Digitising the highways p16 Pioneering tidal energy p46 Innovation report p59 New Civil Engineer JANUARY 2019
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CONNECT TO BETTER New Civil Engineer INNOVATION ESSENTIAL IN 2019
MARK HANSFORD EDITOR
etting more innovation in infrastructure is a key driver the two big stories of 2018 (the government’s Year of Engineering lest for the government and our industry alike. One year we forget) – the delay to Crossrail and the collapse of Carillion – were on from the announcement of the Construction Sector disasters in their own right, they were seen by the government as signs G Deal and £170M of government funding to drive that in- and indicators. itiative, the structures are finally in place for the indus- So to 2019. There are currently some challenges to do with costs on try to scale up its efforts. Yet very few in the industry seem to actually Tideway and some much bigger ones on High Speed 2. With the Tide- know what these structures are and how to access the funding. way project well underway, these challenges will certainly be worked That became very clear at two live New Civil Engineer events in through, hopefully without too much pain for the supply chain. December. The first was the SME webinar, aimed at highlighting how But with HS2, all bets are currently off. The chairman (who was also smaller businesses can use technology to supercharge their business. There, two fast-growing small civil engineering businesses highlight- The two big stories of 2018 were ed their frustrations that, while they know funds to help innovation are available, the relentless pressure of running the business means disasters in their own right and they simply do not have the time to stop and work out where to access them. seen by the government as signs and The second was New Civil Engineer’s Tunnelling Festival, where Tideway chief technical officer Roger Bailey, through a series of poll indicators questions, rapidly learned how very few in the tunnelling industry – a genuinely innovative sector – understood where to go for innovation. Less than a handful of the 100-plus audience had heard of the Core “Crossrail’s chairman) has been forced out. Chief executive Mark Thurs- Innovation Hub, launched in late November, with £72M of that £170M ton has taken the unprecedented step of talking to New Civil Engineer not and a remit to “catalyse” the way buildings and infrastructure are once, but twice in the last month, stressing the need for the industry to designed, manufactured, integrated and connected within the built drive down costs on the main civils contracts. No-one, not Thurston, or environment. Dance, is saying “or else” but the “or else” is heavily implied. More worryingly, in his final poll question, Bailey asked, two years’ This year there will be a Comprehensive Spending Review. It is also on from the Farmer review that concluded that the industry must likely there will be a General Election. The economic nightmare of a “modernise or die”, the extent to which the industry was adapting. no-deal Brexit looms large. Infrastructure, historically, never fares well Just 8% of those polled felt the industry accepts the need for major when cloth needs cutting. change and is acting on it quickly, with most, 58%, feeling change is So this month’s New Civil Engineer is therefore unashamedly innova- happening slowly. More than a third (34%) felt the industry was actual- tion-focused. Throughout, we highlight amazing innovations that are ly in a more critical condition now than it was two years ago. already making a massive difference to the way we deliver infrastruc- It served as a stark reminder of the work that has to be done, com- ture. We also focus on how to get hold of some that £170M government ing straight after Infrastructure and Projects Authority head of infra- cash aimed at driving even more. The Year of Engineering is gone. Let’s structure delivery Stephen Dance warned that “government hasn’t make 2019 the year of innovation. lost confidence in the industry – yet…”, adding that while neither of l Mark Hansford is New Civil Engineer’s editor
JANUARY 2019 | NEW CIVIL ENGINEER 3 Contents NEW CIVIL ENGINEER JANUARY 2019 MAGAZINE OF THE INSTITUTION OF CIVIL ENGINEERS
03 Comment, 35 World View Report: Analysis & News Future of Energy
06 Lighthouse: Engineers must be ready to act on politicians’ decisions
08 The Edit: HS2 seeks to drive down construction costs
09 The Edit: Morecambe Bay power tunnel plan scrapped
12 Analysis: Open source software
14 Analysis: Derisking Northern Powerhouse Rail
18 Your View: Systems integration; inclusivity
84 Innovation in Infrastructure
20 Graduate Awards
The global energy sector is facing a major transformation as electrifi cation grows, renewables use expands, oil production is transformed and there is resurgent demand for natural gas. Across all regions and fuels, national policy choices will determine the future energy mix.
36 Overview: How the energy sector 42 Repositioning demand to maximise is responding to growth in demand renewable use and minimise and the changing pressures on the pressure on fossil fuels energy mix 20 Winners of this year’s New Civil 44 Undersea turbines harness Engineer Graduate of the Year and 38 Energy debate: Limiting carbon strong currents o the north Apprentice of the Year awards emissions Scotland coast
4 NEW CIVIL ENGINEER JANUARY 2019 New Civil Engineer Get news delivered daily Weekly Wrap and analysis delivered weekly with our newsletters. Sign-up at newcivilengineer.com
16 Big 24 Business EDITORIAL TEAM Interview Culture EDITORIAL ENQUIRIES Email: [email protected]
Editor Mark Hansford (020) 3953 2821 mark.hansford
Deputy Editor Alexandra Wynne (020) 3953 2822 alexandra.wynne
Contributing Editor Jackie Whitelaw [email protected]
Associate Editor Emily Ashwell (020) 3953 2094 emily.ashwell 24 SME Interview: CMPS was 16 Highways England executive director News Editor of major projects and capital portfolio established when its founders Rob Horgan management Peter Mumford on wanted to fi ll a gap between (020) 3953 2087 rob.horgan delivering highway improvements client and contractor roles Technical Reporter Katherine Smale (020) 3953 2044 katherine.smale
50 Tech 59 Innovation in Reporter Connor James Ibbetson Excellence Infrastructure (020) 3953 2088 | connor.ibbetson
Reporter Sam Sholli (020) 3953 2086 | sam.sholli
Chief Sub Editor Andy Bolton (020) 3953 2823 | andy.bolton
Designer James McCarthy [email protected]
Graphic Artist Anthea Carter [email protected]
Technical Editor Emeritus Dave Parker 50 Automation and innovation typify 59 Special report on current innovations dave.parker the project to upgrade a section and initiatives to shape future CUSTOMER SERVICES of the A14 to a motorway infrastructure delivery [email protected]
JANUARY 2019 NEW CIVIL ENGINEER 5 Lighthouse ICE VIEWPOINT We must be ready for politicians’ decisions, when they come
he sound and the of market-led proposals for rail that fury of Brexit is will enable more private investment An extended dominating much of to flow in. We also tested the public period of T the national debate. mood for pay-as-you-go systems on However, between Great Britain’s roads and found that uncertainty, which the political machinations, a number almost half the population would of interventions have taken place. approve of this type of approach if it stretches back to July Chancellor Philip Hammond’s replaced VED and fuel duty. Autumn Budget announcements BY ART WE As the world makes progress 2016, does nobody generated a lot of attention with the MASTER towards de-carbonisation and “any favours slightly ambiguous statements about WHAT WOULD electric vehicles, new investment PFI, but the significance is difficult to MASTER US strategies are going to be needed judge. It must be remembered that to compensate for the loss of old implications of nationalising the government has not signed any models based on emissions. different infrastructure networks in new contracts for the past two years However, much of this could be Great Britain. and prior to that, activity has been construed as playing at the edges. In summary, its report concluded increasingly limited since 2010. The UK remained (at the time of that, whether services are in public Of more interest was the writing) largely in the dark as to or private ownership, a long-term confirmation that vehicle excise the implications and ramifications approach to asset management and duty (VED) would be hypothecated of Brexit. An extended period of investment is needed, supported into a National Roads Fund for uncertainty, which stretches back to by sensible regulation, good England’s second Road Investment July 2016, does nobody any favours. governance and accountability to Strategy. In the short term, this In the infrastructure space, where ensure best value for consumers. could mark a significant change in projects and programmes require Public support for nationalisation approach to ensuring the strategic long-term planning and must be as a binary concept is high, but road network is properly maintained based on need, such periods of more needs to be done to close and could have implications for uncertainty have a long-term effect the information deficit about the anyone working in this sector. that we could be living with for quite tangible benefits delivered by Following the Chancellor’s Budget, some time. private investment. the Infrastructure Projects Authority It is this need for evidence- But we come once again to the released its annual National based decision-making and policy political monolith that is Brexit. Construction and Infrastructure assessment that led the ICE to It may have the appearance of Pipeline, which shows £600bn produce a discussion paper on paralysing political decision-making, worth of planned investment in nationalisation during November. and to a large degree it is. However, infrastructure over the next decade. The Labour Party has made a sector such as ours cannot afford There were no huge surprises in the repeated calls to nationalise a to wait for certainty. In any way we pipeline with the expected balance series of assets and it must be can, we must build long-term plans of public and private funding. assumed that these are genuine. on the small amounts of information Ahead of the Budget, the Without taking a judgement on that are emerging, or take a sober ICE’s State of the Nation 2018: whether or not nationalisation look at the possible futures we face. Infrastructure Investment report should take place, the ICE examined l Send comments on the argued that there should be reforms the potential, practical and cost Lighthouse to [email protected]
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Bringing structures to life MORE NEWS TIDEWAY ENGINEERING More CHALLENGES The Edit coverage TRIGGER TIDEWAY ESSENTIAL NEWS & INFORMATION online at COST CUTTING FROM NEWCIVILENGINEER.COM newcivil engineer.com Engineering challenges at two Tideway sites in London have led to the introduction of cost cutting measures. In its financial results, Tideway parent company Bazalgette Holding Group said the challenges on the mega sewer project, coupled with general cost pressures across the programme, had “substantially eroded available contingency”. It is implementing cost saving measures in partnership with its contractors to enable it to hit the baseline target cost of £4bn. To date the project has spent £1.48bn. The project has encountered problems with large Victorian gas mains at Blackfriars and King Edward Memorial Park Foreshore. Tideway was working closely with gas operator Cadent to investigate if the mains had to be diverted to avoid damaging them.
HS2 boss admits cost pressures CROSSRAIL KEY STATS CROSSRAIL on civils work as client revisits COMPLETION £1bn PACKAGE TO BE contractor risk allocation Amount by AGREED which HS2 Transport for London (TfL) has said it is working with mayor Sadiq Khan HIGH SPEED 2 the notice to proceed had been civils bids and the government on a financing High Speed 2 (HS2) chief executive agreed in late spring 2018 after it were coming package to enable completion of Mark Thurston has admitted there are became clear that the costs to build Crossrail. TfL gave no information “cost pressures” on the project, in an the line began to come in above over budget about what the package could exclusive interview with New Civil budget. A three month extension was involve. The project has already Engineer. In June last year it was designed to give contractors time to received £650M from the government revealed that the main civils packages reduce design costs. and the Mayor’s Office, and a were collectively coming in at around year-long delay to the project was £1bn over the target cost (New Civil announced in August. Embattled Engineer, July 2018). Despite the former Crossrail chairman Sir Terry setback, Thurston said that new Morgan has said that he expects that measures have been put in place and another Crossrail funding package he remained “confident” that the will, following significant delays and target cost would be agreed in June. two previous bailouts. Morgan Thurston confirmed that as designs It had become resigned as chair of Crossrail and had developed it had become clear High Speed 2 promoter HS2 Ltd in that ground conditions were more clear that the early December He is being replaced complex than first thought and the at HS2 Ltd by former Atkins chair issue of risk taken on by the ground conditions Allan Cook. No announcement had contractors was to be revisited. There were more complex been made about Morgan’s is potential to share some risk with replacement at Crossrail as New Civil HS2 Ltd. He said a move to push back than first thought Engineer went to press.
8 “ NEW CIVIL ENGINEER | JANUARY 2019 STRUCTURES FLORIDA BRIDGE COLLAPSE
Investigators say errors were made in the design of the Florida International University Bridge which collapsed in March 2018 while under construction, killing six people and injuring eight. The design review was conducted by the Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA) Office of Bridges and Structures in support of an ongoing investigation. It claims that the errors were made at the point where two truss members connected to the bridge deck.
BUSINESS GEOTECHNICAL STRUCTURES FERROVIAL MORECAMBE BAY KEY STATS ITALY VIADUCT CONSIDERS SALE POWER CONNECTION REBUILD COULD OF TROUBLED AMEY TUNNEL PROJECT £2.8bn TAKE AS LITTLE AS SUBSIDIARY SCRAPPED Value of ONE YEAR Spanish infrastructure giant Ferrovial The £2.8bn North West Coast North The rebuilding of the collapsed is looking to sell Oxford-based civil Connections project, which includes West Coast Polcevera viaduct in Genoa, Italy, engineering contractor Amey. the 22km long Morecambe Bay could take as little as 12 to 15 months Ferrovial has confirmed it has tunnel near Lancaster, has been Connections according to the commission set up engaged a consultant to examine the officially scrapped, New Civil project to reconstruct the bridge. possibility of selling its services Engineer can reveal. National Grid Commissioner Marco Bucci, who is division, which includes Amey in the confirmed that the process to also the mayor of Genoa, played down UK. The Financial Times has reported formally terminate its agreement with claims that it could much longer to that the consultant is Goldman Sachs. NuGen to build the connection had rebuild the bridge, saying that the It has been a mixed couple of years for started. There had been questions schemes it was looking at Amey. It recently won a place on the about the future of the connection put the rebuild schedule at just over Highways England £8.7bn. Regional after joint venture NuGen, which a year (New Civil Engineer, December Delivery Partnership framework. But includes Japanese developer Toshiba, 2018). The viaduct – also known as the the company also lost a costly legal pulled the plug on its new Moorside Morandi bridge – collapsed in August, battle with Birmingham City Council, power station near Sellafield. The killing 43 people. Up to 20 designs for over a roads maintenance contract. complex project would have a replacement bridge are being This resulted in it making a £189.9M connected the power station via considered including proposals by pretax loss last year after making a transmission lines across the Lake architects Renzo Piano and Santiago £208M additional provision for the District to Flookburgh and then into a Calatrava. Immediately after the problem £2.7bn PFI highways new 5m diameter, 22km subsea cable collapse, bridge operator Autostrade contract. A Ferrovial spokesperson tunnel to Morecambe Bay. Work said that it would rebuild the bridge in told New Civil Engineer that the paused in May 2017 when Toshiba eight months. However, Bucci said company had made no final decision announced that it was carrying out a Autostrade would not be part of the on what to do with the company. review of the viability of the project. process to rebuild the bridge.
JANUARY 2019 | NEW CIVIL ENGINEER 9 The Edit
STRUCTURES TRANSPORT TRANSPORT COUNCILS GET GRAYLING KEY STATS REGULATOR CHANGES BACKING TO REMOVE CONSIDERS SHORTER NETWORK RAIL CLADDING FROM TRANS-PENNINE 9km PERFORMANCE PRIVATE HIGH RISES ROAD TUNNEL Revised ASSESSMENT REGIME length of Local councils have won permission The business case for a shorter 9km The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) to remove Grenfell-style cladding from trans-Pennine road tunnel will be trans- is overhauling the way it assesses privately-owned, high-rise buildings, taken to transport secretary Chris Pennine Network Rail’s performance. The with the building owners being forced Grayling next summer. Speaking at the ORR said it wanted to target “areas to cover the costs. Cladding on only Civil Engineering Contractors tunnel that have the most serious impact 40 of the 289 privately-owned, Association conference in London, and detriment to passengers, freight high-rise residential blocks identified Highways England network planning customers and funders”. To do this, as using similar aluminium composite director Jeremy Bloom said the new the regulator is implementing a cladding to Grenfell has so far been plans were being drawn up before the three-stage approach to reviews. This removed. Owners of 102 more new case is submitted next year. Bloom involves introducing a new data-led buildings have no plans to remove said Highways England is considering a monitoring system, investigating cladding. But housing secretary James 9km long tunnel instead of the current issues at an earlier stage and Brokenshire has now backed local 32km proposal. It will run under the enforcing actions where issues are councils’ efforts to intervene. The Peak District, and have strategic unresolved. ORR railway planning and announcement comes as Brokenshire benefits for connecting Sheffield to performance director Graham Richards presented new regulations to ban Manchester. The plan, worked up by said: “There have been significant cladding on buildings over 18m high. Transport for the North with changes to Network Rail’s business in The use of combustible materials – Highways England and the Department recent years. Our new approach […] such as the cladding used on Grenfell for Transport, is combined with major places strong emphasis on Network Rail Tower – will also be banned in upgrades to the Woodhead Pass route working together with its customers to schools, care homes and hospitals. and road links east of Sheffield. solve problems early.”
STRUCTURES AIRPORT TOWER FEARS
Gondolas which will move up and down the top of London’s proposed “Tulip” tower may interfere with radar systems at London City Airport, its operator has warned. The 305m tower should not be constructed until its impact on radar systems has been assessed, London City Airport officials have told the authority deciding whether or not to grant planning permission for the structure.
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dopting He went on to say that it is time standardised, open to “abandon” traditional sector source software 33% separation in favour of a united A and automated Amount by approach. design in the which the “We need to abandon our construction sector is the way to traditional, entrenched view of ensure it meets the government’s government working in sectors, only working Construction 2025 targets for wants across sectors with common productivity and climate change, sets of components usable says multi-disciplinary firm construction across multiple building types Bryden Wood. to reduce do we get the scale and level of The firm has issued a call costs repeatability that would allow a to arms for the industry to manufacturing approach – the adopt a new style of operation key is not working offsite but that focuses on open source creating factory-like conditions technology, automated design on site. and efficiency. “The standardisation of Bryden Wood board director construction components would and head of global systems Jamie allow us to talk more directly to The Platform Johnston says that the future the supply chain, engage more of the construction industry is with SMEs and make better use of model relies on about changing the way we think. existing capacity,” Johnston adds . “This isn’t about automated “It would also give investors a core assembled steel brick layers or robotics. This is more confidence to invest in frame that can be about changing the ways we do research and development. To things,” he says. achieve this, we would need to scaled for use Johnston compares open source the components construction to the automotive because so many people will “ industry, which moved into mass need access to them.” assembly. production just 27 years after the Bryden Wood is pioneering Johnston describes the first car was built. its own type of standardised Platform system as something “In construction we don’t get construction, and has chosen not between “the construction world the same level of repeatability, to copyright protect it. we know, and the manufacturing in construction we waste a huge Its Platform model relies on a world we want to be.” amount of time and effort with core assembled steel frame that Project management specialist individual organisations coming can be scaled for use in anything Turner & Townsend, working up with their own systems, from accommodation to hospitals with Bryden Wood, has estimated which are only slightly different and Heathrow airport terminals. that using a system like Platforms from their competitors. Sharing The frame, no matter the height for construction could help the a common approach would or span, uses just 30 types of industry meet the government’s move us all forward much more common bracket and does not Construction 2025 target of a 33% quickly.” require high level cranes to aid reduction in cost.
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ransport for the Infrastructure Assessment. North (TfN) is Wood said that when We want planning to deliver building or upgrading a railway, to take out T its £35bn Northern understanding the ground Powerhouse Rail conditions and geology is one of the risk on the job, (NPR) scheme “differently”, by the key ways to mitigate risk and involving contractors before stay within budget. so we have a clear the usual early contractor This is why he wants more involvement stage. money spent on ground programme It also wants to spend more investigations at an earlier stage. “ money upfront on ground “That’s where we want to investigations to enable it to spend more money than normal design out risk. [on ground investigations],” Before the detailed proposals he said. at land purchases. for the project are submitted to “We really want to give enough The series of upgrades and the government, TfN, Northern information that the contractors new lines will predominantly give Powerhouse Rail director are very clear as to what is east to west connectivity across Tim Wood has told New Civil required to be able to deliver the North. Engineer that a large part of the that job. New lines are to be built project proposals will focus on “We want to take out the risk between Liverpool, Manchester removing risk at the earliest on the job, so we have a clear and Leeds while major upgrades possible stage. programme, a clear work bank of up to 75% of existing lines will Official plans for the rail and the contractor is able to take place between Manchester project, connecting Hull, Leeds, understand that. and Sheffield, using the Hope Manchester, Liverpool, Newcastle “Their chief executives will Valley Line, and on lines up to and Sheffield were due to be come out with me with their Hull, Leeds and Newcastle. submitted before the end of 2018. boots on, and walk that route But with six touch points to The scheme is third on the Read the full with me.” High Speed 2 (HS2) and a shared list of projected infrastructure version of this He also said he wants to get section of track, Wood says the spends over the next 20 years article at contractors involved even earlier construction of HS2 phase 2 is in the National Infrastructure newcivil than normal with contractors on vital to give the north to south stripCommission’s ad ideas_Layout National 1 6/7/18 11:47 AM Pageengineer.com 2 board when the client is looking connections.
