Ken Fleming (engineer)

In 2000 the British Geotechnical Association joined with Cementation (now part of Skanska) to mark Fleming's contribution to geotechnical engineering by inaugurating the Fleming Award. This international award is presented annually for excellence in geotechnical design and construction.

The British Standards Institution awarded Fleming its Distinguished Service award in 1992. In 1999 the British Geotechnical Society honoured him with the prestigious Skempton Medal for his lifelong contribution to geotechnical engineering.

In 1985 he was the lead author of Piling Engineering, which has become an industry standard reference book. The third edition of Piling Engineering, still containing much of Fleming's original material, published in September 2008.

He became chairman of the Federation of Piling Contractors, and in 1975 chairman and founder member of the Federation of Piling Specialists.

McKinney Foundations was bought by Cementation Foundations in 1968 and Ken Fleming became chief engineer. At Cementation, Fleming was involved in the development of a series of new systems for improving the receptiveness of the ground to secure piles and to provide reliable information on the settlement of piles. Ken Fleming created the "Cemset" system which forecasts pile settlement under load.

In 1958 Ken Fleming joined J. Laing and Sons (in Mill Hill, London, NW7). When Laing’s joined up to form McKinney Foundations, Fleming was involved as a technical advisor for the piling foundations for London's Centre Point. He also travelled to America where he spent time with company founder Jack McKinney who encouraged his interest in developing improved piling techniques.

He graduated from Queen's University Belfast (1955) and became an assistant lecturer, later being awarded a PhD in 1958.

In July 1945, he won the Seale Scholarship to Portora Royal School.