiners' reports, its published worked answers — or from a commercial course. No examination drawing has been traced. That material is the Institution's, and it is the Institution you should obtain it from, under its own terms.
Practice examination briefs
77 original briefs. Each gives you a site, a function, a constraint and a piece of ground — everything else is the exercise.
Sixth-form teaching block on a constrained urban site
building
A three-storey teaching block of 2,400 m² gross, with eight classrooms per floor, a double-height entrance atrium at the north end, and a plant enclosure at roof level. Clear floor-to-ceiling height 2.9 m throughout. The building must be in use for the September intake twenty months from now.
- Constraint
- The only vehicular access is a single 3.2 m gate onto a residential street, with a weekday delivery embargo between 08:00 and 09:30 and after 15:00.
- Ground and site
- Made ground to 2.5 m over stiff clay with an allowable bearing pressure of 150 kN/m² at 3.0 m depth. Groundwater not encountered to 8 m.
Access dominates. Any scheme requiring large numbers of concrete deliveries or long components must be justified against a delivery window of a few hours a day.
Two-span road bridge over a tidal creek
bridge
A two-lane highway bridge carrying a 7.3 m carriageway and two 2.0 m footways over a tidal creek, total span between abutments 54 m. A single intermediate support is permitted but must sit clear of the low-water channel.
- Constraint
- The creek is a designated habitat. No works below mean high water may take place between October and March, and no permanent works may narrow the low-water channel.
- Ground and site
- Soft alluvium to 9 m over dense sand and gravel. Groundwater at 1 m, tidal range 4.2 m.
A seasonal window drives the construction sequence, which should in turn drive the scheme. Foundation type and erection method are the real differentiators.
Cold store extension to an operating distribution centre
industrial
A 4,500 m² single-storey cold store at −25 °C, clear internal height 12.5 m, adjoining an existing ambient warehouse which must remain in operation throughout. Racking loads up to 55 kN per leg on a 1.2 m grid.
- Constraint
- The existing warehouse cannot close. The shared wall must be maintained weathertight and secure at all times, and no work may take place inside the operating building during trading hours.
- Ground and site
- Firm sandy clay, allowable bearing pressure 120 kN/m² at 1.5 m. Existing pad foundations at 1.8 m along the shared elevation.
Thermal movement at −25 °C, differential movement against a warm building, and a ground slab that must not heave.
Public library with a long-span reading room
civic
A two-storey library of 3,100 m². The first-floor reading room requires a column-free space 24 m × 30 m with a 6.0 m clear height and top light. Book stacks at ground floor impose 7.5 kN/m².
- Constraint
- The building sits in a conservation area with a 12.5 m height limit to the top of any parapet, measured from the adjoining pavement.
- Ground and site
- Weathered mudstone at 2.0 m, allowable bearing pressure 300 kN/m². No groundwater to 6 m.
A tight height limit against a long-span roof and a heavily loaded floor below. Structural depth is the scarce resource.
Vertical extension to a 1960s office frame
refurbishment
Add two storeys to an existing six-storey reinforced concrete framed office, and remove two internal columns at ground floor to form a new entrance. Existing floor loading 3.0 kN/m² imposed; new floors to match.
- Constraint
- The existing building must remain occupied on floors one to four throughout. The original drawings survive but no reinforcement schedules do.
- Ground and site
- Existing pad foundations on dense gravel, 2.4 m below ground. No records of pile or pad dimensions.
- Reuse opportunity
- Retaining the existing frame is the low-carbon option, but its capacity must be established rather than assumed.
Everything depends on what the existing structure can carry, and the brief deliberately withholds the records that would tell you.
Bus interchange canopy over a live bus station
transport
A canopy covering eight bus stands, 68 m × 22 m on plan, with a minimum 4.8 m clearance to underside over the running lanes and a supported passenger information gantry along one edge.
- Constraint
- The bus station must remain operational. No more than two stands may be out of service at any time, and no work may take place over a live running lane.