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14 NEW CIVIL ENGINEER | JANUARY 2019
Peter Mumford BY EMILY ASHWELL How digital engineering will change Highways England projects
our years ago plan to do and how does it want the Highways England supply chain to do it? claimed it was at Highways England’s new Routes F the start of a new to Market strategy has work split era – a “generation- into different tranches, such as al” investment of cash for road complex infrastructure projects improvements. The current funding covering big ticket items like the period, which lasts until 2020, was A303 Stonehenge tunnel and smart
The Interview The designed to finally give the supply motorways alliances. The cor- chain longer term visibility of the nerstone is the recently awarded workload pipeline so it could invest £8.7bn Regional Delivery Partner- in skills and innovation. ship (RDP) framework. Now Highways England is claim- There are five broad goals for ing to be at the dawn of another RIS2, and all are designed to im- new era as it gears up for the prove project delivery. One of them second Roads Investment Strategy enterprises delivering outcomes, is delivery on time and on budget. (RIS) period, which will run from as opposed to civils firms building Another of these goals, just men- 2020 to 2025. roads. But despite this transforma- tioned, is the concept of Highways But this time as well as talk about tion, what it wants from the supply England being a capable owner. But cash – £23.3bn is lined up for it – the chain remains distinctly familiar. what does Mumford mean by that? strategic roads authority is talking “As we have grown and matured He says he does not want to about its transformation into a body as an organisation, one of the things place demands and expectations that is better at managing projects we work hard on is maintaining a on the supply chain which it cannot and that is a leader in technology degree of simplicity in what we do then adequately support. Instead and innovation. and the old mantra of on time, on it wants to make sure everyone is Driving this is Peter Mumford, its budget and to scope remains at the aligned to the same areas of safety, executive director of major projects centre of what we do,” he says. customer experience and delivery. and capital portfolio management So, what does Highways England “We have to be mindful of the way who formally took up the post a we are organised and of capability year ago. He is buoyant and bullish and capacity at Highways England. about what must be done over the We don’t want inconsistency next few years. Mumford’s language We don’t want between what we ask the market to reflects his background in engineer- do and their interface with us,” he ing consultancies and is in line with inconsistency explains. where Highways England wants to The body’s project management be. For example, he refers to the between what we ask has in recent times come under fire organisation becoming a “capable the market to do and from roads regulator the Office for owner” – a term from the ICE’s Proj- Rail & Road, which says costs and ect 13 initiative – and talks about “their interface with us scope for major schemes at the 16 NEW CIVIL ENGINEER | JANUARY 2019 beginning of RIS1 were underestimat- work with an “industry leader” and ed, meaning a number of schemes What I’m wants bids from those firms which have either been cancelled, paused or KEY FACTS understand the “productionisation” of pushed back into RIS2. interested in infrastructure and can roll that out to Highways England hopes it will only £23.3bn generate efficiencies. have to spend around £301M to fund is having the right But that does not mean that all the the difference. Mumford says that its Highways people in the right engineering consultancies currently programme delivery transformation England RIS2 realigning themselves as technology work is on track to be finished by firms have a shoo-in for the work. He June next year, but understandably funding roles and the right says he is open to new entrants too. he is keen not to repeat the same “ “What I’m interested in is having value added skills set mistakes. the right people in the right roles and Improved productivity is one of the at the table the right value added skills set at the key goals for RIS2. Mumford wants table. I’m more interested in that than projects to incorporate innovations the company brands bringing these such as prefabrication, coupled with on motorways expect to the default people,” he says. continued improvement in other speed for vehicles through roadworks One of the elements of work for areas. rising from 50mph to 60mph – if it is these alliances will be the new rapid “It will be a combination of big safe to do so. engineering model, which has already impact items which will bear fruit for Mumford also says he wants to been tested against the original de- us in years to come and getting small- reduce the length of roadworks – both sign process for the M1 junction 23a er things out as a new norm,” he says. the physical length and more impor- to junction 25 smart motorway, and This means that while Mumford tantly the time it takes to do them. shown to work. wants the supply chain to deliver With the RDP framework procure- The model looks at the safety major innovations, he also wants to ment finalised, the supply chain is and engineering standard for smart see productivity improvements in putting bids together for the £4.5bn motorways (IAN 161) and tests the Highways England’s day to day work. smart motorways alliances procure- design against this – for instance, for He cites the example of pavements ment programme. emergency areas and gantries which next to smart motorways where new Within these alliances the highway have a standard distance, specifica- plant and machinery can cut a slab authority becomes an integral partner tion and relationship to other objects into four parts and use a vacuum tool of the alliance alongside three on-site within the design. It also tested for to lift it out of the ground and place it delivery partners, two design part- any clashes, work that would have on a lorry, instead of this work being ners and one production management been done manually before. done manually. It cuts that job down partner. Mumford is expecting the digital from hours to 15 minutes. Mumford says that digital and design and construction capability to Highways England has also been technological capability, the fifth of be there by 2020 and will roll this out working on customer experience his goals for delivering RIS2, is key to across Highways England so that it and improving this is another key winning work with Highways England. becomes the “expected norm” across aim for RIS2. So, engineers working For smart motorways he is looking to its portfolio.
JANUARY 2019 | NEW CIVIL ENGINEER 17 road user charging in the UK, so the taxpayer would have always paid for the scheme. Indeed, you could argue that “Taxpayer to pay less for £1.6bn Stonehenge tunnel after PFI axe” would have been a more accurate Your View title, given that UK government has lower borrowing costs than private LETTERS TO THE EDITOR funders. AND COMMENTS ONLINE Of course there are also debates to had regarding construction risk-share and keeping the debt “off- book” for the nation. LEARNING FROM FAILURE Eurocodes (New Civil Engineer, Infrastructure financing is COLLAPSES: IS SYSTEMS December 2018). In my opinion, important, and given the current Eurocodes represent a fantastic dynamic public policy environment I INTEGRATION TO BLAME? @ opportunity to really progress the theory of design by simplifying With reference to your Comment communication, evaluation and (New Civil Engineer October 2018), research between and by engineers systems integration may be defined of different cultures across the in engineering practice as the Continent all using the same process of combining component procedures. sub-systems into one operational Read more I cannot see any reason why system and ensuring that such sub- letters at they will not survive Brexit; systems function together as one in www.newcivil nevertheless it is also my opinion that single operational system. that it would be a mistake to regard engineer.com Systems integration is a critical Eurocodes as the sole guidance function for complex projects such on design to be applied to every as rail projects where individual design for everything. Installation design and construct activities, such and management procedures as for wheel/rail interface, train are a fundamental part of the control systems, communications construction industry and the and traction power all have to be Eurocodes, which are more than effectively integrated to provide for just a product of the European a single operational railroad. Union, arose primarily through the Stonehenge tunnel: Funding debate While it will be some time industrial processes of the West. before the ultimate causes of the Shaped and supported by First would like to see New Civil Engineer Florida and Genoa bridge failures World needs and infrastructure they undertaking more investigations in is publicly known, there is much do not lend themselves to materials, this area and prompting increased visual evidence that the cause of labour and plant of a different type debate on it within our profession. each was not that of such complex and/or earlier time. James Robinson (M) james-d. integration, but was of a much It should be the within the remit [email protected] Ascot Drive, simpler macro nature: structural of the designer to confirm the codes Derby DE24 8GW design error in the case of Florida appropriate for a design. I think it and the lack of an effective is an accepted fact that Eurocodes STRUCTURES inspection and maintenance regimen can be and are unnecessarily in the other. complicated and that some work PLAN TO RECYCLE You do the critical importance on making them easier to use is PLASTIC BOTTLES of an effective systems integration required, but there is also a need IN BUILDINGS programme a disservice by to stress that they are not the sole assigning these bridge failures to the solution for any design process. complexities of systems integration. Jacek Gabrielczyk, jacek. I hope to raise awareness for a Chris Elliott (F), [email protected] project a group of graduate civil Roswell, Georgia, United States engineers including myself are The Editor, FINANCE undertaking. Our team has recently been awarded the Quest Travel TECH EXCELLENCE New Civil TAXPAYERS ALWAYS END Award to design and construct a Engineer, DESIGNERS NEED NOT UP PAYING FOR PFI building using recycled PET bottles Telephone RELY ON EUROCODES, in the Philippines and report our House, With reference to your article findings back to the ICE. BREXIT OR NOT 69-77 Paul “Taxpayer to pay for £1.6bn The concept of this method is Street, London, Stonehenge tunnel after PFI axe” to fill the recycled bottles with Steve Denton is reported as saying EC2A 4NQ (New Civil Engineer, December sand and bed them with mortar, that for public sector clients he Email: nceedit@ 2018), can I suggest that the title is using them as you would regular can’t see a credible alternative to emap.com a bit misleading? We do not have bricks in construction of single-
18 NEW CIVIL ENGINEER | JANUARY 2019 MAIN POINT INCLUSIVENESSYOUR VIEWS AND OPINIONS NEEDS CARE
Further to the Presidential interview (New Civil Engineer, number to reflect the percentage of graduate jobs offered to December 2018), Andrew Wyllie began with encouraging female candidates as well. Being proud that “more than half of words on equality, diversity and inclusion. However, he soon Costain’s graduate intake was female” doesn’t sound inclusive demonstrated why our industry continues to struggle or fair to me. with this issue when he cites the principal reason One key point missing from Wyllie’s agenda though for creating diverse teams as being required to is the fact that the “art” of engineering in general do so by clients to win work. is currently going through a slow and painful This outdated approach fails to make death. Technical-minded, practical engineers the big leap necessary to truly make a are rare to come by and most engineers my difference. age (late twenties - early thirties) are so I recommend the President speaks to his disenchanted with the profession that they membership director on the subject as they go into management or completely different can provide him with the evidence that work fields. demonstrate the real benefits that diverse I am a huge sucker for technology as long teams can bring across our industry. as it makes people’s lives better (and the A disappointing first impression. current implementation of building information Sue Caccavone [email protected] modelling in the UK really doesn’t...but this is another discussion) so getting a more diverse range Congratulations to Andrew Wyllie on the new role. of skills into the ICE is a big plus in my book. However... However, what I am reading regarding Wyllie’s view of capable design engineers are also needed to make this work gender equality and diversity is worrying. According to and nobody seems to have a solution for this issue. the Women’s Engineering society, in 2017 only 15.1% of Mihai Solomon, posted online on article headed “ICE President engineering graduates were female. One would expect this Interview | Andrew Wyllie
storey buildings in developing latest deliberations on High Speed Who knows, given the emphasis countries. This is a relatively new 2, to New Civil Engineer as a “trade on capacity it may be more cost idea, although there are stories magazine”? effective to re-open the Great Central online that it is very successful in Colin Shaw (F), Railway. providing low cost housing while 17 Grays Orchard, Kirton, Ipswich Michael Fidler (M) recycling a significant volume of 71 Langley Way, Watford plastic. HIGH SPEED 2 As a team we decided to do this HIGH SPEED 2 to provide some much needed SLOWER HIGH SPEED research into this field and assess 2 COULD OFFER MORE CHINESE LESSONS ON the cost effectiveness of this VALUE COST VERSUS SPEED method. We will then report our As HS2 rolls on (and off and on), did findings in a publication to present we miss the opening of the Hong whether this method could form I understand part of High Speed 2 Kong - Shenzhen high speed train part of a more global solution funding depends on it conforming service in September? This cunning regarding plastic sustainability. to a pan-European strategy of high scheme, according to Travel China Stevan Lukic (M) speed transport. If the project Guide, has over 60 pairs of bullet [email protected] justification can be shifted from train sets with a maximum speed of speed to capacity, value engineering 298km/h, an average (nearly as good NEW CIVIL ENGINEER could identify significant an old intercity 125 unit) speed of improvements to the business case. 120km/h and second class one way ONLY A TRADE By fixing the intercity speed tickets at £7.66 to £8.44 a pop. MAGAZINE? at around 200km/h, which works If we applied the Chinese well for the country’s geography, descriptor of high speed, could Could anything better illustrate we could relax horizontal and HS2 be engineered at a much more the media’s low esteem of the civil vertical alignments, reduce land modest price to solve what almost engineering profession, or the take (especially on city station everyone now recognises as a public at large for that matter, than approaches) and use existing, capacity problem? the Sunday Telegraph referring, proven designs for train rolling Barry Walton, (F) 59 Primmers in its 4 November report on the stock. Place, Westbury, Wiltshire
JANUARY 2019 | NEW CIVIL ENGINEER 19 Graduate and Apprentice of the Year Awards
PUSHING THE BOUNDARIES RUTH WATSON IS NEW CIVIL ENGINEER’S FIRST EVER APPRENTICE OF THE YEAR BY EMILY ASHWELL
20 NEW CIVIL ENGINEER | JANUARY 2019 WATCH WINNERS’ VIDEOS AT NEWCIVILENGINEER.COM/LIVE
recent report from forerunners in the use and design of WINNER Engineering UK, a technology which will soon become APPRENTICE OF THE YEAR KEY FACTS body which works commonplace, while bringing wider RUTH WATSON to get more young thinking about the purpose of people to the 100+ infrastructure. Employer: Mott MacDonald profession identified ICE President Andrew Wyllie Bentley (MMB) a global trend known as the hourglass Number recently told New Civil Engineer that Apprenticeship details: economy.A of entries he is determined to see a shift in Currently studying at Leeds It argues that while there is mindset concerning the importance College of Building doing a sufficient demand for low skill jobs, received of technology to the civil engineering BTEC Level 415 HNC/HND there is also continued demand for profession. “I am not saying there civil engineering course highly skilled professionals. It is in 50 aren’t specific skills and standards for, the narrower middle of the hourglass say, designing bridges. My argument Making a difference to the world is where demand is shrinking, and this Companies is that skill alone is not enough to a key motivation for many young represents demand for what were represented be relevant in the fourth Industrial people entering the civil engineering once known as blue collar jobs. Revolution,” says Wyllie. profession. For Ruth Watson, it was Nowhere can the findings of the in the entries And if you want to see what the on her gap year to Bolivia, where she Engineering UK report be seen more modern engineer looks like, New Civil saw the big impact small changes clearly than in civil engineering, Engineer’s Graduate and Apprentice could make. where digitisation means that, awards winners, are already taking In Bolivia, she visited a increasingly, what was once a simple, a lead in their firms in areas such as women’s prison to give an manual aspect of an engineer’s job machine learning. opportunity for inmates’ children, can now be done more efficiently by a With more than 100 submissions who live with their mothers to computer. So, while the complicated from graduates and apprentices attend school. thinking is left to the human brain, representing almost 50 firms, the It is this wider outlook that it does mean there is a shift on engineers were judged on academic has impressed the team at Mott the horizon in terms of what civil and engineering skills, with an MacDonald. engineers do and how they spend emphasis on enthusiasm, initiative Her boss says: “Her impressive their time now that some tasks, and leadership potential. They not list of extra-curricular activities including simple design work, are only had their written submissions shows her social awareness and the increasingly automated. scrutinized but then faced a gruelling need to contribute to society around The new generation of engineers 20 minute Dragon’s Den-style pitch her; something that is essential in the will lead the profession through with the panel of 16 judges. civil engineering field.” this transition. These engineers are Congratulations to the winners. Watson currently works as a project leader in the dams and reservoirs team, working on three GRADUATE FINALISTS reservoir safety improvement projects. One of the areas where she has PHOEBE BAKER MOHAMAD FAHED JONATHAN WOOD made a huge impact is in carbon Employer: Mace Employer: Mott MacDonald Employer: Arcadis management. University details: civil University details: BEng and University of Auckland On seven projects she engineering degree at MSc at University College Degree in civil and trialled a digital tool which compared Cardiff University London with a distinction environmental engineering the impact different construction Year of graduation: 2017 Year of graduation: 2016 Year of graduation: 2016 methods had on carbon emissions, Baker is currently assistant Fahed grew up in a refugee Joining Arcadis as a bridge for example in pouring construction and planning camp in Lebanon with limited engineer, Jonathan has had a of concrete and the constituents of manager for Mace at the opportunities. But in 2010 he major impact on Lower Thames the concrete. Greenwich Peninsula Upper won a full scholarship to study Crossing project by introducing “Through the carbon tool I have Riverside apartment towers: a A-Levels at Eaton College in a digital innovation for proved that all the seven schemes two-phase residential project the UK and he applied for a optioneering a series of complex have saved huge amounts of carbon with a contract value of £355M. degree course in engineering curved and highly skewed emissions due to smart detailed Her achievements include at University College London. bridges, improving accuracy in design.
developing a system of tracking He now works for Mott the design of complex elements “I have shown that 700t C02e construction progress on the MacDonald, where he is working such as the interface between amounts of carbon were saved at site by using a system to scan on Crossrail 2. His collaborative earthworks and structures. Digley Reservoir alone. I am now QR codes. Her manager said: and innovative approach earn His employer describes him the carbon portal representative for “Phoebe continues to actively him the respect of clients and as proactive, insightful and reservoirs. This involves encouraging seek out better ways.” colleagues alike. creative. people to use the tool as much as possible and explaining how it works,” she says.
JANUARY 2019 | NEW CIVIL ENGINEER 21 Graduate and Apprentice of the Year Awards Winners
Technology and Research team. Projects she has worked on cover AT THE AWARDS everything from structures, climate change, computational fl uid dynamics and machine learning, through to The awards were presented at a gala pedestrian wind comfort, building lunch in the ICE’s Great Hall, before physics, micro-climate, and software an audience of more than 150. Guests development. heard ICE vice president Paul Sheffield, Gaining so much experience in last year’s winner Charlotte Murphy and just two years has already helped Alison Watson, chief executive of Class her start to build up a particular focus of Your Own, a new educational standard on analysis, scripting, fl uid dynamics, that provides more hands on engineering and machine learning – all at the learning in place of GCSEs and A Levels. cutting edge of engineering. The work is already bearing fruit. For example, her research into machine learning in natural fl ood WINNER management has led her to develop GRADUATE OF THE YEAR land use classifi ers that far exceed the KAROLINE LENDE quality of freely available open-source mapping data. Employer: Arup And a theme which consistently University details: Masters in civil ran through her entry, was sharing engineering from Imperial College her learning and knowledge, including Year of graduation: 2016 bringing machine learning to building projects and an offshore wind farms to Venturing into the unknown can be improve fatigue damage prediction. as daunting as it can be exhilarating, She said: “You can see the work that but one attribute required is you’ve done around you and you can fearlessness. And that’s what Karoline see on a project how this is going to Lende has in spades. Simply put, she affect the future and the cities that is unafraid to take the very latest you’re in.” technology, apply it to engineering, Sharing knowledge comes through and learn from the results. workshops, and Lende has been Lende is currently working as recruited to the Arup digital disruptors an engineer in Arup’s Advanced team.
