The Seventh International Conference on Structural Engineering, Mechanics and Computation (SEMC 2019) was held in Cape Town from 2 to 4 September 2019. The event was attended by more than 400 participants representing 62 countries and 180 universities worldwide. The top 15 countries in terms of number of participants were Germany, South Africa, Italy, UK, Poland, Japan, USA, China, Portugal, Czech Republic, Australia, Denmark, Netherlands, France & Canada. Keynote speakers included Prof. Klaus-Jürgen Bathe (USA), Prof. Tim Ibell (UK), Prof. Ben Young (China) and Prof. Brian Uy (Australia).

The SEMC 2019 Proceedings comprise 411 peer-reviewed papers. The subject matter reflects the broad scope of the SEMC conference, from fundamental issues of the mechanics of materials and structures, to advances in numerical modelling, simulations and experimental testing, as well as the latest innovations in design, construction and maintenance of engineering structures and systems. The Proceedings have been published by CRC Press (Taylor & Francis) as a printed book of short versions of the papers (882 pages), and an e-book with the full versions of the papers (2,400 pages).

As organisers, we believe the aims of the conference, namely “to bring together from around the world academics, researchers and practitioners in the broad fields of structural mechanics, associated computation and structural engineering, to review recent achievements in the advancement of knowledge and understanding in these areas, share the latest developments, and address the challenges that the present and the future pose”, were amply fulfilled. We wish to thank all participants for their contributions.

The next SEMC conference will be held in September 2022 (exact dates will be announced in due course).