- Ground and site
- Existing reinforced concrete slab over made ground; ground investigation shows soft silty clay to 6 m over stiff clay.
The construction sequence is the design. A scheme that cannot be built two stands at a time is not viable however elegant.
Rooftop plant enclosure and screen on an existing hospital
building
A new plant deck of 900 m² and a 4.0 m high acoustic screen at roof level on a five-storey hospital wing, supporting chillers up to 8 tonnes each and a 3 tonne air handling unit, with maintenance access to all plant.
- Constraint
- The hospital operates continuously. Vibration and noise transmission to the wards below are limited, and no crane may oversail the adjacent accident and emergency entrance.
- Ground and site
- Not applicable at roof level, but existing column loads must be checked to foundation. Existing piles, records incomplete.
Dynamic isolation of plant, load paths through an existing frame, and a craneage restriction that shapes component size.
Small-craft pontoon and access bridge
marine
A floating pontoon 60 m × 4 m serving 24 berths, with a hinged access bridge from a fixed quay. Tidal range 5.5 m. Pedestrian loading 4.0 kN/m² and a design gradient no steeper than 1 in 8 at any tide state.
- Constraint
- The quay wall is a listed masonry structure and may not carry new horizontal load. All restraint must be taken by new elements.
- Ground and site
- Silty sand to 12 m over rock. Water depth 3.5 m at mean low water.
Geometry drives everything: the gradient limit sets the bridge length, which sets the loading and the pontoon freeboard.
Mixed-use block over a retained basement
building
A seven-storey building with retail at ground, offices on floors one to three and residential above, on the footprint of a demolished department store whose two-level basement is to be retained and reused for parking and plant.
- Constraint
- The retained basement retaining walls were designed for a two-storey building. Column positions in the basement cannot move.
- Ground and site
- Existing basement slab at 6.5 m below ground on stiff clay. Groundwater at 4.0 m, currently controlled by an existing drainage system of unknown condition.
- Reuse opportunity
- Reusing the basement avoids a very large excavation and the associated carbon, provided the retaining structure can be shown to be adequate.
A fixed grid inherited from a different building, a change of use above it, and a water table the existing structure depends on being managed.
Grain store with a travelling conveyor
industrial
A 40 m × 90 m grain store with 8 m high retaining bays internally, a travelling overhead conveyor on a 60 m runway, and clear internal height 14 m to underside of roof structure. Stored grain 8.5 kN/m³.
- Constraint
- The store must be emptied and filled by front loader, so no internal columns are permitted within the storage area.
- Ground and site
- Firm to stiff clay, allowable bearing pressure 150 kN/m² at 1.2 m. Slight fall across the site of 1 in 40.
Lateral pressure from stored grain against a portal frame with no internal restraint, plus a moving crane load on the same structure.
Footbridge over a live railway
bridge
A pedestrian and cycle bridge with a clear span of 38 m over four electrified tracks, with ramped approaches at 1 in 20 and a minimum clearance of 5.8 m above rail level.
- Constraint
- Track possessions are limited to two eight-hour night windows, six weeks apart. Nothing may remain over the track outside a possession.
- Ground and site
- Railway embankment of made ground to 5 m over firm clay. Foundations must not surcharge the embankment slope.
The whole superstructure has to arrive and be placed within one possession, which sets weight, length and lifting arrangement before any member is sized.
Sports hall with a spectator gallery
civic
A four-court sports hall 34 m × 20 m clear, 9.0 m clear height to underside of any structure, with a 120-seat spectator gallery along one long side at 3.5 m above floor level and a plant room beneath it.
- Constraint
- The site is bounded on the gallery side by a 3 m easement over a live foul sewer at 2.8 m depth, which may not be built over or surcharged.
- Ground and site
- Loose to medium dense sand to 4 m over dense sand. Groundwater at 3.5 m.
An easement along one side removes the obvious foundation line exactly where the gallery load is concentrated.