APPRENTICE RUNNERS-UP
RICHARD OLLERHEAD Research Challenge in 2017 and recently practise.” Employer: Arup an i3P Spark award worth £25,000 Being an advocate of the scheme he Apprenticeship details: Currently to develop and to disseminate this contributes to the development of the
Winners and Finalists and Winners studying part time for a BSc Civil technology. apprenticeship scheme within Arup’s Engineering; EngTech MICE Ollerhead has taken serious and Infrastructure London Group. professional approach to his vocation, He assists with open days, assessment Ollerhead’s entry stood out because currently undertaking a part time degree days, interviews and provides feedback on of his work to help develop a concrete in civil engineering, achieving top grades prospective apprentices. crack detection application through and quickly gaining EngTech MICE, and He is an apprentice representative for machine learning for scanning site images. winning an ICE Quest Scholarship. the Arup quarterly board meeting, where His photogrammetry research and He says his apprenticeship has been early-career staff discuss issues with development project is a truly ground- “everything I wanted and more”. senior Arup management. breaking tool – it is in line with the kind of “I truly believe that apprenticeships For the past year he has been active technological advancement the industry is are the best way companies can harness in the British Tunnelling Society Young shouting for. driven, early-career staff who can Members (BTSYM) group, initially on the From the development of this embrace the use of technology and help professional development committee and prototype, his team won an Arup Global push the boundaries of industry best now as an associate member.
22 NEW CIVIL ENGINEER | JANUARY 2019 MORE ON NEW CIVIL ENGINEER’S LIVE EVENTS NEWCIVILENGINEER.COM/LIVE
OTHER SHORTLISTED APPRENTICES THE JUDGES
JACK CLAPSON using AutoCAD and this limited automate the processes. He Employer: Marbas the firm’s ability to tender for successfully created a process Apprenticeship details: jobs which required the use of made up of a number of Civil engineering level 3 building information modelling. workspaces that, when run in Apprenticeship completed The first task he completed sequence, automatically read this year, civil engineering on joining was implementing over 8M lines of data, identify degree apprenticeship Revit, and producing a range of problematic areas, propose the underway custom templates, modelling best mitigation to the problem objects and workflows to allow and display relevant information Working for an SME, Clapson the firm to use it effectively. in an easy to access way. has been given free rein to progress and develop ANTON HALL DOMINIK MCCORMICK technology within the business. Employer: Stantec Employer: Aecom ICE vice president Paul Sheffield But he does this wisely. As he Apprenticeship details: Joined level 3 apprenticeship explains: “As we are an SME the company on a level 3 completed in 2016; awarded Isabelle Adams we have limited resources and apprenticeship in October EngTech professional Head of scheme design, Crossrail time to commit to developing 2015 membership of the ICE 2, Transport for London technology. It is therefore Michèle Dix important that we use them Hall has a talent for data McCormick is already making Managing director, Crossrail 2, TfL effectively for maximum analytics. A recent project for a big impact in the industry. David Bennett gain. While development in Southern Water involved using One of the key aspects of his Managing director, Topcon the industry is exciting, it historic incident data to role is advising clients about Positioning would be unwise to jump on automate a range of mitigations how they can utilise the latest Stephen Coker the bandwagon with every to reduce property flooding technologies. Divisional director, Mott technological advancement. It from sewers. Southern He is currently working MacDonald is always important for us to Water’s in-house delivery with Highways England and its Darren Colderwood start with the big picture and team was struggling to meet Pavement Efficiency Group Development director, understand the end goal and the programme for delivering in advising and proposing how Heathrow Airport what we want to achieve.” the solutions using traditional it can improve the highway Gordon Deuce For example, when he joined techniques so Hall proposed network through use of the Chief engineer, Mace Marbas it produced all drawings using digital technology to latest machinery. Mark Reynolds Chief executive, Mace Steve Feeley Director of membership recruitment, ICE Ken Harland Executive adviser, Amey Consulting Chris Mulligan Divisional business development director for transportation, SNC- Lavalin Atkins Charlotte Murphy Graduate engineer, Arup Alison Norrish Director, Arup Rachel Skinner executive director and head of development, WSP David Smith senior vice president, corporate strategy, Stantec Phil Stride External affairs director, Tideway Alison Watson Chief executive, Class of your Own This year’s winners Kate Morris and finalists Director, Aecom
JANUARY 2019 | NEW CIVIL ENGINEER 23 Business Culture SME Prole KEEPING ON TRACK The founders of CPMS found turning from client to consultant was the best way to deliver results. Report by Emily Ashwell.
hen CPMS rung as a trainee linesman 27 years found we were working further managing director ago, collecting his weekly wages of and further down the chain, doing Mat Baine was KEY FACT £127 per week from the till at the more of the contractor’s activities a child, a job station. He worked his way up at than the client activities that we in rail was the 65 Network Rail, ending up as a senior should have been doing. We felt last thing his Number of project manager on Thameslink, that project management could careers advisors had in mind for the £6bn, mega-project to improve be done professionally at a higher Whim. As a pupil at the Sylvia Young CPMS staff services between north and south of standard than it was previously being Theatre School, with contemporaries London. undertaken,” he says. including Spice Girl Emma Bunton, £8M It was there that his friendship with Getting elements such as surely a career treading the boards CPMS revenue the CPMS co-founders was formed construction phase plans and CDM would have been more exciting? last year and the idea for the firm born. The compliance right were crucial to the But that is exactly the attitude initials CPMS stand for the company’s project, but that’s where Baine saw Baine wants to see change. As one philosophy: collaborative project the supply chain lacking. of the four founding partners of the management services. “Thameslink was always described London-based rail engineering firm “Network Rail would run quite as open-heart surgery while the CPMS, he says he often brings in a light management team, and patient’s awake,” he says, referring graduates from spheres completely a lot of that would pass over to to the constraints within which outside rail and trains them up in the contractor to manage. We firms had to work on the project. areas such as civil engineering or “Network Rail gets 100% of the pain project management. when there’s an incident like that “At careers fairs at school, I don’t [overrunning engineering works] think many people get sold on the and the contractor doesn’t really feel rail industry as an exciting place to We felt anything.” work. But we’re bringing them in and It was in 2012 that the team “took educating them about the salaries that project a leap of faith” and set up on its own. they can earn and the opportunities The firm has grown very quickly. It they can have to develop and climb management could be now has 65 staff and took in around the ladder in a similar way I have done professionally at £8M in revenue last year. done myself,” he says. Being brought in on the Great Baine got his foot on the bottom a higher standard Eastern Main Line re-electrification
24 NEW CIVIL ENGINEER JANUARY 2019 “ READ MORE BUSINESS AT NEWCIVILENGINEER.COM
There’s a lot of work there, there’s a lot of good people, but there’s not “enough people have an operating infrastructure. Brexit is pushing that need higher because you have to have a slick running system, to move freight around the country and Network Rail wants to move to an electric freight model.” The shortage of good people is why CPMS is looking outside rail for staff. It wants hard working, ambitious people, and has already taken on employees who were, for example, previously working as para-legals but who have now finished a civil engineering qualification. The top talent gets put on its future leaders scheme, where Apprentice-style tasks such as producing marketing materials are project gave it a quick kick start. It Mat Baine: the piles in, sent x and y coordinates allocated with the winners rewarded was a complex, £250M project to Investment to the designer, put structures up, with prizes like boxes at the Royal replace overhead electric lines first support is hard then we did the wires. Albert Hall. installed in the 1950s. to come by “All the structures are incredibly For a firm rooted in the rail sector, The team decided that rather than fiddly, but going from literally the CPMS is unusual in that it has a 50:50 do one line at a time, it would carry bottom up has been really effective,” male/female staff ratio. out each phase of work at a time, so he says. “We haven’t actively gone: ‘for for example drill all the holes, install Now CPMS has won an equivalent every man let’s recruit a woman’, the piles for the support gantries, contract for control period 6 – it has organically happened, the best then tell the designers the exact co- Network Rail’s spending period from person for the role has got the job.” ordinates so they could accurately 2019 to 2024. Again this is set to be But with such a rapid expansion, design the rest of the job. worth about £6M in total and involves Baine says the time has come to The initial job was to do a health renewing the line between London’s focus on the business of running a check of the project, which, at Fenchurch Street station and Pitsea business, as well as building railways. the time, was over budget and in Essex. YFM Equity Partners has recently running years behind schedule. Its The firm has also expanded out invested £4.5M in the firm to support recommendations helped win it the of the Anglia route area, winning a its growth. £6M, five year contract to project contract on the Wessex route for This will involve extending its manage the renewal. decommissioning level crossings. services to incorporate more onsite However, as the Department for It is also starting to move into works, and transfer skills from rail Transport (DfT) would measure the new markets, working on London into other sectors such as highways firm’s performance on the amount of Southend airport, which needs a new and water. line replaced, Baine had to explain runway laid and terminals extended. “You can see why a lot of SMEs fail that the expected results would be “There’s a lot of work there, there’s in the first two to three years because back loaded to the end of the project. a lot of good people, but there’s that support is hard to come by. Little “The project had been doing one not enough people – from linesmen things like how you enrol on PAYE or wire at a time. We went back to DfT to project managers to designers. set up pension schemes,” says Baine. and explained that our volumes There’s not enough resource,” says “The four of us are professional would be lower than anticipated but Baine. railwaymen, by bringing in private would pick up at the back end. “Renewals can’t be paused. It has equity investment, it helps with “We dug all the trial holes, put all got to be done otherwise you won’t business side of it.” N
JANUARY 2019 NEW CIVIL ENGINEER 25 Debate: Private Finance FINANCING INFRASTRUCTURE
DEBATE BACKGROUND
£2.3bn £50bn £600bn Amount of Annual sum UK Value of private fi nance must invest in infrastructure sought for Lower infrastructure over pipeline for next Thames Crossing next 30 years decade and Stonehenge Tunnel
In association with With Philip Hammond sounding the death knells for PFI and PF2, the UK infrastructure sphere has been left with a financing conundrum. From government-led competitions to releasing more money for local roads, the industry accepts that financing models have got to change. Here we talk to investors, clients and contractors about why private finance for infrastructure has gone belly-up and what could, and should, take its place. Report by Rob Horgan.
he final nail in the private finance coffin was delivered via chancellor KEY FACTS Philip Hammond’s prestigious red briefcase. 47% While the axing of PFI and PF2 models in Hammond’s Percentage of TAutumn 2018 Budget was somewhat UK population unexpected, the announcement – on now in favour the whole – was not unwelcome. of road user In reality, the days of PFI and PF2 charging have been numbered for some time and over the past six years, PF2 has made up a very small percentage of UK infrastructure investment. At the end of 2017 the industry was optimistic that a new PF2 pipeline was emerging but it never fully got off the ground and the collapse of Carillion was ultimately the fatal blow to this mode of private financing. As the latest model of financing comes Lower Thames Crossing: Funding stream hit by PFI axe to an end, only a handful of PF2 road projects and a possible new prisons forwards. Contractors, clients, fixed priced contract it is very hard programme were in the pipeline. investors and the supply chain, are to get investment because of the risk Horror stories of privately financed all focused on where the risk lies. And attached,” he adds, speaking at odds infrastructure projects gone wrong when a new private finance model with the construction industry which are abundant. is introduced, it is the allocation as a general rule dislikes fixed price Be it the cost-riddled Aberdeen of risk which is likely to dominate contracts. Western Bypass or Amey’s £54M discussions. “If you have some sort of risk payout repayment to Birmingham “Whether an infrastructure project adjustment model that responds to City Council on its £2.7bn privately gets investment or not is critically costs in construction then you could financed roads maintenance job, the dependent on the contracting mode,” get there,” Murphy concedes, adding need to change the country’s private Aviva head of infrastructure debt that it is worth the effort. financing structure was apparent. Darryl Murphy says. “If it is not a “There are unbelievable amounts Galliford Try chief executive of of money out there at the moment. construction and investments Bill The key though is identifying where Hocking has previously told New Whether an the revenue streams are coming from. Civil Engineer that the firm was PFI only worked as it was ultimately not interested in working on with infrastructure taxpayer money as a revenue stream PF2 projects. Hocking said the and therefore the risk did not sit on risk transfer, “onerous” terms and project gets investment the owner or the contractor.” conditions and a variable track Likewise, Bam Nuttall chief record meant the projects did not fit or not is critically executive Steve Fox believes that its business model. Costain took the serious change is needed to address same stance. dependent on the risk models. “If we repackage it and Risk is the key buzz word here “ do the same type of thing we will get and must be the key word moving contracting model the same outcomes. Unless we can
JANUARY 2019 | NEW CIVIL ENGINEER 27 Debate Private Finance
If we repackage it and do the same type of thing we will get the same “outcomes find very different ways of engaging with people about what we will fund before we start, who is going to cover what parts, and how we are going to get the warranties needed to cover the risk, then nothing will change,” he says. “The UK has got more and more averse to risk, so unless there is a desire to change the way risk is calculated you won’t get any models Future roads projects to change.” could be toll funded However, Acumen7 director Simon Murray argues that the success of projects is less to do with how they has been left scratching its head and are funded and how risk is distributed re-evaluating the coffers after the and more to do with the suitability of AT THE ROUND TABLE budget announcement. Two of its their owners. flagship projects – the Lower Thames “The evidence seems to be if you Crossing and the A303 Stonehenge want a successful project it has very This report is informed by a David Leam London First Tunnel – were due to receive private little to do with funding streams or round table discussion held Michela Bariletti S&P funding under the PF2 model, leaving contracts,” he says. “If you want a in London in October, in Global Ratings Highways England having to find successful project it is more to do association with Arup. Subash Tavares Transport around £2.3bn to fund the projects. with having good owners and the for London Highways England chief executive right people in the right places. Around the table were: Simon Murray Acumen7 Jim O’Sullivan confirmed to New “We have convinced ourselves that Tim Chapman Arup Julia Bregulla BRE Civil Engineer that both schemes the transaction is fundamental but David Van-Bruggen Arup Steve Fox Bam Nuttall will now have to be publicly that is nonsense. If you have good Alessandra Villa Arup Darryl Murphy Aviva funded following chancellor Philip owners who engage with contractors Mark Hansford New Civil Geoffrey Smith ING Hammond’s decision to axe PFI and and suppliers then it works.” Engineer Mike Weston Pensions PF2 deals. And while a new private Axing PFI and PF2 has left a Rob Horgan New Civil Infrastructure Platform finance model of private is likely to rather sizeable hole in certain Engineer be set up, O’Sullivan says that any parts of the industry’s cashflow. alternative model of private financing According to the recent National is unlikely to be in place in time for Infrastructure Assessment from the the Stonehenge tunnel or the Lower National Infrastructure Commission Thames Crossing. investment in the UK needs to FURTHER READING One way to increase funding for continue at the level of over £50bn road schemes could be through per annum for the next 30 years. National Infrastructure Portal/media/ increased toll funding. The ICE The only way this is going to be Assessment Documents/Media/ has recently made the case to the delivered is through a mix of public www.nic.org.uk/ Policy/ICE-SoN- government to increase the use and private funding. The chancellor publications/national- Investment-2018.pdf of toll finance to fund highways himself stressed that half of the infrastructure- infrastructure work. £600bn infrastructure pipeline must be assessment-2018/ S&P Global Ratings’ view In its annual State of the Nation financed by the private sector but said on the what future PFI will report, the ICE has warned that the PFI and PF2 will not have a role in that State of the Nation 2018: look like: rise of electric vehicles will lead to a investment. Infrastructure Investment www.spratings.com/en_US/ drop in government income from fuel Yet for all his rhetoric Hammond www.ice.org.uk/ infrastructure# duty and consequently new funding has yet to provide a clear vision of ICEDevelopmentWeb researchthoughtleadership streams must be found. what will plug the gap. The State of the Nation 2018: Highways England in particular Infrastructure Investment report adds
28 NEW CIVIL ENGINEER | JANUARY 2019 that 47% of the population would be in favour of a new system of road user charging if it replaced current CASE STUDY: LOWER THAMES CROSSING, STONEHENGE taxation streams. This compares to 23% who oppose the idea and TUNNEL 30% who were either undecided or expressed no opinion, when asked by “Both of these projects are likely to end the ICE. Away from road schemes Murphy up with public money” held up Tideway as an example for private financing done right. “The Tideway model is often held up as the great Nirvana and the way we should go about doing things,” he says. “Interestingly that is also the model for Sizewell. The reason the finance is so cheap on that is because the banks are not exposed to the risk, as with Tideway – ultimately the risk lies with the consumer.” He adds: “In my opinion there is not an appetite from industry to do fixed price jobs. From a bank’s point of view we love the concept of a fixed price contract. However the contractor obviously doesn’t want to take the risk so the question remains: where does the risk lie?” Alternative funding methods could Stonehenge Tunnel: also result in an increased use of land Originally planned as a value capture – harnessing increased private finance project asset values resulting from the construction of new infrastructure – community crowd funding or the The Stonehenge tunnel and in time to be used on the £1.6bn the Lower Thames Crossing establishment of dedicated banks to Lower Thames Crossing road Stonehenge tunnel or the £6bn will therefore not use Private fund infrastructure projects. schemes were left facing a Lower Thames Crossing. Finance 2.” London First executive director funding crisis following Philip “Both of these projects will The tunnel section of the of infrastructure David Leam is Hammond’s decision to axe PFI likely end up with public money, Lower Thames Crossing was particularly keen to see a greater use and PF2. under a traditional contracting always set to receive public of land value capture and believes it model,” O’Sullivan told “New funding, with private finance could help generate more funds. In November “New Civil Civil Engineer”. “How that will originally earmarked to cover the “I think particularly in London Engineer” revealed that both be done has yet to be worked approach roads. and the South East there are plenty schemes are now “highly likely” out. It would be good for the O’Sullivan added that of funding schemes. The Crossrail to be entirely publicly funded, market if we have some sort of switching to a “traditional” model was a good one that we can with limited time to work out a decision by January.” funding method has several replicate. Value capture is a pragmatic new funding proposal. He added: “Both of these benefits. way of capturing more funds,” Leams Highways England chief projects remain on track and In particular he likened says. “There is a good principal case executive Jim O’Sullivan neither of them is affected by the lessons learnt on the A14 for value capture however until you confirmed that both schemes the announcement.” as being transferable to the find a politician who wants to do will have to be publicly funded It comes after chief secretary Stonehenge tunnel scheme. more of it, it may never happen.” N following chancellor Philip to the Treasury Elizabeth Truss “[Using public money] is Hammond’s decision to axe PFI confirmed that neither project quicker and simpler than doing and PF2 deals. Both routes were would be funded under PF2, in PFI so we have a couple of due to use private finance under response to a question by MP months to work out how exactly Value capture the PF2 model. Stella Creasy. it will be done,” he said. “The And while a new private “The Budget announced Stonehenge tunnel is about the is a pragmatic finance model is likely to be that government will no longer same size as the A14. I think set up, O’Sullivan said that no use Private Finance 2 for new there a lot of lessons learnt from way of capturing more alternative model of private projects,” Truss said. “The that project that can be applied funds financing is likely to be in place upgrade of the A303 and to the A303. “ JANUARY 2019 | NEW CIVIL ENGINEER 29 TRADITIONAL ENGINEERING IN A DIGITAL ENVIRONMENT Groundforce Shorco (Major Projects) has a large fleet of equipment combined with a dedicated technical team to support both designers and site personnel. All solutions are designed to EC3 and drawn in REVIT for integration into your BIM process.
