Who we are...

CMM – The Portuguese Steelwork Association was created in 1997 when the I Conference on Steel and Composite Construction was arranged. This Association has no profitable purposes and its main goal is the dissemination and technical promotion of Steel Construction.

CMM was created with the aims of gathering all those who take an interest in Steel and Composite Construction - designers, engineers and architects, builders, manufacturers, consultants, researchers and teachers in this area – and of promoting the dissemination of scientific and technological knowledge among them.

The Association has been growing considerably since its beginning and today it has more than 270 members, 60 of which are steel fabricators, projects’ offices, steel suppliers and research and teaching institutions.

CMM is a member of ECCS - European Convention for Constructional Steelwork - along with 24 other European countries. This European institution is the main responsible for the promotion of steel construction throughout Europe and in the association with other institutions worldwide. ECCS has also elaborated parts (28 out of 54) of the relevant Eurocodes for the sector of steel construction (EC0, EC1, EC3, EC4, EC8 e EC9).

Besides the continuous increase on the number of associates, so it can become representative of the Portuguese sector of steel construction, CMM aims to participate actively in the creation of DNA (Documents for National Application) and in the translation of the Eurocodes into the Portuguese Language, through its representation on CT115 Committee of LNEC – National Laboratory of Civil Engineering.

What we do…

Conferences and technical courses
One of CMM’s major events is the biennial Conference on Steel and Composite Construction, already counting with five editions (Porto, 1997; Coimbra, 1999; Aveiro, 2001; Lisboa, 2003; Lisboa, 2005), where great steel works made in Portugal are exposed and the problems of steel and composite construction are evaluated and discussed.
All that has been presented during these Conferences was gathered in five volumes of proceedings, which are part of the collection Construção Metálica e Mista and are available for sale on our website or in bookshops and Civil Engineering Departments throughout the country.

CMM also promotes technical courses and seminars, of which we highlight a seminar, organised each year in partnership with the Order of Architects and Faculties of Architecture.

CMM promoted the 1st Master’s Degree in Steel and Composite Construction, which began on the 30th September 2005, in Coimbra. This Course will be held in Coimbra and Lisbon, alternately, and it is part of the innovator project of the creation of an European Course.

ECCS European Technical Committees
As the legitimate Portuguese representative of ECCS, it is CMM’s duty to appoint and manage the national representations on the technical committees of this European institution. CMM is represented by twelve people in fourteen of the nineteen committees of ECCS, which are: Executive Board, ESSPG/ECCS National Annex Coordination Group (NACG), TMB, Structural Safety (TC1), Fire (TC3), Cold Formed Thin Walled Sheet Steel in Building (TC7), Structural Stability (TC8), Structural Connections (TC10), Composite Structures (TC11), Seismic Design (TC13), Multi-storey / High rise residential building (MC1), Sustainability (MC2), Bridges (MC3) e Marketing (MC5).

Awards
Another important activity of this Association is the annual promotion of the Students Award, which already had three editions, and the participation on the biennial ECCS Awards, in which Portugal was represented for the first time in September 2005, in Nice, France, with the work “Dragão Stadium Steel Rooftop” (Porto).

Books
CMM has published so far twelve books: six Proceedings Books (five national and one international, Eurosteel 2002), one Design of Structural Connections Manual (“Manual de Ligações Metálicas”), one Manual on the Design of Steel Structures according to the EC3 (“Manual de Dimensionamento de Estruturas Metálicas”), one Lexicon, a dictionary in CD-ROM and two magazines: “Metálica” and a monthly newsletter.

CMM is also the distributor in Portugal of more than 80 publications of ECCS, which were in great part the basis for the elaboration of the mentioned Eurocodes.

New Technologies
For the last two years, CMM has been strongly using new technologies, as is the case of its website, which is a big portfolio of information, either for members or for the public in general. One of the recent novelties was the creation of an on-line forum for technical discussion on steel construction, available for members and general public by log in.

Also, the CMM newsletter is sent to the associates by e-mail.

President
Prof. Luís Alberto P. Simões da Silva .........................(luisss@dec.uc.pt)

Vice-Presidents
Eng. Carlos Manuel Marques Martins......(carlos.martins@martifer.pt)
Prof. Paulo M. M. Vila Real............................................(pvreal@civil.ua.pt)

Treasurer
Eng. Tiago Braga Abecasis.......................(talprojecto@mail.telepac.pt)

Secretary
Prof. Dinar Reis Zamith Camotim...................(dcamotim@civil.ist.utl.pt)

Spokesmen
Eng. João Almeida Fernandes..................(almeida.fernandes@lnec.pt)
Eng. Mª Leonor Côrte-Real..........................................(lcr@pt.hempel.com)

President
António Ressano Garcia Lamas......................... (alamas@civil.ist.utl.pt)

Secretary
José Melo............................................................... (jose.melo@norfer.com)

President
António José Luis dos Reis................................. (antonio.reis@grid.pt)

Spokesmen
Eugénio Bernardes de Carvalho........ (ecarvalho@jsoarescorreia.pt)
Paulo Jorge de Sousa Cruz ..............................(pcruz@civil.uminho.pt)