Data hall extension with heavy floor loading
building
A single-storey data hall of 1,800 m² with 15 kN/m² floor loading, a 1.2 m raised access floor, external plant yard, and a 3.5 m deep service void above the equipment with independent support for cable trays and cooling.
- Constraint
- Deflection under service load must not exceed 10 mm at any point of the equipment floor, and differential settlement between any two racks must not exceed 5 mm.
- Ground and site
- Variable made ground 1.5 to 4.0 m deep over firm clay. Historical mapping shows a filled watercourse crossing the site diagonally.
A stringent settlement criterion over ground of variable depth. The filled watercourse is the piece of information the scheme should be built around.
Church hall conversion with a new mezzanine
refurbishment
Insert a 220 m² mezzanine into a Victorian church hall with masonry walls and a timber king-post roof, creating meeting rooms above and retaining the hall below. New imposed loading 4.0 kN/m².
- Constraint
- The building is listed. No new structure may be fixed to the roof trusses, and the internal face of the masonry may not be disturbed above 2.0 m.
- Ground and site
- Existing strip footings 0.6 m wide at 0.9 m depth on firm clay, condition unknown.
- Reuse opportunity
- The whole scheme is a reuse exercise; the carbon case rests on not replacing the building.
Support for a new floor with almost nowhere permitted to put it, and shallow existing footings that will not take much more.
Multi-storey car park with a photovoltaic roof
transport
A four-deck car park providing 420 spaces, with a photovoltaic array over the top deck on a supporting structure giving 2.4 m clearance, and a lift and stair core at each end.
- Constraint
- The deck-to-deck height is limited to 2.9 m by a planning condition on overall height, and the internal layout must achieve a 6.0 m aisle with 2.4 m clear headroom throughout.
- Ground and site
- Dense gravel from 1.0 m, allowable bearing pressure 250 kN/m².
Structural depth is squeezed between the headroom requirement below and the height limit above, on every deck.
Water treatment tank and access structure
industrial
A rectangular reinforced concrete process tank 22 m × 14 m × 6.0 m deep, half buried, with an access gantry across the top, a launder channel along one side, and provision for a future second tank alongside.
- Constraint
- The tank must remain watertight to a specified leakage class, and must be capable of being emptied for inspection at any time with the surrounding ground fully saturated.
- Ground and site
- Soft clay to 5 m over stiff clay. Groundwater at 1.2 m, artesian pressure not encountered.
Flotation when empty, with a high water table and soft ground; the tank must be checked in both the full and empty conditions.
Laboratory building with vibration-sensitive equipment
building
A three-storey research building of 4,000 m², with electron microscopy suites at ground floor requiring a vibration criterion of VC-D, general laboratories above, and a rooftop plant deck.
- Constraint
- A four-lane road runs 18 m from the microscopy suite, and the site is 400 m from a working quarry with permitted blasting twice weekly.
- Ground and site
- Stiff clay to 12 m over weathered rock. Groundwater at 5 m.
Vibration governs the ground floor entirely, and the answer is usually about mass, isolation and the position of the sensitive rooms rather than about member sizing.
Farm accommodation bridge over a new dual carriageway
bridge
A single-span accommodation bridge carrying agricultural vehicles up to 30 tonnes over a new dual carriageway in cutting, clear span 32 m, with a 4.5 m wide deck and parapets to the required containment level.
- Constraint
- The carriageway below must be constructed after the bridge, so the bridge must be built over an open cutting with no traffic management constraint, but the cutting slopes are only stable at 1 in 2.5.
- Ground and site
- Glacial till, allowable bearing pressure 200 kN/m² at 2.0 m below formation level.
The abutments sit at the top of a cutting slope, so global stability of the slope and the foundation interact.
Visitor centre partially cut into a hillside
civic
A single-storey visitor centre of 1,200 m² set into a hillside, with a green roof, a fully glazed elevation facing the valley, and an exhibition space requiring a 14 m clear span parallel to the glazing.