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RESPONDING TO DEMAND GROWTH / PAGE 32 MAXIMISING RENEWABLES IN THE ENERGY MIX / PAGE 42 LIMITING CARBON EMISSIONS / PAGE 44 HARNESSING THE ENERGY OF THE SEA / PAGE 46
JANUARY 2019 NEW CIVIL ENGINEER 31 TOTAL PRIMARY ENERGY DEMAND: WORLD Sustainable development scenario
POWER Outlines an integrated approach to achieving internationally agreed Other renewables objectives on climate change, air quality & universal access to modern energy Historical data Hydro 15
Nuclear
SHIFT Bioenergy & Waste 10 The global energy sector is facing a major transformation, as electrification grows, renewables use expands, oil production is transformed and there Natural gas is resurgent demand for natural gas. Across all regions 5 and fuels, national policy choices will determine the Coal future energy mix. Mark Hansford reports. Oil 0 Millions tonnes of oil equivalent (000s) Millions
uncertainty and volatility, with the Future 2000 2010 2020 2030 2040 possibility of a supply gap in the early of Energy KEY FACTS 2020s. Demand for natural gas is on the rise, erasing talk of a glut as China £1.5 trillion emerges as a giant consumer. Solar eopolitical factors photovoltaics are charging ahead, are exerting new and Projected but other low-carbon technologies complex influences global energy and, especially, efficiency policies still on energy markets, require a big push. underscoring the investment In all cases, governments will critical importance requirement have a critical influence over the of energy security. Against this by 2040 direction of the future energy system. Gbackground the International Energy This is a particular worry in the Agency’s (IEA’s) latest analysis UK. Here the government has not details global energy trends and their 70% updated or considered its energy possible impact on supply, demand, policy since 2008, although the carbon emissions and air pollution . Percentage of National Infrastructure Commission Scenario-based analyses in its global energy is putting it under pressure to do so, World Energy Outlook 2018 (WEO investment through its National Infrastructure 2018) outline different possible Assessment It recommends that futures for the energy system across expected to government only supports one more all fuels and technologies. It examines come from nuclear power station after Hinkley, different pathways, based on current and planned policies, and those that governments can meet long-term climate goals under the Paris Agreement, reduce air pollution, and ensure universal Renewables, energy access. While the geography of energy and solar consumption continues its historic shift to Asia, WEO 2018 finds mixed in particular, have signals about the pace and direction become phenomenally of change. Oil markets, for instance, are entering a period of renewed “cheap 32 NEW CIVIL ENGINEER | JANUARY 2019 The world’s TOTAL PRIMARY ENERGY DEMAND: WORLD energy destiny Sustainable development scenario lies with government decisions
“citing the rapidly falling cost of solar Outlines an integrated approach to achieving internationally agreed and wind energy worldwide and the Other renewables objectives on climate change, air quality & universal access to modern energy variable cost of new nuclear. The UK government must respond to the Historical data NIC’s recommendations at some point Hydro in 2019. 15 Under current and planned policies, modelled in the IEA’s New Nuclear Policies Scenario, energy demand is set to grow by more than 25% to 2040, requiring more than $2 trillion (£1.5 10 trillion) a year of investment in new Bioenergy & Waste energy supply. “Our analysis shows that over 70% of global energy investments will Natural gas be government-driven and as such the message is clear – the world’s 5 energy destiny lies with government Coal decisions,” said IEA executive director Fatih Birol, speaking at the launch of WEO2018 in early November. “Crafting the right policies and proper Oil 0 incentives will be critical to meeting
Millions tonnes of oil equivalent (000s) Millions our common goals of securing energy supplies, reducing carbon emissions, improving air quality in urban 2000 2010 2020 2030 2040 centres, and expanding basic access to energy in Africa and elsewhere.” The IEA says oil consumption is growing, due to rising petrochemicals, trucking and aviation demand. But meeting this demand in the near term means that approvals of conventional oil projects will have to double from their current low levels. Without such a pick-up in investment, US shale production, which has already been expanding at record pace, would have to add more than 10M barrels a day between now and 2025, the equivalent of adding another Russia to global supply in seven years – which would be an historically unprecedented feat. In power markets, renewables have become the technology of choice. In the IEA’s New Policies Scenario, renewables make up more than 60% of gross capacity additions between now and 2040 in most regions, reaching half of global power generation capacity by 2035. Solar photovoltaics is one of the fastest growing technologies and is projected to become the technology with the second largest installed capacity, projected to overtake wind in the next few years, hydropower within 15 years and coal before 2040. “Renewables, and solar in particular,
JANUARY 2019 | NEW CIVIL ENGINEER 33 World View Future of Energy
There needs Tesla has developed a wall mounted charging to be a battery for its cars systematic preference for investment in “sustainable energy technologies
have become phenomenally cheap,” explains WSP head of renewables Tim Rippon. “It is driven by oversupply from China and it means, worldwide, the cost logical option is solar.” The statistics bear this out. China and India are responsible for well over half of global solar photovoltaics capacity additions. Rippon also points to key initiatives like the World Bank’s Scaling Solar programme, which aims to support emerging economies’ efforts to fi nd private fi nance for such projects. “We are seeing a very quick turnaround in connected schemes,” he says. In the IEA scenario, wind power capacity will also grow rapidly, onshore wind and solar markets have One solution is Tesla’s Powerwall, reaching 14% of global energy capacity plateaued. Grand statements have aimed at domestic consumers. It by 2040, or around 1,700GW. In terms of been made but they have not been KEY FACTS is a radiator-sized battery that sits electricity, power from hydro-electric backed up in policy.” on the wall of a domestic house and schemes remains the largest source of On a global scale, however, this is typically, stores energy generated renewables-based energy. transforming the global power mix, 14% by rooftop solar panels for use later Key drivers of the rise in with the IEA forecasting the share of Projected in the day. The challenge for the renewables-based electricity renewables in generation rising to increase in renewable energy market is scale up include policy support and falling over 40% by 2040, from 25% today, such technology so that it can be technology costs. Stable support even though coal remains the largest global wind used at grid level, explains Rippon. policy frameworks encourage mass source and gas the second-largest. farm capacity Electricity markets are also production and efforts to improve This expansion brings major undergoing a unique transformation productivity and help drive down environmental benefi ts and a new set by 2004 with higher demand brought costs, in the longer term. As a result, of challenges that policy makers must by the digital economy, electric by 2040, the global average support address quickly. With renewables vehicles and other technological per unit of output for new solar vulnerable to changing weather changes. WEO 2018 also examines photovoltaic projects is expected to patterns, power systems will have to the impact of higher electrifi cation decline by almost 90%, while support make fl exibility the cornerstone of in transportation, buildings and for new wind power projects is future electricity markets to keep the industry. It says that higher forecast to decline by almost 70%. lights on; as Rippon notes, “you do electrifi cation would lead to a peak Unfortunately, European Union anti- still need a stable grid”. in oil demand by 2030 and reduce dumping legislation means the UK is The issue is of growing urgency harmful air pollutants. But it would not currently benefi ting from cheap as countries around the world are have a negligible impact on carbon Chinese renewables technology and quickly ramping up their share of emissions without stronger efforts to falling prices. But, as Rippon notes, solar photovoltaics and wind, and increase the share of renewables and Brexit could change that. will require market reforms and grid low carbon sources of power. “The UK market, with the investments, as well as improved The IEA’s Sustainable Development exception of offshore wind, has done demand-response technologies, such Scenario suggests a way to meet a bit of nose-dive. There have been as smart meters and battery storage various climate, air quality and very few build-outs recently and the technologies. universal access challenges in an
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There needs to be a CASE STUDY systematic preference for investment in Net Power’s Allam Cycle technology sustainable energy “ Oil and natural gas will be firm 8 Rivers Capital may have Power process. The last testing technologies part of the energy system the answer. phase is expected to begin for decades to come – even It has developed a novel shortly and be completed by if there are ambitious efforts power system that produces early 2019. If successful, Net integrated way. In this scenario, to reduce greenhouse gas low cost, reliable, and flexible Power expects to have the data
global energy-related CO2 emissions emissions in line with the Paris electricity from natural necessary to begin detailed peak around 2020 and then enter a Agreement. gas, while generating no design of 300MW commercial steep and sustained decline, fully atmospheric emissions. It scale plants with major power, in line with the trajectory required So it is crucial to reduce includes full CO₂ capture and oil and gas, and industrial to achieve the emissions reduction the immediate social and no NOx production. customers around the world. objectives of the Paris Agreement on environmental impacts In May, Net Power The plant is designed to climate change. associated with producing and successfully fired up its 50MW demonstrate Net Power’s But most emissions linked to energy consuming these fuels. demonstration facility in La Allam Cycle technology, infrastructure are already essentially Net Power, a Texas-based Porte, Texas. invented by British chemical locked-in. In particular, coal-fired collaboration between US The first phase of testing engineer Rodney Allam. It uses power plants, which account for one- clean energy producer Exelon successfully demonstrated the a new turbine and combustor
third of energy-related CO2 emissions Generation, engineering firm novel combustor at full scale developed specifically for the today, represent more than a third McDermott and technology and the operability of the Net process by Toshiba. of cumulative locked-in emissions to 2040. Most of these are related to projects in Asia, where coal-fired plants are just 11-years-old on average with decades left to operate, compared with the average age of 40 years in the United States and Europe. “We have reviewed all current and under-construction energy infrastructure around the world – such as power plants, refineries, cars and trucks, industrial boilers, and home heaters – and find they will account for some 95% of all emissions permitted under international climate targets in coming decades,” said Birol. “This means that if the world is serious about meeting its climate targets then, as of today, there needs to be a systematic preference for investment in sustainable energy technologies. “But we also need to be much smarter about the way that we use our existing energy system. We can create some room for manoeuvre by expanding the use of carbon capture and storage, hydrogen, improving energy efficiency, and in some cases, Net Power produces energy retiring capital stock early. from natural gas without “But to be successful, this will need releasing emissions an unprecedented global political and economic effort.” N
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38 NEW CIVIL ENGINEER | JANUARY 2019 The UK energy sector sits on the tipping point of a new industrial revolution, with government and private investment helping a fiercely competitive industry unite under the banner of new clean energy. But there is more work to do to limit global temperature rises and the time has come for engineers to step forward and lead from the front once again. Report by Connor Ibbetson.
wo hundred years ago, Britain was in the waning years of an Industrial KEY FACTS Revolution powered by coal. Now, two centuries 2°C later and 1˚C warmer, Britain, and the world, may be on Global Tthe cusp of another great industrial temperature turning point, driven not by a desire rise limit, for progress, but for preservation compared with of the planet. So how can the pre-industrial UK’s energy needs can be met by alternative energy sources? levels The Paris Climate Agreement, signed by 195 countries in 2016, was an undertaking to limit global temperature rises to just a 2˚C increase from pre-industrial levels. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has made it clear that the Paris Agreement is simply not enough. The latest IPCC analysis gives us 12 years to limit Solar energy: One way to reduce carbon emissions climate change to 1.5˚C or suffer the consequences. these fields falls. The cost of wind So it is perhaps no surprise The UK is already under a legal generation has fallen significantly that in its National Infrastructure obligation under the Climate Change thanks to advances in technology Assessment (NIA) published this Act to reduce carbon output by 80% resulting in more powerful turbines. summer the NIC found that the same on 1990 levels by 2050. As it stands, In 2017, contracts were awarded at energy service enjoyed today could 70% of emissions today come from just a cost of just £57.50MW/h, two be “delivered at the same cost (in electricity, buildings, travel and years earlier this figure was more than today’s prices) in 2050 by a low waste. double at £117.14MW/h. In 2016 the carbon energy system.” But this is This means it is imperative that Department for Business Energy and only if the right decisions are made, energy producers reduce their Industrial Strategy (BEIS) estimated and soon. carbon footprint, while generating that offshore wind power costs affordable and reliable electricity. A approximately £102/MW/h, compared IS THE INDUSTRY TOO FOCUSED? decade ago it would have seemed to coal and natural gas plants which “I feel this is a real time of change impossible to keep emissions generate power at £162/MWh and within the energy industry,” says WSP and prices low, but with the £148/MWh respectively. managing director of water energy renewables sector undergoing its and industry unit Frazer Mackay. own miniature revolution, the low “It is almost as if we are having our carbon dream is becoming a reality own industrial revolution, there have – at least according to the National It is almost as been major societal changes since the Infrastructure Commission (NIC). last industrial revolution, but from an It has noted that the transition to if we are having engineering perspective I don’t think renewable energy in the UK is being our own industrial there has been anything comparable driven largely by solar and wind for a long, long time.” farms as the price of technology in revolution Indeed, the pace of change in “ JANUARY 2019 | NEW CIVIL ENGINEER 39 Future Energy Debate New Power Generation
While wind the post for very long in recent years. National Grid chief electrical and solar have AT THE ROUND TABLE engineer David Wright says that the UK needs a long term infrastructure certainly come on in policy that transcends ministerial This debate was informed Frazer Mackay WSP changes. leaps and bounds in by a round table that Ian McCarlie Pinsent “We need a 20 to 30 year policy took place in London in Masons around all of our infrastructure, not recent years, gaps November in association Nicholas Pollard Cory just energy,” he says. “ with WSP Riverside Energy “It is unrealistic to think we will remain Tim Rippon WSP have the same energy minister for Paul Glendinning WSP Mark Thompson UKRI long periods of time, but we do have John Griffiths Emec Innovate UK senior industrialists at the top of the sector has been blinding. As of Mark Hansford David Wright National the NIC who are driving long term December, the European Union as New Civil Engineer Grid policy. The key question is – will the a whole had a total of 169.3GW of Keith Horgan Formerly Graeme Shaw Grant government listen?” installed wind capacity and new wind Ofgem Thornton The simple answer is that the power installations represented 55% Chris Lambert government is already listening. of all new power capacity installed Westminster Energy Forum Whitehall is obligated to respond in in 2017. This represents a 2,000% full to the NIA in early 2019 and has increase in capacity in less than 20 already released an interim response years. in which it commits support for Unfortunately the UK does lag renewables to reach £10bn by 2020, behind with its 9,252 turbines FURTHER READING as well as setting aside an extra producing an operational capacity of £557M for contract for difference 20.3GW, according to Renewables UK ECIU Report Interim government NIA auctions. And while wind and solar have https://eciu.net/reports response Contracts for Difference (CfD) certainly come on in leaps and www.gov.uk/government/ are the main way the government bounds in recent years, gaps remain. Carbon Brief Price publications/governments- supports low-carbon energy These are notably in support Analysis interim-response-to-the- generation. These contracts protect infrastructure needed to extract the www.carbonbrief.org/ national-infrastructure- investors with high upfront costs best use from renewables, including analysis-uk-auction- assessment from changing and volatile wholesale batteries, or other forms of energy offshore-wind-cheaper- National Infrastructure prices for the energy they generate, storage. than-new-gas assessment and protect consumers from paying Without an efficient form of www.nic.org.uk/ support costs when electricity prices storage, supply from renewables are high. such as wind and solar will remain Contracts are bid for by energy inconsistent, and a push is needed suppliers and the winners are paid to develop a large scale viable energy portfolio where 50% of the a flat indexed rate for the electricity alternative to lead-acid battery UK’s energy is sourced from wind and they produce over a 15 year period. technology. solar. This is calculated as the difference Lead-acid batteries have the It says that modifications to grid between the price for electricity advantage of being cheap, and easy infrastructure including better energy including the cost of investing in low to produce, and as such already storage, improved energy trading and carbon technology and the average power cars, emergency systems in efforts to shift demand away from UK market price for electricity. hospitals and airports. They are also peak periods different times of the Also on the table is a potential commonly used as storage options day would mean the grid could cope £48bn sector deal for the offshore for renewables. with lulls in wind and sunlight and wind industry, being championed by Yet if the goal is to protect the keep the power on. industry leaders such as Ørsted vice environment, the environmental president and co-chair of the Offshore damage caused by lead-acid WHO LEADS THE CHARGE? Wind Council Benj Sykes who said technology must also be considered. POLICY MAKERS OR ENGINEERS? the deal could unite a “fiercely Lead particulates from these The pace of change in the industry competitive market” when speaking batteries are highly toxic and easily may be rapid, and moving in the at a Commons select committee contaminate other waste if batteries right direction, but efforts to move meeting in October. are improperly disposed of. Even to a lower carbon future require The sector deal involves the when they are, these batteries are government support to ensure policy government providing subsidies of notoriously hard to recycle. supports progress, and vice versa. £48bn over the next 12 years to help Green energy promoter the Energy This support should come developers pay for essential offshore and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU) traditionally from the energy wind farm infrastructure. has created a model of the UK’s future secretary, but few have remained in Such a deal could help secure the
40 NEW CIVIL ENGINEER | JANUARY 2019 future of the UK-based supply chain for the offshore sector. About 50% of wind farm components are currently CASE STUDY: ORE CATAPULT built in the UK, and it is hoped that this figure will increase to 60%. It is also forecast that such support could lead to a five fold increase in “We are a nation of innovators” the export value energy produced by British offshore wind farms. While investment is important, ORE Catapult and GE are working Cory Riverside Energy chief operating on a £9M offshore wind efficiency executive Nicholas Pollard says that improvement research programme the government, with the help of the NIC and engineers, must build policy around proven technologies with more realistic and achievable goals to prevent further damage to the climate. “Are we really seeking to reach zero carbon? There will always be sewage giving off methane, and refuse waste to be disposed of and potentially burned.” “Undoubtedly we need to salvage our world and stop the damage to the climate. We need a practical plan for our nation and the NIC is a component of that, but, we are heading for policy that doesn’t hang together well, our policy has got to contain realistic achievable steps founded on fact and proven technology,” he said. “Looking back, Victorian engineers like Brunel led a cultural, economic and societal change. Their plan wasn’t perfect, but it advanced society. This is a parallel change, and I don’t see this as an unreasonable One example of how the UK offshore wind operations”. conditions to export this type request of engineers to lead again. is attempting to support the Energy and clean growth of expertise around the world “Undoubtedly we need to salvage renewables market is industrial minister Claire Perry said that to ensure this sector goes from our world and stop the damage to giant GE’s partnership with the doing this research is a good way strength to strength.” the climate. We need a practical UK energy research centre the for a nation of innovators to go The aim of the four-year plan for our nation and the NIC is Offshore Renewable Energy from strength to strength. funding scheme is to keep a component of that. But we are (ORE) Catapult. “We are a nation of innovators engineers and workers on- heading for policy that doesn’t and this latest £9M research shore as much as possible, by hang together well, our policy has This supports over 400 small partnership between GE improving the reliability of got to contain realistic achievable and medium sized businesses in Renewable Energy and the turbines, increasing the capacity steps founded on fact and proven the renewables market, ensuring government’s ORE Catapult and functionality of remote technology,” said Pollard. N the UK retains, maintains and is a fine example of how operations and remote turbine expands its supply chain to we’re working with industry monitoring, and increasing the remain a global leader in the to embrace cutting-edge use of robotics for repetitive sector. technology to ensure the UK pre-planned maintenance tasks. We need a In November, the ORE offshore sector stays ahead of The scheme is part of GE’s Catapult announced a new the pack,” she said. wider offshore wind strategy for 20 to 30 year £9M four year funding scheme “As part of our modern the UK. for research and development Industrial Strategy we’re putting It wants to ensure that on and policy around all within the sector, to “improve the finishing touches to our offshore wind power, remains of our infrastructure, reliability, drive down operating Offshore Wind Sector Deal competitive in the energy costs and improve safety of to create the right business market of the future. not just energy
“ JANUARY 2019 | NEW CIVIL ENGINEER 41 POWER ADAPTORS Wind and solar energy sources can provide large scale cheap, stable, carbon neutral energy for the UK if supported by a flexible grid that allows for better energy storage and trade. Connor Ibbetson reports.
Future “Our modelling shows that the infrastructure has the benefit of “two lights would stay on, and key to direction” flexibility compared to of Energy KEY FACTS making this happen is ensuring that additional generation capacity. Excess our future grid is truly a smart, flexible energy can be stored during periods one,” he says. of low demand, with this fed back into ind and solar 20% Developing this flexible grid involves the grid during peak demand. power are the Percentage of changing demand, storing energy, trade This storage can be in the form of most popular and flexible power plants. conventional lead-acid batteries, or as sources of UK electricity a potential energy in pumped storage renewable energy supplied by DEMAND SHIFTING, schemes or compressed air which in the UK. They OR DEMAND-SIDE RESPONSE can be released to drive electricity produce 19% of the UK’s electricity renewables Demand-side response (DSR) generating turbines. Woutput. But both suffer from a lack of involves altering customers’ energy stability: if the wind does not blow, and 94% use, encouraging them to bring ENERGY TRADE the sun does not shine, how do we keep consumption forward or delay it, so Another way to increase electricity the lights on and our homes warm? Percentage more electricity is used outside peak supply flexibility is by installing Not-for-profit green energy body of global demand periods. high voltage interconnector cables the Energy & Climate Intelligence Unit Smart meters could play a great between Britain and Europe. The (ECIU) has stress tested a model of energy storage role in facilitating DSR, as they can government’s independent Committee the UK’s future energy portfolio in capacity communicate consumption data to on Climate Change expects the UK to which wind and solar generate 50% of from pumped suppliers every half hour, allowing increase interconnector capacity from the UK’s energy demand in 2030 and them to make changes accordingly. 4GW to 11GW by 2030. coal and oil power stations have been storage More investment in energy decommissioned. The model assumes schemes storage is needed. Energy storage FLEXIBLE USE OF GAS-FIRED that during periods of low demand, POWER PLANTS. nuclear, biomass and hydropower The ECIU estimates that there may operate at maximum capacity. still be some need for fossil fuel- The model shows that with the burning plants in the future. These development of a smart and flexible Reducing plants will be required to rapidly ramp grid, a reliable energy supply can be up to full capacity, and wind down maintained even during an extreme demand during again to plug short-term supply gaps. three-week winter lull. Improvements in gas-fired Report author Hugo Chandler says: peak hours ensures technology mean that new plants “We wanted to set our future grid a can achieve this on-demand method tough test; what happens if the wind that renewables can of operation. For example, a new doesn’t blow for an extended period meet as much demand GE combined cycle gas plant in Le during winter, when solar is also Bouchain, France, can reach its full restricted and demand is highest? “ 570MW output in just 30 minutes. N as possible
42 NEW CIVIL ENGINEER | JANUARY 2019 Inspirational engineers wanted to discover new innovations
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CARBON INTENSITY DISTRIBUTION NETWORK OPERATOR (DNO) Current Carbon Intensity BOUNDARIES: 232 Carbon intensity and generation mix by region gCO /kWh GREENING 2 Average Maximum Minimum Today 201 288 135
VERY HIGH Thursday 239 305 168 HIGH SCOTLAND MODERATE Friday 248 317 218 LOW VERY LOW Note: Snapshot taken on a day in late November UNITED THE GRID KINGDOM Matching energy supply with local and national demand is so complex that ...... any CARBON automation, machine learning and real-time CONCERNED PERSON IRELAND can choose when to carbon intensity reporting will be needed, schedule an energy- reports Mark Hansford. intensive activity like doing WALES the WASHING so that the energy used comes from the Future GREENEST source. of Energy KEY FACTS
GREAT BRITAIN’S onsumers are almost April 2017 GENERATION MIX certain to play a key First time To role in driving changes electricity in the energy market as they exploit digital demand met Note: This is an example technology to manage without coal TURN ON and changes constantly their personal energy use. ✓ fired power CThrough the Internet of Things and connected homes concepts, electronic since the or devices such as washing machines, Industrial dishwashers and freezers can all be programmed to use energy at the Revolution TURN OFF best price, or stop using energy when ✗ there is too much demand. 25% For example, in Britain at half time that is the during an important sporting event Current like the football World Cup, surges in record Wind power: Can cause energy surplus energy demand as everyone gets up and puts the kettle on are frequent. To percentage question meet this demand, other non-essential of electricity household appliances such as fridges or freezers could run on minimum generated by Any carbon- power for as little as 10 minutes to solar power even out electricity demand without concerned Biomass 7.8% Gas 36.2% Wind 25.6% damaging the food they contain. person can choose Technology has now reached a Coal 2.9% Nuclear 18.1% Other 0.2% stage where consumers can also when to schedule choose to use electricity at times Imports 7.3% Hydro 1.9% when renewable sources are making an energy-intensive up more of what is fed to the Grid. ? National Grid is leading the charge “ activity 44 NEW CIVIL ENGINEER | JANUARY 2019 ? here, with its energy forecasting tool now able to provide a 48 hour forecast It is easier GREAT BRITAIN ...... CARBON INTENSITY of the carbon intensity of electricity generation region-by-region. than ever National Grid has worked in CARBON INTENSITY DISTRIBUTION NETWORK OPERATOR (DNO) partnership with Environmental for homeowners Current Carbon Intensity BOUNDARIES: Defense Fund Europe and charity to generate green Carbon intensity and generation mix by region WWF to progress this innovative 232 software which tells users the sources gCO /kWh energy and the cost 2 their energy is likely to come from over the next 48 hour period when “ Average Maximum Minimum of renewable they input their postcode. Today 201 288 135 With this knowledge, any carbon- generating equipment VERY HIGH concerned person can choose when to Thursday 239 305 168 HIGH SCOTLAND schedule an energy-intensive activity is coming down MODERATE like doing the washing so that the Friday 248 317 218 LOW energy used comes from the greenest VERY LOW source. Clearly, it is only a small step and thereby reducing our collective Note: Snapshot taken on a day in late November for connected, smart appliances to do impact on the natural world.” UNITED this calculation for us. Consumers are also driving the KINGDOM The tool uses a wide variety of data move to renewable energy in more ...... any CARBON sources and artificial intelligence to direct ways. It is easier than ever for predict, for example, how much solar homeowners to generate green energy CONCERNED PERSON IRELAND or wind power will be fed to the Grid and the cost of renewable generating can choose when to based on weather forecasting and equipment is coming down. Often historical comparisons. this means that during sunny days or schedule an energy- “This tailored information can tell when there is a lot of wind, there can intensive activity like doing WALES people in advance when’s best to be surplus electricity on the Grid. The turn on the washing machine, load swings that this creates in wholesale the WASHING so that the the dishwasher or charge the car, prices can mean that prices can energy used comes from the helping everyone to use power when go negative, so that effectively free it’s cleanest and most likely more cost electricity is available. GREENEST source. efficient,” says Duncan Burt, who is While this can be a problem for the director of National Grid’s system managing the Grid, the good news is operator function. that if consumers can take advantage When the project to develop the of this growing number of free energy software was originally launched periods by consuming when prices GREAT BRITAIN’S in September 2017, National Grid are negative, they can save significant GENERATION MIX made available all the forecast data sums of money. To for technology companies to create Traditionally, consumers have consumer friendly applications. purchased their energy from one One such user, Bulb, a green energy of the big six energy suppliers yet, TURN ON Note: This is an example and changes constantly supplier, has used the data for its with the rise of microgeneration, ✓ Carbon Bot, an app that provides people can generate their own power information about the greenest times and can sell it back to the Grid – so or to use energy. All Bulb members are everyone can become their own buying 100% renewable electricity, electricity supplier. but making decisions about when to “Vehicle to Grid” or V2G could TURN OFF use electricity at home to help the also be an important way to balance ✗ grid as a whole and support the UK’s national energy supplies as well as transition to 100% clean energy. saving money for consumers. Electric that is the WWF executive director for car owners could charge them advocacy and campaigns Tony Juniper overnight and allow National Grid to is naturally enthused about the tool. use any stored electricity at times of “The impact of climate change higher demand the next day. question is wreaking havoc on nature. We’re New technology will make this the first generation in history to possible by allowing electric car understand this impact, yet the last owners to communicate with energy that will be in a position to take the companies via an add-on to their kind of action needed,” he says. home charging point to ensure the Biomass 7.8% Gas 36.2% Wind 25.6% “The decarbonisation of electricity car is ready when needed, while grids and the Green Energy at other times, any stored energy Coal 2.9% Nuclear 18.1% Other 0.2% Forecasting tool is one way to help can contribute a small part of its make that happen. It will allow storage to an intelligent charging Imports 7.3% Hydro 1.9% consumers to charge devices and system. There is already a scheme in power up appliances when there is a operation for owners of Nissan Leaf ? lot of green power in the Grid, further vehicles which will earn them cheaper diminishing the use of fossil sources electricity if they sign up. N ? JANUARY 2019 | NEW CIVIL ENGINEER 45 THE MEYGEN TIDAL Blades SCHEME PROJECT (Diameter: 18m) 400MW Full site capacity AR 1500 – UNDERWATER TURBINE 8GWh Generated to date CATCHING Nacelle & Turbine 4.4m/s (Weight: 100t) Average tidal current 15% World’s energy supply provided by tidal stream Fabricated steel tripod and pylon (potentially) (Height: 15m Weight: 190t)
Atlantic THE FLOW Ocean Ballast blocks MeyGen, the world’s largest tidal stream North Sea (Weight: 200t, 6 required for Island N of each support structure) array, is about to be expanded. Jackie Whitelaw Stroma SCOTLAND reports on a scheme that is operating at the PHASE 1A Lease area edge of human understanding. Potential cable area First 4 Tripod (25m x 20m in plan) turbines Ness of Quays 2km
The scale of the massive ballast blocks, each weighing 200t, becomes apparent Future our work – in fields such as fluid when stood next to them mechanics, fatigue analysis and of Energy KEY FACTS software development – have applications around the world in building and infrastructure design as ritain’s moonshot is 8.5GW well as tidal energy.” how the designers of UK tidal The UK’s tidal stream potential the MeyGen tidal stream stream is 8.5GW, according to MeyGen project describe the first developer, owner and operator Simec phase of a scheme that generating Atlantis. Worldwide the potential is since April this year has potential 99GW of clean, secure and predictable been officially classed as a commercial energy. Bpower station and which is supplying But the government in Westminster energy to the UK Grid. 99GW has yet to appreciate the potential of The technology and engineering Worldwide the world beating work that has been inventiveness needed to design going on so far away from London. It and install the first four of possibly tidal stream pulled funding from all tidal power hundreds of turbines sited at 31m potential development in 2016 with no prospect depth under the sea have involved of review until 2021. “working at the edge of human Fortunately, support from the understanding”, says Robert Bird Scottish government, a European Group UK director John Ward. grant and a determined developer The consultant’s team has designed mean that MeyGen is moving to the structures to sit in the fast flowing next phase of its planned roll out via waters of a 2km channel between the Project Stroma. north east tip of Scotland and the Having proved the technology and island of Stroma where the Atlantic Ocean meets the North Sea. “This is cutting edge territory, very exciting for engineers and an opportunity for the UK to be at This is cutting the forefront of a completely new industry,” says Ward. edge territory, “And like the moonshots which very exciting for led to major new engineering developments, the spin offs from engineers 46 NEW CIVIL ENGINEER | JANUARY 2019 “ become the world’s first tidal range Like the wind THE MEYGEN TIDAL utility, the next step is to upscale and bring down the costs with the ultimate capturing the Blades aim being an undersea army of SCHEME PROJECT (Diameter: 18m) turbines delivering just shy of 400MW air, we are capturing MW of rated capacity. 400 To that end the first four turbines the energy of moving Full site capacity AR 1500 – are to be joined by two larger ones UNDERWATER TURBINE 8GWh next year, each capable of generating water Generated to date 2MW. More powerful generators and “ Nacelle & Turbine larger rotor diameters will increase 4.4m/s (Weight: 100t) energy generating capacity. are capturing the energy of moving Average tidal current And rather than the individual water,” Ward explains. “Unlike wind, export cables of the original four it’s regular and it’s reliable because 15% turbines, the new units will share tides are reliable. For every 2MW World’s energy supply a cable via a connection hub. The of wind infrastructure the average provided by tidal stream Fabricated steel tripod and pylon innovation will reduce infrastructure output is 250kW of energy. For every (Height: 15m Weight: 190t) (potentially) and installation costs. 2MW of tidal infrastructure you can “Project Stroma will be an important guarantee 1.8MW of power. What Atlantic enabler for the extension of the this gives the tidal stream industry Ocean Ballast blocks North MeyGen site by a further 80MW and is fantastic potential to bring Sea (Weight: 200t, 6 required for Island N of each support structure) ultimately to the full site capacity of guaranteed, predictable power to the Stroma SCOTLAND 400MW,” says Atlantis chief executive Grid that can be a base load power
PHASE 1A officer Tim Cornelius. source which wind cannot. Nearby sites in the Pentland Firth “I believe 15% of the world’s energy Lease area offer further growth potential in supply could be supplied by tidal Potential cable area the UK, Cornelius says. “And larger stream.” First 4 Tripod (25m x 20m in plan) turbines Ness of Quays 2km rotor diameter turbines and subsea The challenge is that the connection hubs will open new infrastructure has to be placed in markets for Atlantis in places like areas with strong currents. “That’s the France, South Korea, Japan and the engineering problem, high waves and Channel Islands. challenging locations.” MeyGen’s first phase, which proved Ward and Robert Bird designer the potential of future development, Laura Legnani knew that the Meygen completed its construction and site’s storm surge current could reach commissioning phase in March this 5.2m/s, with all equipment designed year. To date it has generated 8GWh for a 50 year wave 15m high. “The of energy to the Grid. The array also challenge was to work in what is exported a world record 1.4GWh considered quite shallow water where of electricity to the Grid in a single waves produce strong reactions,” month, which would have powered Legnani says. 5,420 average UK homes. The chosen concept for the first The 3.5km long site was chosen phase of the MeyGen (Phase 1A) for its significant tidal races with the project was a gravity based structure shallow waters of the inner sound comprising a 140t fabricated steel creating a depth averaged tidal tripod weighted down by two 200t current of up to 4.4m/s. But because steel ballast blocks per leg. The 190t of the irregular seabed, which drops structure is 25m by 20m in plan and to 50m in places at a treacherous “cod includes a 15m high cylindrical pylon hole”, the flow is highly turbulent with which then supports the 100t, 18m strong eddies and vortices. diameter turbine above the seabed. The combined effects of this The turbine is designed to yaw energetic marine environment about the pylon to align its rotor produce very powerful hydrodynamic blades with the tidal flow. By careful forces, which the turbines and consideration of the prevailing supporting structures have to be tidal streams and most onerous able to withstand. Added to that, the wave directions an isosceles tripod design requirement was for a 25 year configuration was chosen for the base maintenance-free life with the longest leg facing west. Tidal stream energy is a completely Robert Bird worked with Imperial new industry. Unlike tidal range College London and the Danish barrages such as the one proposed for Hydraulic Institute in the early project Swansea where energy is produced by stages to better understand the the relatively slow rise and fall of the turbine hydrodynamics and oceanic tides, tidal stream captures the energy interaction. The team helped develop from the flow of water going past a the draft International Electrical device at substantial speed. Commission standard for marine “Like the wind capturing the air, we energy devices.
JANUARY 2019 | NEW CIVIL ENGINEER 47 Future of Energy Offshore Tidal Power
Being the world’s first turbine array, many design aspects lay “outside existing codes Based on research and first principle studies, in-depth dynamic analysis procedures were developed including multi-axial fatigue analysis to efficiently design the structure along with behavioural assessment of the combined substructure turbine system under dynamic loading. Bespoke software tools were developed and validated by the team to support the work. “Being the world’s first turbine array, many design aspects lay outside existing codes. In particular the behaviour of structures in marine environments with large waves and strong currents was not fully understood and was poorly documented,” Legnani explains. A 1:36 scaled tank test was performed at the HR Wallingford fast-flow facility in Oxfordshire to calibrate the basis of The giant 15m also transferred lifting loads. “There’s 10m of useful visibility in the hydrodynamic loading assumptions. high pylons were Buildability and turbine sea off Stroma,” Legnani says. The design and installation placed from maintenance was a major focus of the Each of the phase one turbines has concepts were field tested at the a barge using design. “The combination of depth a dedicated subsea array cable laid European Marine Energy Centre test remotely operated and strong currents meant it was not directly on the seabed and brought site in Orkney. autonomous safe for divers to go so deep, and ashore via a horizontal, directionally “The typical solution for a fixed vehicles we had only a 40 minute operating drilled borehole. The turbines feed marine structure is a tubular jacket, window to work in, on neap tides into an onshore power conversion but in such relatively shallow water when the waves were no more than unit building at the Ness of Quoys that would have interfered with the 2m,” Legnani explains. where the low voltage supply is turbine operation and attracted “For construction we largely converted to 33kV for export via a significant drag,” she says. removed the need for humans though 14.9MW grid connection into the local “Robert Bird developed an for maintenance it is possible for distribution network. alternative low profile structural form divers to work on turbines which are Ward is hopeful that post-2021 the to enable development of the shallow only 16m down.” UK Government will back tidal stream water MeyGen site. Remote operating autonomous power with a decade of grants similar “This low profile form also vehicles (ROAVs) were the answer for to the support given to wind energy minimises frontal area that is exposed overseeing assembly of each unit with when it first began development. For to environmental drag, thereby everything placed from a barge. every £1 of public funding, another £6 reducing the size of ballast required “The ROAV went down with the to £7 of private investment would be and enabling the turbine to be placed tripod first, watching where it landed. generated and the UK would remain at in a high tidal energy region.” One leg was put down, then the the forefront of this new technology. Articulated feet with spherical second, then the third. The ballast “The next phases should all be bearings were developed to allow blocks were shaped to slot in over the about cost reductions for commercial the tripod base to self level on the legs. scale,” he says. “There are substantial irregular seabed. Ballast blocks for “In the next tide window, the technical improvements to come. the tripod legs were stressed together, turbine was then dropped in from the “We have first advantage. It would with the lifting eye for installation surface to automatically wet-mate be a travesty if the UK’s lead in the welded to the connecting pin, which with the pylon and with the ROAV world, as so often happens, is cut off as well as holding together the plates giving the crane operator line of sight. through lack of vision.” N
48 NEW CIVIL ENGINEER | JANUARY 2019 World View INSPIRING CIVILS ACROSS THE GLOBE NEWCIVILENGINEER.COM/WORLD-VIEW
ITALY LEANING TOWER SLANT DECLINES
The slant of the Leaning Tower of Pisa is reducing. The structure has fallen back into line by 40mm in the past two decades according to a new report from the engineers monitoring the structure. In 1990 the top of the tower was 4.5m off its vertical alignment and the structure was the subject of a huge remedial project which reduced the displacement by around 450mm. According to media reports from Italian news agency ANSA, Nunziante Squeglia, a surveillance team member, said the vertical deflection had fallen by 40mm in the last 20 years.