- Constraint
- The retained height at the rear varies from 1.5 m to 5.5 m along the length of the building, and no permanent ground anchors may extend beyond the site boundary 4 m behind the retaining line.
- Ground and site
- Weathered sandstone with clay bands, dipping towards the valley at 15°.
A varying retained height with no room for anchors, and bedding dipping downhill — the retaining structure is the building.
Modular residential block on a podium
building
A six-storey residential building of volumetric modules over a two-storey in-situ podium containing retail and parking, with a transfer structure at second-floor level. 84 apartments.
- Constraint
- The podium column grid is set by the parking layout at 7.8 m × 5.2 m; the module width is 3.6 m and cannot change.
- Ground and site
- Firm clay, allowable bearing pressure 150 kN/m² at 2.0 m.
Two incompatible grids meeting at a transfer structure, which is where most of the design effort and most of the carbon will go.
Bulk material silo group
industrial
Four cylindrical silos, each 9 m diameter and 22 m high, on a common elevated support structure with a discharge floor 6.0 m above ground, filled by an overhead conveyor. Stored material 14 kN/m³.
- Constraint
- Silos must be capable of being filled and emptied independently and in any combination.
- Ground and site
- Dense sand and gravel from 2.0 m, allowable bearing pressure 300 kN/m².
The governing case is asymmetric filling, which produces out-of-balance moments on the support structure and the foundations.
Mill building converted to apartments
refurbishment
Convert a four-storey stone-walled former mill with cast-iron columns and timber floors into 32 apartments, inserting new floors where the existing cannot meet loading, and forming a new stair and lift core.
- Constraint
- The cast-iron columns are to be retained and expressed. Their capacity is unknown and no records exist.
- Ground and site
- Existing stone strip footings at 1.2 m on firm clay. The building is 6 m from a canal.
- Reuse opportunity
- The retained structure is the carbon case, but each retained element needs its own justification.
Cast iron of unknown capacity carrying new loads, in a building whose lateral stability currently comes from floors that may be replaced.
Station footbridge with lift towers
transport
A footbridge linking two platforms with a 26 m clear span over three tracks, lift towers and stairs at each end, and a canopy over the full length of the bridge deck.
- Constraint
- One platform is 3.2 m wide and cannot be narrowed; the lift tower on that side must sit within the existing platform width without reducing the safe standing area.
- Ground and site
- Made ground to 3 m over stiff clay on both sides of the track.
A very tight footprint for a tall, wind-loaded tower — overturning and foundation size will drive the scheme on that side.
School sports pavilion with a cantilevered viewing deck
building
A two-storey pavilion with changing rooms at ground floor and a clubroom above, incorporating a 4.5 m cantilevered viewing deck along the pitch elevation for 80 spectators.
- Constraint
- The pitch side of the building sits 2.0 m from a mature protected oak, whose root protection area extends 8 m from the trunk and within which no excavation is permitted.
- Ground and site
- Firm shrinkable clay, plasticity index 42. Water table below 6 m.
A shrinkable clay next to a large tree, with a cantilever whose uplift reaction lands exactly where excavation is forbidden.
Covered market hall replacing a fire-damaged structure
civic
A single-storey covered market of 55 m × 35 m with a clear span across the width, natural ventilation at ridge level, and forty trading units served by a service road along one side.
- Constraint
- The existing perimeter masonry walls survived the fire and are to be retained for their street frontage, but may carry only vertical load from the new roof — no horizontal thrust.
- Ground and site
- Made ground to 2.5 m over firm clay. Existing strip footings under the retained walls at 1.5 m.
- Reuse opportunity
- Retaining the perimeter walls is the low-carbon and heritage option.
A 35 m clear span whose horizontal reactions cannot go into the walls that are holding up the elevation.
Waste transfer building with an internal pushing wall
industrial
A 60 m × 40 m waste transfer building with 6 m high reinforced concrete push walls forming three internal bays, a 16 m clear internal height, and a fully enclosed envelope for odour control.