UNITED STATES IRELAND UNITED STATES US CITY SWITCHES TO IRELAND SEEKS BIDS PUBLIC APPROVAL FOR DUTCH-STYLE FLOOD FOR £79M MOTORWAY DAVID BECKHAM’S PROPOSED DEFENCE SCHEME INTERCHANGE FOOTBALL STADIUM IN MIAMI
US coastal cities are increasingly Transport Infrastructure Ireland looking to replace their existing flood is seeking bids to design and defences with Dutch-style construct the $88.5M (£79M) “waterfront parks”. In place of Dunkettle Interchange upgrade, in traditional sea walls, cities such as county Cork. The existing Dunkettle Boston are now increasingly opting Interchange is located approximately for a “living with water”approach 6km east of Cork City, where the M8/ similar to that adopted in the N8 road from Dublin to Cork Netherlands. Instead of resisting intersects with the N25 road from rising water levels, the Dutch Waterford to Cork. Works include the government introduced areas construction of new road links, purposely-built to flood. In the roundabouts and pedestrian and Netherlands this largely involves cycle facilities. The contract also Ex-footballer David Beckham’s Miami football stadium has the creation of new sand areas/ covers work on elements of made a major step towards being built after the public dykes. However, in Boston infrastructure including a series of voted to approve the project. City officials can now “waterfront parks” are being put in road links between the N8, the N25 negotiate a no-bid lease deal for the 25,000-seat stadium. place. The city has outlined and the N40 and on roundabouts as The former England captain wants to transform the proposals for 27ha of green space well as 43 major structures of Melreese Country Club site, next to Miami International along the coastline, purposely various forms including railway Airport, into a complex for his new professional football designed to flood. structures. team Club Internacional de Futbol Miami – or Inter Miami.
JANUARY 2019 | NEW CIVIL ENGINEER 49 MACHINETech Excellence TEAM Preparations to use autonomous plant typify the innovative approach adopted to upgrading a section of the A14 to motorway status. Ty Byrd reports.
irst the good news. Highways England’s We’ve invested business plan is working KEY FACTS well for the A14 upgrade in our haul between the M11 near 34km Cambridge effectively to roads to ensure the Length of A14 the A1(M) at Alconbury. Spend on the availability of these F£1.5bn project – which will lead to the Cambridge to road’s upgrade to motorway status Huntingdon during the winter – is running at a tightly controlled improvement £40M a month. Having just reached “ scheme months the halfway stage, construction is on programme and to budget. £1.5bn Now the even better news. All printed material is referring to the the above appears to vindicate Value of the A14(M). an adventurous style of project project “The A14 upgrade has always been management born of applying to IAN161, the smart motorways’ forethought and innovation to Summer 2016 standard. Alterations needed to promote efficiency. Project start create the A14(M) are minimal – it’s Engineers are using their heads – as almost a matter of just changing green date well as drones, 3D excavator control signs to blue,” says the construction systems and even driverless plant – director of the project’s integrated the latter dependent on the results of Late 2020 delivery team, Julian Lamb. The impending trials. Project team comprises Highways England, Before continuing, a quick glance completion together with Atkins/CH2M, and is required at the route’s changing date Costain/Skanska/Balfour Beatty. status. Original plans had the existing Changing the signage will of A14 being upgraded while remaining course be accompanied by measures an all purpose trunk road. They are to preclude tractors, horses and now out the window. pedestrians, with the intention of Reclassification as a motorway will promoting free flowing motorway be formally confirmed later this year, traffic. They say on site that theirs subject to a nod from the Secretary is the first motorway to be built in of State. Already, Highways England England since the Birmingham north
50 NEW CIVIL ENGINEER | JANUARY 2019 relief road – M6 Toll – back at the turn of the century. We have a “Half a generation ago,” remarks media area Lamb. Civil engineer Lamb’s current where those working role represents his third stint along the course of the A14. He started on the project can on the current project in 2015, along with others charged with catch up with progress injecting “buildability” into what “ was recognised as a hugely complex across the job, viewing project. Open-mindedness to new ideas and timelapse videos ways of working was encouraged – with Highways England’s Innovation, Technology & Research Strategy just until the viability of the equipment about to be published. Acceptance of has been confirmed. beneficial change became a given. Everyone is tight lipped. More Some of the A14’s upgrade was to will be revealed if the trials are be new build, some of it on-line. Much successful; and there is the possibility of the road was across flood plain that autonomous plant could be used and had to sit above natural ground on some of the A14’s remaining 2M.m3 level. A huge 10M.m3 of earth had to of muck shift. be moved. “It was muck shifting that Maintaining the theme of really drove our thinking,” says Lamb. innovation, drones are being Technology has changed much employed to measure the extent in “half a generation” and this is of earthworks and to carry out indicated on site by the adoption of environmental and ecological surveys Topcon 3D machine control systems – plus other things. Lamb says they as “positioning tools” for excavators are remarkably useful: “Not least for and dozers. checking up on our bats, for example, Machine control systems are Expressed simply, software with minimal intrusion.” being used on the muckshift determines the current position The project has its own drone of each machine and compares pilots on site, all properly licensed the terrain on which it sits to that to fly. Three types of drone are being of the required formation. Data is used: survey specific ones, media then displayed inside the excavator grade for taking progress images and or dozer’s cab, which allows the movies plus social grade drones for operator easily and efficiently to keeping the likes of Facebook up to grade the ground to match the date. intended design. “We’re trying to get the message The benefits claimed for such out to everyone, including of course intelligent muck shifting are the public. We have a media area substantial (see box). where those working on the project According to Topcon, its equipment can catch up with progress across is installed in around 50 machines the job, viewing timelapse videos, belonging to Walter Group, one of for example, of specific events.” It is two major earthworks contractors part of the initiative to help ensure working on the 32km long road. the A14’s integrated delivery team – Between them, the two companies hailed by Lamb as a major factor in have shifted an incredible 8M.m3 in just the project’s success so far – retains two seasons – those of 2017 and 2018. its constructive cohesiveness. “We’ve respected traditional Lamb goes on to mention work earthworks seasonal working but also on the project’s 750m long viaduct invested in our haul roads to ensure across the river Ouse and its flood the availability of these during winter plain, plus the bridge that adjoins months,” says Lamb. “Some targeted this, over the East Coast Main Line areas have been worked in the winter (ECML) railway. For these, as with where this suits.” other structures along the route, as This January, trials of machine much precasting was carried out as controls of even greater complexity possible, for slabs, copings and so on, are scheduled to be carried out in a yard adjacent to the nearby A1. on site. They involve the use of “Precasting was carried out under Precasting for the Ouse autonomous – or driverless – cover away from the weather. Here viaduct has resembled a earthmoving machinery about which as elsewhere we wanted to move manufacturing process – details are currently very scarce. construction into a manufacturing carried out under cover nearby Highways England is keen to keep the environment. This and the decision trials under wraps for the time being, to precast decks in the first place
JANUARY 2019 | NEW CIVIL ENGINEER 51 Tech Excellence A14 Upgrade
Each deck is A14 UPGRADE BETWEEN M11 TO A1(M) 44m long and A1(M) 34km weighs 1,065t. They Alconbury A141 Length of scheme e us O are big. Had we built t A1(M) Extension a e £1.5bn r G St Ives them insitu, we would r Value of project e Huntingdon iv “ R have required maybe 2020 100 lane, closures The Hemingfords Year of completion Godmanchester Swavesey Existing A14 proved efficient, timely and of course Northstowe ultimately safer, removing working at (new development) height during erection of the bridge Buckden deck.” Local access road For some substructure Cambridge construction, pile caps were A14(M) including new bypass northern bypass A1 and improved section of old A14 eliminated, with 2.4m diameter Boxworth columns being founded directly on Bar Hill their individual piles. A14 For the bridge over the ECML, CAMBRIDGESHIRE an early decision to alter the road’s vertical alignment proved a particular A428 CAMBRIDGE A1198 masterstroke. The cost of raising the 2km M11 bridge’s deck height was more than N offset by time savings generated through not having to interfere with the railway’s catenaries or MACHINE CONTROL: THE BENEFITS track – which would have occurred if the original alignment had been maintained. “No full possessions of the railway were needed, which avoided huge “Accurate earth moving is made potential delays,” Lamb says. “The decision confirmed the substantial simple, highly efficient and safe” benefits which can be obtained by bringing a project’s contractor and designer together to thrash things out at an early stage.” No level pegs are needed, “Achieving the right At the other end of the job, at no batter profiles, no position, level and grade first junction 29 by Bar Hill, clever engineers frustrated about time is par for the course. The thinking again saved time, bother and their pegs being knocked efficiencies are substantial. money. The steel beam and concrete out, no chain men. There are savings in money, decks of two new bridges were built time and materials. With in their entirety including handrails “Earth moving is hugely fewer people around, there are in a prefabrication yard close by the simplified by use of our obvious safety benefits. junction; then manoeuvred into place machine control systems,” “Back office staff can using multi-wheeled SPMTs (self claims Topcon machine control communicate with the propelled modular transporters). business development manager operator, monitor where the “Each deck is 44m long and Andy McCann. plant is, check progress and weighs 1,065t. They are big. Had we GPS sensors on the plant collect data – all remotely. built them insitu, we would have locate the position of each Importantly, design changes required maybe 100 lane, carriageway machine relative to the can be sent to the driver and full road closures. Instead we prescribed earthworks design instantaneously.” only needed the one weekend in and then, via an onboard Cost of equipping September during which both decks computer, guide the operators an excavator/dozer is were successfully installed. to where they need to be. approximately £25,000. Things went amazingly well.” N
52 NEW CIVIL ENGINEER | JANUARY 2019 MSc Engineering Management MSc Management MBA Fast-track masters with exclusive exemptions for chartered ICE members With MDC you can complete a fast-track masters in as little as 12 months Proven success Since 1991 more than 1200 senior professionals have graduated with MDC. Minimum disruption to working week Exclusive exemptions for ICE members mean you only need to attend 2 residential weekends (near London) and complete a dissertation. Corporate payback The dissertation, on an individual’s chosen topic, can equate to a large (and otherwise expensive) piece of consultancy work for an individual’s employer or company. Apply now for www.managementmasters.co.uk/engineering e: [email protected] t: 01429 839254 April 2019 Tech Excellence Digital Design EMBRACE AND SURVIVE As the technology revolution moves into full swing, Autodesk chief executive Andrew Anagnost warns the industry must ‘digitise or die’. Report by Rob Horgan.
achine learning, if Autodesk chief executive Andrew real fear in the industry as everyone artificial Anagnost’s vision of the future is to digitises. Architects, contractors and intelligence, be believed, future technologies such engineers are all starting to want blockchain and as generative design and machine a piece of each other’s markets. generative design. learning will change the landscape of But at the same time, they are all A few years ago, the industry for the better. Anagnost worried about the others coming none of these terms would have warns that the role of a traditional into their sphere. We see it all the Mmeant a great deal to the majority of tier one contractor is coming to an time, everyone is looking over their the engineering community. Reserved abrupt end, and that companies shoulders wondering who is going to for tech firms and gaming companies, Anagnost: failing to digitise will be “crushed” by be taking their jobs. few contractors can honestly say Machine learning early adopters of future technologies. “In the future, a tier one contractor they foresaw the full potential of is the future “The most digitised contractors will be almost unrecognisable. technologies such as virtual reality are literally going to start crushing Instead contractors will transform and artificial intelligence from the the ones who don’t,” Anagnost says, into providers of services.” get go. However, in November at speaking to New Civil Engineer at And the digital age will not just Autodesk’s AU Vegas event in Las AU Vegas. “The rise of the digital affect the role of contractors. Hailing Vegas, peppered between the strobe contractor is not good for those the dawn of the “material revolution”, lights, dance troupes and drum and contractors who don’t currently have Anagnost said robotics and 3D bass tunes, contractors were fully a digital strategy.” printing are going to drive a “change embracing technology. He adds: “At the moment there is a in the way things get built”. On the Vinci showed off its digital twin expo floor at AU Vegas robotic arms for the Paris sewer network, Aecom in shipping containers capable of flaunted its digital designs for the drilling, sawing and basic joinery Stonehenge tunnel inside a building were held up as the future of on- information modelling (BIM) cave site construction. Likewise off-site, and Atkins unveiled its prototype The most purpose-built robotics factories were “Caterpillar” app, a digital platform heralded as accelerating off-site and which is claimed to actively predict digitised modular construction. the impacts of infrastructure projects. And the point of this technological The driver is the age-old desire contractors are literally revolution – be it in design, materials to be more efficient, have less of an going to start crushing used or construction methods – is environmental impact and to reduce ultimately to improve efficiencies risk, cost overruns and delays. And the ones who don’t and reduce disasters. Anagnost
54 NEW CIVIL ENGINEER | JANUARY 2019 “ READ MORE TECHEXCELLENCE AT NEWCIVILENGINEER.COM
Once everyone gets it, BIM capability has to start becoming part of the “procurement process costs of a project through data sets provided and can spot cost overruns far earlier than we are currently able to.” “Measuring performance is critical to competitive success in almost anything worth doing, especially business. What gets measured gets done.” While contractors need to adapt to technological advances to survive, clients have an equally important role in driving the transformation. Anagnost added that for the technology revolution to truly take off within the construction industry, clients would have to rethink their is so confident of technology’s AU Vegas [fact that] materials being used were procurement methods. benefits that he claims machine showcased not the ones that were supposed “[Client understanding of BIM] learning would have prevented the technologies to be used, and nobody knew. They is somewhat varied,” Anagnost Grenfell tower fire. Anagnost said including robobtic basically built a big candle which admitted. that advances in machine learning arms capable of resulted in a horrible fire. “There is some way to go but in my coupled with generative design will drilling, sawing “All of that could be avoided by opinion it is not a million miles off. ensure that everything built in the and doing joinery machine learning algorithms that Once everyone gets it, BIM capability future will be instantly and actively do automated checks which say has to start becoming part of the monitored to ensure increased safety. material X was installed, material Y procurement process.” He said that technology will be able was required and then flagging it as Likewise Autodesk’s infrastructure to predict and prevent catastrophes an uncertifiable building. But nobody director Theo Agelopoulos added that such as the Grenfell fire which killed knew, or if they did know it got lost procurement models in the UK and 72 people in June 2017. somewhere along the way. abroad must change to account for “It’s early on but machine learning “Machine learning is absolutely cost savings accrued from a mature will absolutely improve building and going to be able to identify those kinds BIM model. He said that at present, fire safety,” Anagnost said. “We can of problems so that what gets built is procurement models around the already simulate the impact of natural actually survivable under the situations world focus too heavily on lowest disasters fairly well on cities. Our that it could come up against.” initial construction costs rather than biggest problem is not knowing what And as well as preventing disasters, the whole assets value. needs to be built but making sure it improving technologies are also “Around the world, we need to does get built the way people think it designed to keep on top of rising move to a whole life, value-based should be.” costs. Introducing a cost management procurement model,” he said. “Lowest “Most of the problem with unsafe platform into Autodesk’s BIM360 construction cost is no longer good construction isn’t that people didn’t programme, Autodesk construction enough.” know what needed to be built, it is business unit vice president and He added: “Communities are that on site, the wrong thing got built. general manager Jim Lynch said it starting to understand the long-term Too often the wrong material is used has the potential to revolutionise the benefits of building something with or isn’t built to the exact specification accuracy of project cost evaluations. lower environmental impacts and and then you often have buildings not “Integrating cost management greater social impacts. It is all of our being as safe as people expected. functionality into BIM 360 has responsibilities to tell clients and the He added: “Look at the horrible the ability to change the way public that having a sophisticated high-rise fire in London that has construction costs are worked out,” digital strategy will benefit everyone basically been traced back to the Lynch said. “It takes all incremental in the long run.” N
JANUARY 2019 | NEW CIVIL ENGINEER 55 Product Profile Mabey INSIGHT IN REAL TIME Engineering specialist Mabey demonstrates how access to live consolidated data is enabling projects to be delivered more quickly, safely and efficiently.
he construction industry has developed LIVESite, an all-in-one One example is a project Mabey has seen new technologies solution for sensor monitoring and worked on with its customers to enable enter at a lightning pace instrumentation, so engineers can the safe refurbishment of a three-span –from creating three- view and interpret the behaviour of bridge over a busy road. Since the dimensional models of live structures and their environment in real bridge’s construction, the structure’s projects, to integrating time while on site. abutments were slowly being pushed real-time data from infrastructure Mabey’s engineers configure toward the deck by ground movement. Tmonitors into building information LIVESite as part of the system set up A propping force of ~4MN was needed modelling (BIM). These innovations will process. All contractors or specialists to prevent further shift. The bridge’s continue to transform the speed and need to do is specify how they would refurbishment aimed to stop significant efficiency of infrastructure projects. like the data presented and what future settlement, remove the propping The next step is for engineers to parameters must be set. force and reinstate the original attain information about the behaviour articulation of the deck. of a structure resulting from changes Live collaboration to ensure To control the various operations in load, temperature, displacement, structural integrity required on the deck, while monitoring vibration, dust etcetera. It is then a Of course, a successful construction the movement of various parts and the question of presenting it in an insightful project relies on collaboration across stress state of the structure, accurate, format – particularly when the data a deep supply chain of specialist reliable and real time information has to be interpretable by a client or organisations. LIVESite’s responsive was needed. A unique combination customer. The key is clear, visual and design means that multiple construction of measuring devices and over 80 customisable analysis that enables areas and sensor groups across large physical sensors provided accuracies the user to spot, and act on, key sites can be integrated seamlessly. of greater than 0.1mm. The sensors information quickly. From this, custom graphs, full screen read at 1,600 times per second, with schematics and maps can be interacted LIVESite consolidating 137,600 pieces LIVESite with remotely, on a mobile phone, of raw data and over 147,200 pieces of Responding to the demand for clearer, tablet or laptop, giving engineers the calculated data each second into a series visual representations of data, leading information they need at a glance, in a of readable 2D and 3D schematics. engineering services company Mabey way that suits. Through these integrated client/
56 NEW CIVIL ENGINEER | JANUARY 2019 IN PARTNERSHIP WITH MABEY
LIVESite visually represents the behaviour HOW LIVESITE WORKS of a structure and its environment in real time Online LIVESite software takes project’s lifecycle ensures effective readings from sensors and devices, solutions can be created with centralises them all, stores them in confidence and, if things do start the Cloud, and then uses proprietary to change, the right action is taken algorithms to visualise the readings in promptly. real time.
Through this shared digital model, engineers can connect many different types of sensor – from live video feeds and audio recordings (which can then be viewed on any web browser along with the data), to dust, pressure, distance and rotation. If one of these sensor measures is breached, intelligent diagnostics produce lightning speed warnings, so that action can be taken. LIVESite also provides engineers with other data tools they need. Alert views show critical events, the event log shows on-site and data events and flexible schematics visualise readings on diagrams, charts and 3D models. This comprehensive picture of a Data can be viewed on portable devices
server communications, the project Mabey was brought in to provide and efficiently as possible to any team had a comprehensive, 24/7 view of temporary propping so construction movement. the structure’s condition and integrity could continue. Yet to proceed As Mabey continues to develop the and could work together to solve safely, an early warning system to LIVESite software, the focus will be on potential problems from the office highlight any environmental effects making the data simpler to interpret. and on the ground. This assurance leading to further deterioration, and By combining 3D modelling with negated the need for an engineer physical sensors to measure the actual structural and environmental data, to go to the site to check readings deterioration, was needed. the future of LIVESite lies in LIVEBIM, daily, minimising cost and improving The structure was fitted with tilt, where customers will see digital efficiencies. vibration and temperature sensors models of buildings, railways, roads and when the temporary works began, and bridges change shape and colour as Early warning systems to enable email alerts were triggered if there was problems arise. construction to progress too much movement on the specific The LIVESite portal visualises the many tilt angles, or if wind shifted the Final words tiny changes happening to a structure structure too much. Those companies that are embracing or environment, so when something After data was captured, new ways of working are benefiting does go out of tolerance, immediate consolidated and delivered to the from lower costs, reduced risks and alerts mean the customer can respond engineers via LIVESite over a few faster implementation. quickly. One Mabey customer recently weeks, the structure’s safety was Whether helping customers keep saw the value of having real time data confirmed, and the construction site their railway lines and buildings that is easy to interpret when building was reopened. Live alerts and visual open while tunnels are bored beneath, a retail site. The steel frame structure graphs were available for engineers or whether ensuring deep excavations of the building was midway through to view as they worked, reassuring are dug more quickly and safely, tools construction when one of the horizontal them that no further movement was like Mabey’s LIVESite demonstrate beam connections buckled, having a happening at the failed connection. first-hand the benefits of using big knock-on effect on the strength of the With data literally at the engineer’s data and high frequency support to frame. It was quickly deemed unsafe to fingertips, they had immediate warning turn billions of readings into tangible, work on. and could respond as quickly, safely actionable information.
JANUARY 2019 | NEW CIVIL ENGINEER 57 Tech Bites NEW INNOVATIONS THAT WILL TRANSFORM YOUR PROJECTS NEWCIVILENGINEER.COM/TECH-EXCELLENCE
FLOOD DEFENCES DRONES ENABLE MORE DETAILED THAMES ESTUARY MONITORING
A new generation of specialised drones is enabling flood defences along the Thames Estuary to be monitored in much greater detail and at lower cost. Speaking at New Civil Engineer’s Flood Management Forum, Thames Estuary Management 2100 (TEAM2100) programme manager Darren Milsom said that trials of submersible and confined space drones show that a revolution in data collection is underway. Monitoring is being undertaken by an integrated delivery team made up of the Environment Agency, Jacobs, Balfour Beatty and others under the TEAM2100 programme.
ENERGY TRANSPORT TRANSPORT WORLD’S LARGEST NETWORK RAIL LOWER THAMES CROSSING TO BE CRANE HEADS FOR LAUNCHES EQUIPPED FOR ELECTRIC CARS HINKLEY NUCLEAR DRONES POWER PLANT FRAMEWORK
The world’s largest crane by Network Rail has published a size and capacity is set for its prior information notice for its first assignment at the Hinkley upcoming Unmanned Aircraft Point C nuclear power station System framework. The site in 2019. The Sarens Giant framework covers Crane-250 can lift 5,000t and infrastructure inspections and operate at a height of 250m maintenance checks to be and radius of 275m. A rail carried out via drones. The network on the Hinkley site three to five year framework will transport the crane will cover structures/canopies between key lift locations. including bridges; embankment The 23km Lower Thames Forum on the delivery of Belgian manufacturer Sarens /culvert checks; overhead line Crossing route will be equipped major infrastructure, the says the crane has features equipment, post incident with more than 600 charging crossing’s development and flexibility of a fully-mobile condition inspections points and full data coverage to director David Manning ring crane with winches and following adverse weather, support the roll out of electric said Highways England wants cables, hook blocks, and the incidents, and security and autonomous vehicles. to ensure the road is fit for ability to slew 360˚. surveys. Speaking at a Westminster future use.
58 NEW CIVIL ENGINEER | JANUARY 2019 Innovation in Infrastructure
GETTING MORE INFRASTRUCTURE INNOVATION / PAGE 60 SEEKING OUT MORE GREAT IDEAS / PAGE 62 HIGH SPEED 2 FOSTERS CREATIVE SOLUTIONS / PAGE 64
INNOVATION PROFILES
Aquaspira: Time saving tanks p66 Innovyze: Combining asset data p72
Fibrwrap: Advanced Strengthening p68 Royal HaskoningDHV: Tra c systems p74
Certas: Innovative fuels p69 Wavin: Stormwater management p76
Geobear: Geopolymer injection p70
JANUARY 2019 NEW CIVIL ENGINEER 59 SEEDINGInnovation in Infrastructure IDEAS Getting more innovation in infrastructure is a key driver for government and industry. One year on from the announcement of a Construction Sector Deal, the structures are in place for government and industry to come good on its promises. Mark Hansford reports.
n late 2017 the government enthusiasm,” says Waller. committed in its Industrial There is “This is the last piece of the jigsaw Strategy White Paper to increase KEY FACTS that is Transforming Construction investment in research and a lot of pent and our fi rst job is to provide a route development (R&D) to 2.4% of 2.4% to market for those fi ve government GDP by 2027. The government’s up enthusiasm departments who have announced Proportion Transforming Construction a presumption in favour of offsite Iprogramme and Construction Sector of GDP the construction.” Deal set out how government and government programme (see box). Those departments are big the construction industry would wants invested It promises that the hub will be procurers of buildings for the health, contribute to this, with a £420M “the “catalyst” to “transform the way justice, education and defence and in research and joint investment promised from the buildings are designed, manufactured, transport sectors. development sector and the government in new integrated and connected within The fi rst visible activity, says technology and techniques. the built environment to create Waller, will be to set up a production It has taken a year to sort through £420M high-performing buildings line for building components at the but now, with the launch on 30 Investment and infrastructure with strong MTC as a proof of concept. It will aim November of the Core Innovation Hub in innovation levels of safety, quality and to prove that offsite manufacturing (CIH), structures are fi nally in place earmarked energy performance”. It will also does not necessarily mean bland for the government and industry to support collaboration to develop standardisation. in the start delivering. and commercialise digital and The MTC houses some of the most The CIH will be created by the Construction manufacturing technologies for the advanced manufacturing equipment Transforming Construction Alliance, Sector Deal construction sector. in the world, creating a high quality of specialists in digital engineering Infrastructure & Projects Authority environment for the development and and manufacturing from the senior advisor Keith Waller has been demonstration of new technologies Manufacturing Technology Centre appointed programme director to on an industrial scale. (MTC) in Coventry, building science lead the hub on behalf of the alliance. “At the moment we have too many centre BRE and the University of A civil engineer by profession, bespoke solutions,” explains Waller. Cambridge Centre for Digital Built Waller led development of the “But total standardisation isn’t the Britain (CDBB). recent Transforming Infrastructure answer either as it is not great for To create the hub the alliance Performance report. customers. What we are looking for has been awarded a £72M slice And after a year of negotiations to is not full bespoke; nor completely of the £170M government has get this far, he says everyone is raring standardised, but customisation.” promised to construction through to go. Waller says the work he drives will the Transforming Construction “There is a lot of pent up be very much focused on producing
60 NEW CIVIL ENGINEER JANUARY 2019 The fi rst visible Highways England’s move to digitise and automate design is one innovation activity is to the hub will seek to address set up a production line for building “components products that can be used and as such he will be spending most of his time in and around Whitehall understanding client needs. “The recently announced government pipeline shows we are going to be spending £50bn a year on infrastructure. We can’t be producing a solution that no-one will buy and no-one can deliver,” he says. Civil engineers will probably immediately leap on the hub’s fi rst activity to produce building components, saying that standardisation – or customisation – will never work in civil infrastructure where solutions by their nature need to be bespoke. Waller accepts it is a challenge, but that it is do-able. “In that £50bn a year we have got a mix of social infrastructure and economic infrastructure. And yes, it is easier to see it working in a school or a prison. But we have seen Highways England using digital design; we have TRANSFORMING CONSTRUCTION seen precast platforms in Crossrail; we have seen standardised water treatment plants used by Anglian Water. GOVERNMENT COMMITMENT designs for built assets and new manufacturing “We have got to fi nd the best bits The government says the construction sector has technologies that will enable the delivery of these as there are elements of every project an important role to play in achieving the vision G Energy generation and storage technologies where this is happening. set out in its Industrial Strategy: strengthening for buildings, reducing running costs for “And then we have to develop the foundations of our economy and achieving the building users them,” he says. Grand Challenges of: G Research and development (R&D) and Another major channeller of G putting the UK at the forefront of the artificial demonstration programmes, which will support government funds is the client-led intelligence and data revolution innovations using digital and manufacturing infrastructure industry innovation G maximising the advantages from the global shift technologies across the infrastructure, social platform i3P. It is now relatively well to clean growth infrastructure, commercial construction and established, so how is Waller’s unit G becoming a world leader in the future of mobility housebuilding sectors. going to work in harmony with that? G meeting the needs of an ageing society “We’ll have to work closely SECTOR COMMITMENT with bodies like i3P,” he admits. The government is investing £170M from the The sector will invest £250M directly aligned “But i3P has a mix of good tactical Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund (ISCF) in the with the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund interventions that are seeking to Transforming Construction: Manufacturing Better Transforming Construction: Manufacturing Better improve how we deliver what we are Buildings programme. Buildings programme. doing better. We have to work with A significant amount will come through the them to ask more strategic questions THE FUNDING IS FOR: Infrastructure Industry Innovation Platform (i3P). about what we are building in the fi rst G Digital technologies, including building It will align strategic R&D investment by the place.” information modelling, sensors, data analytics and consortium with the Industrial Strategy Challenge The mandate is clear. Announcing smart systems technologies and the Information Fund Transforming Construction programme, the award of the funding at BRE Management Landscape; which will increase the to accelerate change in the infrastructure and Watford on 30 November, business & efficiency of construction techniques construction sector. Currently Infrastructure industry minister Richard Harrington G Manufacturing technologies and production i3P members invest more than £150M per annum described it as the opportunity to systems, which will develop new digital building in R&D. “revolutionise” construction in the UK. N
JANUARY 2019 NEW CIVIL ENGINEER 61 SPREADINGInnovation in Infrastructure THE I-WORD Back in 2016, the infrastructure industry innovation platform i3P morphed out of Crossrail’s hugely successful Innovate18 scheme. As we enter 2019, where does it go in the quest for more great ideas? Report by Sarah Jacobs.
rossrail’s Innovate18 needs to engage fully with innovation scheme, which called It is great platforms such as i3P. on the project’s KEY FACTS The Sector Deal adds over £170M key suppliers to that i3P is in investment from the government pool innovation £600bn to £250M of funding from the industry funding – led to maturing into an and further builds on the ambitions Value of over 450 innovations being shared acknowledged industry within the Construction 2025 strategy Cand an estimated 10% adopted at projected published in 2013 by government and other sites. Determined to build on construction body that is the the Construction Leadership Council that, government-backed innovation workload (CLC). sharing body Knowledge Transfer “ In the last year the government between 2022 go-to place for Infra- Network (KTN), Tideway and has also published key policy and 2032 Crossrail have worked together to structure innovation papers: Transforming Infrastructure develop i3P. This new organisation is Performance and the Transport a cross-industry, multi-client initiative £250M and learning Infrastructure Effi ciency Strategy, which to connect industry partners and Amount set out plans to improve the delivery develop innovative solutions across a of money the UK that boosts productivity and performance of infrastructure, host of sectors. industry is and earning power. As a part of this specifi cally the effi ciency of transport I3P was set up as an independent strategy, the Construction Sector infrastructure. innovation community, with all expected to Deal set out an ambitious partnership Within this overall strategic members committed to providing put into the between industry and government, context, the challenges, opportunities leadership in driving collaborative Construction with the aim of transforming and ambitions for the sector are innovation across the infrastructure Sector deal productivity through innovative clear; i3P is a leading participant in industry. The overriding ambition for technologies and the development of developing and driving initiatives that i3P is to become the “go to” place for a more highly skilled workforce. deliver outcomes and capabilities collaborative innovation, focusing on Current projections are for that will ensure the sector responds economic infrastructure. around £600bn of public and private and delivers within the wider Innovation is becoming an investment in infrastructure over landscape. increasingly critical priority not the next 10 years, including a Last year was a year of progression just for the infrastructure and doubling of the volume of economic and adaptation for i3P. Tideway chief construction sectors but for the infrastructure delivered between executive Andy Mitchell, who was government. In 2017 the government 2022 and 2032. Backers of the Sector instrumental in the conception of launched its Industrial Strategy, deal believe this workload pipeline, i3P, handed its chairmanship of the designed to create an economy for gives the industry the certainty it body to new co-chairs, High Speed
62 NEW CIVIL ENGINEER JANUARY 2019 2 Ltd chief executive Mark Thurston Work Stream projects that will deliver Innovations that and Heathrow Airport development tangible outcomes and capability emerged from There’s a bigger director Phil Wilbraham. that are aligned with and support the Crossrail include At he stepped down, Mitchell achievement of infrastructure and precast platforms realisation spoke on the future of i3P: “There’s construction sector objectives. a bigger realisation than ever before There is a now a real sense that than ever before that that things have to change. I3P can these sectors have the necessary things have to change. challenge the thinking and convene a focus and commitment to respond consistent way of working together. to the challenges and sizeable I3P can challenge the It’s the biggest thing i3P can do”. opportunities ahead. I3P is one part Since then, Thurston and of the landscape that will strengthen “ thinking and convene Wilbraham have further developed and accelerate this response and we i3P’s approach and have directed are committed absolutely to working a consistent way of the focus on deliverables. Initially with partners to develop the coherent they reset the governance structure voice and progressive workplans that working together to include a strategy board that will are fully aligned and in combination liaise closely with other key strategic will drive the sector to truly deliver productivity of our sector.” guiding minds and created a delivery transformational change. At this critical juncture where the leadership group that will oversee “It is great that i3P is maturing into imperative for increased productivity and drive delivery while collaborating an acknowledged industry body that for the sector is aligned with the with other enabling initiatives, such is the go-to place for Infrastructure commitment of the government to as the ICE’s Project 13. innovation and learning,” says support transformational change, the I3P Forums will now act as the Wilbraham. real prerequisite for success is for the equivalent of a shareholders’ meeting “It is key that the industry whole sector to actively engage and for all i3P member organisations. continues to get behind the important be involved. In addition, strategic work streams initiatives that will continue to deliver Only by doing so can i3P drive relating to core processes have improved productivity and greater the collaborative innovation been formulated. Across these a effi ciency. required to transform the economic portfolio of projects that draws in “The essence of i3P continues infrastructure sector. leadership and resources from client to be collaborative innovation. By G Sarah Jacobs is i3P’s project manager and supply chain organisations is in collaborating with i3P members G For more information on i3P development. As well as the sharing and external organisations, we will and how to get involved, contact of ideas and innovations, members enhance the impact of innovation, [email protected] or go to are now committing to the Strategic harnessing it to transform the www.i3p.org.uk
JANUARY 2019 NEW CIVIL ENGINEER 63 Innovation in Infrastructure Innovation in Health and Safety IDEAS CULTURE High Speed 2 promoter HS2 Ltd is hoping that innovation will help keep construction costs down while leaving a legacy for the construction industry as a whole. Katherine Smale reports.
n June next year, High Speed 2 (HS2) promoter HS2 Ltd will face We have to a major decision about whether KEY FACTS or not to give the go ahead to its fi nd a way of main works contractors to start 300 building the 241km of new line integrating innovation Innovations for phase 1. into the DNA of the IFor this to happen, the cost to submitted to build the line must match the target HS2 Ltd to HS2 workforce, HS2 cost. date But with the contracts currently “ family, and our supply coming in far above the budget, 30 HS2 Ltd is looking to the industry to chain Having innovate and cut costs. Failure to do so could put the project’s future in business case jeopardy. developed tape or bureaucracy which will stifl e “If we all sat here and said we’re innovation. going to do HS2 on a business- 11 Although he admits HS2 Ltd has as-usual basis, we are doomed to Endorsed for not yet cracked its approach to fail,” says HS2 chief executive Mark innovation, there are a number of delivery Thurston. “This would be on a ways in which it is laying down the number of metrics including cost, foundation for it to fl ourish. which Thurston co-chairs with schedule, skills, diversity and many One of these has been the Heathrow Expansion director Phil others. establishment of an innovation Wilbraham. “We have to fi nd a way of challenge which Thurston says has To date, around 300 innovations integrating innovation into the DNA set out a process to bring new ideas have been put forward to and Use of drones for early survey works to de-risk access of the HS2 workforce, HS2 family, and to the table. This includes a clear endorsed by HS2 Ltd. These go above our supply chain,” he says. decision making process which allows and beyond current railway good Thurston describes the it to evaluate and de-risk ideas, if practice says Thurston. Of them, 30 organisation as being “one of Europe’s necessary. have progressed to a point where the biggest start-ups”, and he hopes to The challenge is founded on a business case is being developed, and “nurture and unify” the company concept fi rst used by Crossrail a further 11 are now being endorsed and its supply chains without being and that has now evolved into the for delivery. prescriptive or having too much red- industry innovation platform i3P, The fi rst of these to be used is
64 NEW CIVIL ENGINEER JANUARY 2019 Innovation in Healthand mobile and app to help them record Safety HS2 is using archaeological fi nds and create a drones to We used a digital database. carry out drone to search The second to come through the building process is an immersive virtual surveys inside the shed to see reality environment for worker safety training. if it was safe and to see “Health and safety is something which is absolutely the heart of in any likely areas where terms of innovation at HS2,” says “ Thurston. asbestos might be Virtual reality is also being used to give a picture of what travelling on the trains will be like. Using the removes the potential for people to technology, Thurston says designers inhale diesel exhaust emissions, and have been able to see and resolve it is excellent for the environment
a number of issues including those because of the lower CO2 footprint,” related to passenger experience and he says. to the landscaping of the surrounding “From a safety perspective it has countryside. the potential to separate people and “This is the fi rst time this type vehicles on site and reduce the risks of applied landscape planning which come from that.” technology has been used on the He says that by using the railway project in the UK and it technology, the construction provides a real, vital link between sector could become a leader the often abstract process which in autonomous vehicles as their goes into a hybrid bill which gives us introduction on an enclosed site permission to build a railway, and the could be more carefully controlled reality of detailed design,” he says. and operated than on public roads. On site at Euston Station, Thurston also knows the project the team has also used drone has to be fl exible enough to technology to survey an asbestos incorporate new technologies as they riddled, dilapidated building prior develop. to demolition. He says the drones “My point is that HS2 really enabled HS2 Ltd to make informed needs to adopt the technologies as decisions about the safety of the they become available,” he says. building, and ways for tackling the “That means being able to harness demolition work as safely as possible, innovations and changing patterns without team members having to go of customer behaviour to drive inside. outstanding customer experiences “It’s a very complex site, it’s a very and operational effi ciencies.” dilapidated and dangerous structure The dilemma the team is now to work around, but we used a drone facing is future-proofi ng the railway to search inside the shed to see if it and what Thurston calls the “last was safe and to see any likely areas responsible moment”, the point at where asbestos might be,” he says. which it has to adopt a technology. “The drone gave us great footage “We are talking at HS2 Ltd about from inside the building and given the last responsible moment, the the fact that it’s 250m long it would point at which we say we have to land have been very diffi cult to get up on this one and accept that by the close otherwise to those specifi c time it’s rolled out across the whole structures.” network it may have already moved Another innovation under on,” he says. consideration is from the SCS joint Despite the challenges, Thurston venture of Skanska, Costain and remains optimistic that the railway the digital recording of skeletal Strabag which is working on the will be built and leave a legacy for the remains. HS2 Ltd recently started southern section of the line. There, construction industry. its archaeological dig along the the joint venture is putting forward “For us it is a massive challenge phase 1 route, a move which saw the plans to introduce autonomous to mobilise the supply chain on an Use of programmedrones become thefor largest early of its construction survey vehicles. works to de-riskunprecedented access scale, to deliver the kind in Europe. The idea has yet to be tried on design, construction, standards On the archaeological dig, new site, but Thurston says the innovation for reliability and safety, and give technology is being used to create is being looked at seriously as a way a passenger experience which is an integrated digital solution. It of improving the accuracy of the second to none. consists of a system of barcodes work, and improving the health of its “HS2 has to stand the test of which allows the archaeologists to work force. time, which is why we are totally tag and log items they have dug up. “From a health perspective it committed to creating a lasting legacy This is then combined with a desktop is great as it removes vibration, it for the UK.” N
JANUARY 2019 NEW CIVIL ENGINEER 65 Innovation in Infrastructure Aquaspira FAST AND SAFE Aquaspira supplied prefabricated, multi-leg composite steel reinforced tanks to a housing development in Scotland, saving time on site and ensuring long term performance.