- Constraint
- Loading shovels impact the push walls; the client requires the walls to be designed for a 25 tonne machine pushing material at working speed.
- Ground and site
- Firm clay, allowable bearing pressure 130 kN/m² at 1.5 m.
An impact and surcharge loading regime that is unusual, plus a corrosive internal environment inside a fully sealed building.
Cycle and pedestrian bridge over a river with flood constraints
bridge
A 44 m clear span cycle and pedestrian bridge over a river, deck width 4.0 m, with soffit level at least 600 mm above the 1 in 100 year flood level plus climate allowance.
- Constraint
- The environmental regulator will permit no piers or foundations within the channel or within 8 m of either bank top.
- Ground and site
- Alluvial silt to 7 m over dense gravel. Bank tops 12 m apart at the narrowest point.
The no-build zone effectively fixes the span and the abutment positions, and the soffit level fixes the available structural depth below deck.
Hotel over an existing retail unit
building
A five-storey, 90-bedroom hotel constructed over an existing single-storey retail unit that must continue trading, with a transfer structure above the retail roof and a new independent entrance.
- Constraint
- The retail unit trades seven days a week and its structure is not to be loaded. All new vertical structure must land outside the existing footprint or through a small number of penetrations agreed at fixed positions.
- Ground and site
- Stiff clay from 1.5 m, allowable bearing pressure 175 kN/m².
Spanning over an operating building, with columns permitted only at a few agreed points — a transfer problem where the transfer is the whole scheme.
Crematorium chapel with a long-span timber roof
civic
A single-storey chapel seating 150, requiring a 20 m clear span, a 7.0 m internal height at the ridge, and an exposed structural roof as an architectural feature. Adjoining single-storey ancillary accommodation.
- Constraint
- The client requires an exposed structure with a design life of 60 years and no visible steelwork within the chapel volume.
- Ground and site
- Firm sandy clay, allowable bearing pressure 140 kN/m² at 1.2 m.
A material constraint imposed by the client that removes the easy answer, plus connection design that has to be both structural and visible.
Slipway and boat hoist foundation
marine
A slipway 30 m long at 1 in 8 with a boat hoist capable of lifting 40 tonnes, running on rails either side of a haul-out dock, and a hardstanding area for eight boats under repair.
- Constraint
- The hoist must operate at all tide states, and the rails cannot tolerate differential settlement greater than 15 mm over their length.
- Ground and site
- Soft marine clay to 8 m over dense sand. Tidal range 3.8 m.
A settlement-sensitive rail structure on soft ground subject to tidal cycling, with a heavy moving point load.
Nursery school with a shallow-founded lightweight structure
building
A single-storey nursery of 800 m² on a greenfield edge-of-town site, with a 12 m clear span hall, and a requirement for a low-carbon structure and a 60-year design life.
- Constraint
- The site is in a flood zone requiring finished floor level 900 mm above existing ground, and no fill may be imported to raise the site.
- Ground and site
- Soft alluvial clay to 4 m over firm clay. Groundwater at 0.8 m.
- Reuse opportunity
- The brief invites a low-carbon structure; material efficiency should be visible in the scheme choice, not only in the specification.
Raising a floor without fill on soft ground, which makes the ground floor a suspended structure and changes the foundation problem entirely.
Workshop with an overhead travelling crane
industrial
A 24 m span single-bay workshop, 72 m long, with a 20 tonne overhead travelling crane at 8.0 m rail level, 10 m clear height to underside of roof structure, and full-height doors at both ends.
- Constraint
- Crane deflection limits require the gantry girder deflection under vertical crane load to be no more than span over 750, and the frame sway under crane surge to be limited accordingly.
- Ground and site
- Medium dense sand, allowable bearing pressure 180 kN/m² at 1.5 m.
A classic problem where serviceability and sway governs, not strength, and where the doors at both ends remove obvious bracing lines.
Park-and-ride terminal building and canopy
transport
A terminal building of 450 m² with a waiting hall, and a separate canopy 90 m long covering a bus lay-by and pedestrian route, with integrated lighting and a rainwater harvesting system feeding a below-ground tank.
- Constraint
- A 33 kV buried cable runs the length of the site 2.5 m from the canopy centreline at 1.1 m depth, with a 3 m no-dig easement either side.
- Ground and site
- Firm clay, allowable bearing pressure 150 kN/m² at 1.5 m.
A no-dig easement running the length of the canopy, which removes one line of foundations and makes the canopy structurally asymmetric.
Department store converted to offices and residential
refurbishment
Convert a 1970s five-storey reinforced concrete department store to offices at levels one and two and residential above, forming two lightwells through the existing floor plates and adding a new stair core.
- Constraint
- The existing flat slab is 275 mm thick on a 7.5 m grid with drop panels. Forming lightwells removes slab in the vicinity of columns.
- Ground and site
- Existing pad foundations at 2.2 m on dense gravel; original design drawings available, calculations are not.
- Reuse opportunity
- Retention of the frame and slabs is the carbon case; each opening has to be justified individually.
Punching shear and load redistribution around new openings in an existing flat slab, without the original calculations.
Emergency services station with a training tower
civic
A two-storey fire and rescue station with appliance bays at ground floor requiring 6.0 m clear height and 5.5 m wide doors, accommodation above, and a detached four-storey training tower for ladder and rope work.
- Constraint
- The appliance bay doors must give a clear opening with no columns between them along a 28 m elevation, and appliances must be able to leave within 90 seconds of a call.
- Ground and site
- Made ground to 1.8 m over dense gravel, allowable bearing pressure 250 kN/m² at 2.5 m.
A 28 m column-free elevation carrying two storeys above, plus a slender tower subject to rope-work impact and dynamic loading.
Every brief is original to Queensferry. None is taken from or adapted from an IStructE paper, an examiners’ report, a published worked answer or a commercial course, and no examination drawing has been traced.
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What is in the bank
| Paper | Briefs | What they cover |
|---|---|---|
| Chartered Membership | 35 | Buildings, bridges, industrial, civic, transport, marine and refurbishment |
| Incorporated-Membership | 20 | Single-scheme problems at a scale suited to the paper |
| IM–CM supplementary | 12 | Two-scheme problems where the constraint drives the difference |
| Energy question | 10 | Wind, storage, solar, biomass, hydrogen, substation, hydro and nuclear-site work |
Every brief carries a constraint chosen so that two genuinely distinct schemes are possible — which is the part of section 1a that most marks turn on.
Three ways to use one brief
- 01
Twenty minutes — schemes only
Two outline schemes and a stability sketch for each. Do this often. It is the cheapest practice available and it drills the part of the paper carrying the most marks.
- 02
Ninety minutes — through to a recommendation
Schemes, appraisal against criteria drawn from the brief, and a recommendation in one unambiguous sentence. That is the whole of section 1a.
- 03
A full day — the complete paper
Use the mock examination tool, which draws a brief you have not seen and runs the correct clock for your paper.
Getting value from the bank
Worth doing
- Rotate the building type — practise what you do not design at work
- Read the constraint twice before choosing a scheme
- Write down the six difference categories and change three or four of them
- Open the difficulty note only after your attempt
- Keep your attempts, so you can see whether the same weakness recurs
Avoid
- Read the difficulty note first
- Only practise briefs in your own sector
- Skip the stability sketch because it is obvious
- Treat a brief as a reading exercise
Related pages and tools
- Mock examsHow to rehearse a seven-hour paper properly, and what to take from each attempt.
- Scheme designWhat makes two schemes genuinely distinct, why viability matters as much as difference, and how to appraise them.
- ExercisesA hundred and sixty drills — client letters, critical details, calculations, foundations and method statements.
- The examinationsWhich paper you sit, how the three differ in length and marks, and what they all test.