s part of the concepts with the developer, the infrastructure required civil engineering contractor, Tough to enable a major Construction identified a series of issues new development concerning the physical construction of for Bellway Homes large concrete underground tanks in both at Broxden, on the locations and the inevitable disruption to port manifold. The inlet pipe connects outskirts of Perth, the consulting local residents and traffic. into the upstream end of the first pipe engineersA for the project, Dougall Baillie The contractor had recently utilised only, which effectively converts the first Associates (DBA) were tasked with AquaSpira Composite Steel Reinforced pipe into the primary, combined carrier providing substantial additional storage (CSR) large diameter pipes in place of and storage pipe, with the remaining six capacity within the local Scottish Water conventional concrete pipes on a number pipes functioning as secondary storage sewer network at two separate locations. of housing developments and approached pipes at times of peak discharge. The initial concept designs were based AquaSpira with a view to assessing the A key criterion was to ensure that once on traditional concrete tank structures potential for providing an alternative the project commenced, the risk which, until recently, had been the solution that would minimise deliveries, of delays to the programme were conventional method of design approved plant requirements, time and disruption minimised. A further complication was by the water company. to local residents and traffic. the fact that the site investigation report One of the challenges of the project The contractor was aware of the fact had identified ground water, which meant was that both sites are located in areas that AquaSpira is primary supplier of that tanks with insitu welded joints could with significant constraints, in terms of large diameter pipes and tanks to Scottish not be used. space, shape, access for heavy plant and Water Capital Projects, and assumed that The manifold and pipes on the delivery of materials. The only access to this would assist in the process of gaining AquaSpira system are supplied with one of the sites is via narrow residential approval for adoption with Scottish Water spigot and socket, push fit joints with streets. The other is surrounded on all Development Operations. integral ring-seals, enabling them to be three sides by two active highways, The design proposal for Tank 1 at installed in trenches where groundwater a traffic junction, and an adjacent Darnall consisted of seven parallel runs may be present. Once connected, a watercourse. of 1650mm diameter pipes, connected high performance, watertight joint is On reviewing the initial design at the downstream end by a single seven formed with no requirement for internal
66 NEW CIVIL ENGINEER | JANUARY 2019 IN PARTNERSHIP WITH AQUASPIRA
welding in confined spaces, or fitting large Above: Pipes waste water standards and specifications reduces the risk of problems emanating external couplings. safely pushed engineer, visited the site when work from concrete chambers constructed To maximise long-term performance home with began to see the tank components on site. The layout is much simpler and and durability, particularly at the innovative jointing first-hand and observe the start of the more efficient too, with thought given at fabricated weld seams, the manifold was frame installation. the design stage towards minimising the manufactured as a single unit from robust, Top right: Robust “This has to be the way forward,” he risk of blockage, and providing complete, stainless steel material. manifold easily said, “utilising high quality, prefabricated but not excessive, access for future Tough Construction project manager lifted into position units, produced off-site in a quality- inspection and maintenance.” Craig Lavery commented: “On arrival Bottom left: controlled factory environment, greatly Work on site for Tank 2 at Cherrybank, at site, the unit was safely offloaded Manifold quickly Broxden is scheduled to start in January and placed into position with a standard set to line and 2019. While still connecting into a single excavator. level A key criterion four port manifold at the downstream “Once in place, we immediately Bottom right: was to ensure end, each leg of the tank is different in commenced the systematic process of Simple, concise length, designed to precisely match the laying the pipes, working away from the tapered shape of the location. layout of new manifold, and progressively backfilling, that once the project Since completion of the first tank storage tank which in turn kept the size of the in January 2018, several have been excavation, and the arisings from the commenced, the designed and successfully installed for excavation to a minimum at any given risk of delays to the similar applications, clearly marking this time during the installation.” as “the way forward” in terms of design This is the first tank of this type to “ optimization, programme reduction and programme were be approved and adopted by Scottish minimising disruption to local residents Water and Martin Faulds, its water and minimised and traffic.
JANUARY 2019 | NEW CIVIL ENGINEER 67 IN PARTNERSHIP WITH FIBRWRAP STRENGTHENING Innovation in Infrastructure Materials SYSTEMS KEEPING STRONG Fibrwrap Strengthening Systems use advanced composite polymers to provide an economic way of protecting ageing structures.
he new go to technology for strengthening and protection of existing structures constructed from concrete, steel, iron or even timber is Fibrwrap Systems. TThe main impacts of Fibrwrap systems are installation times and strength to weight advantage. This technique significantly reduces the duration of strengthening works, associated health and safety risks and can considerably increase the service life of structures. It is rapidly becoming one of the most economical solutions for structural issues of existing/ageing structures in the construction industry. Fibrwrap Strengthening Systems also known as advanced composite materials or carbon fibre strengthening systems have been in the industry from past 30 years. Recent advances in technology have instilled more confidence in structural engineers, designers and asset owners to use the technology for structural needs. Fibrwrap as a company pioneered this technology by bringing it first to the Fibre reinforced construction industry in the late 1980s. protection materials used all over the trained CCUK applicators install the polymer Since the company has done a lot world today. In the UK, Composite Fibrwrap systems. technology first of research and developed advanced Construction UK (CCUK) provides Fibrwrap systems are very high arrived on the fabrics and epoxies for different needs. these products along with full design, quality FRP systems which are not market in the In the late 1980s a chemical engineer supply and installation. CCUK available as commodities and are only late 1980s from California developed a technology acquires basic structural information provided as part of full design, supply using woven carbon and glass fibre from project engineers to provide no and install service. This provides mixed with epoxies to develop fibre obligation feasibility and budget cost confidence to clients while the whole reinforced polymers (FRPs). These reports which can be used for project liability of the strengthening scheme were first used in strengthening and planning and to develop this solution. remains with one company. protecting bridges before they were At project delivery stage after Full service is backed by warranties introduced to buildings, industrial placing an order with CCUK, a full along with design PII and quality infrastructures and pipelines. design report, backed with up to £10M assurance/ quality control. Only Fibrwrap systems are the most professional indemnity insurance (PII) Fibrwrap certified applicators can recognised strengthening and is available, material is procured and provide this system.
68 JANUARY 2019 | NEW CIVIL ENGINEER IN PARTNERSHIP WITH Innovation in Infrastructure Fuels CERTAS ENERGY GREEN AND CLEAN Reducing the air quality impact of construction with innovative liquid fuels
early 60% of the barriers to implementing alternative fuel construction industry solutions, Shell GTL Fuel is a drop-in relies on diesel to keep fuel. Drop-in fuels are compatible with sites moving. Yet this the majority of existing equipment widespread use of and require no engine modifications diesel is at odds with – removing the need for additional ambitions to improve air quality and investment and disruption while Neffectively deal with environmental and delivering air quality improvements. health and safety concerns, including Shell GTL fuel is also able to to biodegradability, odour and noise. address construction businesses’ top Despite the impending introduction priorities after reduced emissions. of clean air regulation across the These are less odour (cited by 47% of country, research from the UK’s largest companies) and less noise ( cited by independent fuel distributor Certas 40% of companies). Energy suggests that the majority of Shell GTL Fuel has a higher cetane businesses has yet to find a fuel type number than conventional diesel, lower that confidently addresses the required density and is colourless and odourless. criteria for a viable alternative energy It is also proven to reduce noise levels solution. by 3-5dB in off-road applications such as cranes, excavators and power Navigating low-emission solutions generators. Electrification is most frequently Demonstrating their commitment recognised as the most sustainable to a low emission future, a number alternative energy source, reducing of construction businesses, including emissions and representing an integral Morgan Sindall, J Murphy & Sons, and part of the government’s commitment Jackson Civil Engineering, have already to sustainability. Yet with lack of started using Shell GTL Fuel to reduce suitable infrastructure and battery the impact of operations on local air GTL fuel has technology, electrification is still a long to air quality with gas-to-liquid (GTL) quality and the environment. fewer pollutants way from providing a viable solution to fuel. GTL fuel is part of the paraffinic As the exclusive supplier of Shell and can be used zero-emission operations. family of fuels which has improved GTL Fuel in the UK, Certas Energy without having to Unlike electrification, alternative combustion properties inside standard works closely with construction adapt machinery liquid fuels that can reduce levels of diesel engines, helping to reduce customers to support them in adopting or vehicles harmful pollutants are already widely emissions and improve local air quality alternative fuels to make a positive available to make an immediate and without disrupting productivity. GTL impact on the UK’s air quality problem. lasting different to air quality. With products such as Shell GTL Fuel are To help construction businesses 79% of construction businesses likely proven to reduce harmful emissions discover the benefits of alternative to consider sourcing alternative fuels of NOx by up to 25% and particulate fuels and separate fuel fact from fuel in the next 12 months and less than matter by as much as 90% in off-road fiction, Certas Energy developed the 1% currently using alternative fuels, applications. “Alternative Guide to Navigating the the sector is ripe for converting to Crucially for construction businesses, New Energy Mix –separating fact from a solution that can help power the 62% of which state potential disruption fiction”, which can be found at www. transition to a low emission future. and compatibility with existing certasenergy.co.uk/my-business/ Creating immediate improvements equipment and machinery as the main alternative-fuels-guide
JANUARY 2019 | NEW CIVIL ENGINEER 69 Innovation in Infrastructure Geobear SWELL TO GET WELL Expanded geopolymer injection can save taxpayers millions of pounds in disruption caused by road, rail and airport maintenance work.
olymer injection specialist filling voids, re-levelling surfaces and of £400M per annum assuming highest Geobear says its mission strengthening soils. It asks: possible alternative speed of installation is to challenge convention l Is it mandatory to close the asset to and heaviest used routes where cost of to expedite efficiency solve problems caused by dynamic closure is highest. improvement in the loading, wear and tear or water ingress? Faster than traditional installation construction industry. In l Does all void filling/soil improvement will save asset owners such as Network transport infrastructure the company require mass drill and grout injection, Rail and Transport for London from Paims to minimise time on track or road piling or mass excavation and refill which paying financial penalties and will save during maintenance. tends to close the asset down for months? end users and train operators rerouting The financial costs of maintenance l How effective are cement grouting or costs. The socioeconomic saving on are already large, but the costs imposed piling methods in terms of programme, high demand lines is over £5M per day on transport infrastructure users in cost and environment? according to public sources. terms of delays, vehicle operating Nine per cent of annual roadway In addition, efficient maintenance costs, safety, emissions and unreliability maintenance is assumed to be solutions are directly linked to the can also be very substantial. A system replaceable with between two and 10 safety of those undertaking track-based which judges maintenance bids on a times faster maintenance methods. The maintenance activities, as they spend combination of capital costs and user estimated saving is £80M per year in less time on track and use fewer people. costs would lead to better maintenance socioeconomic costs in terms of fuel, This effectively reduces the cost of rail- procurement, resulting in better overall noise, time spent on detours and wear based possession planning and simplifies outcomes and lower societal cost. and tear of highways and vehicles. It the track handback process, avoiding Creating incentives or disincentives is fully based on the socioeconomic disruption to the travelling public. for maintenance contracts on early cost to road users who finance roadway Based on like for like comparisons completion/delay would encourage maintenance but are not compensated between geopolymer injection and innovative new techniques for delivering if roads are closed during maintenance. cement-based ground improvement maintenance works faster and more Between 219 and 416 of rail asset methods, it can be demonstrated effectively. management civil engineering works that geopolymer based solutions can Geobear wants to challenge existing each year can be replaced with between generally be installed with a 40% to methods of transport infrastructure two and 10 times faster maintenance 50% smaller carbon footprint, mostly maintenance, in particular relating to methods, which has a savings potential because the material expands up to
70 NEW CIVIL ENGINEER | JANUARY 2019 IN PARTNERSHIP WITH GEOBEAR
It can be demonstrated that geopolymer based solutions can “generally be installed with a 40% to 50% smaller carbon footprint
infrastructure can be replaced with geopolymer injection, which solves the root cause of problems such as cavities, water ingress or weak soil through the chemical expansion force of geopolymer. The expansive force generated is equivalent to 300m of overburden and the amount of lift generated by the materials can be accurately predicted. The installed material cures and reaches 95% of its compressive strength in less than three minutes. Geobear says that using a mobile 3m2 injection unit, 16mm drill and 30 times its liquid volume and hence Geopolymer its initial development. It has been injection holes and three to five person desired results can be achieved with injection can applied successfully in 38 countries teams on site to install the geopolymer relatively small quantities of material. resolve ground since its origination. with millimetre precision will minimise Non-disruptive maintenance of engineering The geopolymer injection method carbon footprint and closure of the asset. infrastructure assets using geopolymer maintenance is used as a subcontracted service as The solution meets the industry injection has traditionally been used to issues with less part of transport infrastructure asset standard set by cementitious grouts and fix domestic subsidence. disruption than management work. piling methods in the following manner The savings potential for the UK traditional Geobear says it can resolve l durability: 120 year design life based economy has been quantified, the challenging ground engineering on third party testing product has been sold in increasing maintenance issues through its l sustainability: lower than cement volumes to infrastructure asset owners, innovative methods and technology based product carbon footprint main contractors and specifiers, and has and through collaboration. Fostering l environmental impact: does not a solid track record of saving indirect proactive collaborative behaviour constitute ground water activity socio-economic costs. Examples include is critical to understanding the l design: expansion force of geopolymer the M11 Girton interchange, Heathrow infrastructure challenge and applying can be modelled and controlled. Airport and Vauxhall Station for the best solution for asset owners, their Generally applicable design Network Rail. appointed contractors and consultants. principles exist. The solution is a response to the most The solution can be specified The chemical expansion and fast fundamental challenges of geotechnics: according BS EN: 12715. 2000 curing of geopolymer enables two to l unknown cavities or weak soil layers (Execution of Special 10 times faster delivery than mass in foundation soils. On discovering the Geotechnical Work) and other excavation, grouting or piling methods. formation of cavities or weak soil layers relevant specifications, and must be Assuming pound to pound direct with non intrusive testing methods such delivered by accredited and experienced capital cost versus traditional as ground penetrating radar (GPR) or specialist contractors such as Geobear. alternatives, the faster installation falling weight deflectometer (FWD) Patent protection applies to most novel can still save over £500M of British targeted and non-disruptive treatment geopolymer injection techniques. taxpayers’ money per annum as a can be applied without excavation. Most of ground improvement, result of improved road, rail and airport l permafrost-induced stability cement grout void filling or piling maintenance and £4.3bn across the G7 challenges in Finland. These triggered methods in stabilising transport nations.
JANUARY 2019 | NEW CIVIL ENGINEER 71 Innovation in Infrastructure Innovyze SHARED SOLUTIONS Innovyze is combining infrastructure asset data, real-time measurements and modelling results to help the water industry improve its performance.
he challenges and desired digital twin technology for decades. outcomes faced by the What makes this focus especially water industry have largely innovative today is the realisation that remained the same over digital twins that have previously been time: effective service held in silos – water supply, wastewater, delivery, public safety and flood control, asset registries, etcetera health security, resilient infrastructure, – can and should be integrated. This Tminimising costs, etcetera. What has gives utilities greater awareness of changed is the ability to understand more than just their static networks. It and respond to challenges and improve provides insight into likely and actual operations. That is where innovative operational performance in near real- software solutions from Innovyze have time: insight that drives action. Fortune: Integrating performance data enabled massive advances in water Innovyze’s approach to integrated and modelling results infrastructure around the world. digital twin technology links asset The company’s contribution to management, modelling/simulation and wastewater and other assets – such innovation in water infrastructure lies in real-world data streams, empowering as pipes, pumps, valves and drainage creating digital twin technology, and its professionals across diverse departments structures – with maintenance crews, work in this area dates back more than to make better forecasts, prioritise capital contractors, planning departments, 30 years. Essentially, a digital twin is a planning and optimise operations. regulators and consultants. virtual model of the real world. Applying Even non-specialist users can view, operational data to the digital twin Innovation in water choose, filter and report on historic and means decision makers can simulate infrastructure asset management current inspections and maintenance as what would happen to a foul water or In November 2018, the company well as the operational status of water clean water network or in a catchment launched its latest innovation which it and wastewater networks. Innovyze when conditions change. claims will better enable infrastructure says this will enable utilities achieve Despite the phrase being relatively asset management data sharing. immediate gains in efficiency and new, the concept of a “digital twin” is InfoAsset Online enables utilities productivity as data and information not. The water industry has been using to share the status of their water, that was traditionally held separately
72 NEW CIVIL ENGINEER | JANUARY 2019 IN PARTNERSHIP WITH INNOVYZE
converts to a drain in certain conditions to protect large parts of Kuala Lumpur from flooding. The company’s technology provided the hydraulic modelling solution for the Smart Tunnel, and its live modelling technology models real-time and forecast data to determine when to use the Smart Tunnel for traffic and when to close it to handle floodwater. By combining comprehensive integrated catchment modelling capabilities with sophisticated real-time operational forecasting, early warning, and emergency management, water agencies and municipalities can make stronger, more informed decisions to protect people and communities.
Meeting customer demands for water supply Applying the same principles of offline and live digital twin models to water distribution, the company’s water supply solutions, InfoWorks WS Pro and IWLive Pro power everyday operations, combining metered flows and pressures with detailed hydraulic models. Utilities in the UK, the Netherlands and Australia rely on the software to get a better understanding of how their distribution networks are performing in real time. in data silos becomes immediately life-saving, decisions.” More and more utilities are starting available in the office or in the field The company’s integrated to use these systems to predict whether through an easy-to-use web application. catchment modelling software – they will be able to meet required The new product is the latest addition InfoWorks ICM and ICMLive – enables service levels several days ahead. If to the company’s asset management robust decision making and unleashes adequate flows, pressures and water solution, InfoAsset, which comprises innovative thinking. The technology is quality are at risk, operations managers asset planning, management and mobile widely used around the world. From can test the effectiveness of remedial tools. The data model embodied in forecasting storm and sewer surges to action on the digital twin before putting InfoAsset Manager is essentially the ensure the safety of workers during the the best option into practice. water network’s digital twin. construction of the Thames Tideway Tunnel, to informing operators of the Using innovation to Technology unleashes “Smart Tunnel” the road tunnel that accelerate improvements innovative thinking “Turning data into information With an eye to the future, the company and information into decisions will is looking to enable the next logical Turning accelerate improvements in the water steps in digital twin technology for the industry,” says Fortune. “This will be water industry: real-time event support, data into powered by increased adoption of water live operational optimisation and system infrastructure asset management, forecasting using Internet of Things information and adoption of digital twin technology and data streams. analytics of real-world data.” Innovyze vice president of innovation information Around the world, Innovyze David Fortune says: “We can do exciting technology is used to build reliable things when we take data about the static into decisions hydraulic models, design and manage network and apply performance data “ water networks and provide answers will accelerate and modelling results to the digital twin. to critical questions about leakage Integrating live data into the digital twin improvements in the detection, flood risk analysis, and paints an even fuller picture that makes optimal maintenance and rehabilitation a big difference to operational, and even water industry planning.
JANUARY 2019 | NEW CIVIL ENGINEER 73 Innovation in Infrastructure Royal HaskoningDHV JAM BUSTER Flowtack is a new traffic management system that adjusts traffic controls in response to changing conditions
he roads in and around any and manage air quality areas. Using the light turns green as a vehicle city are often congested roadways more efficiently reduces the approaches. and that problem is only set need to expand or build new roads and But control is limited to to increase over the coming cuts pollution. a single junction or a string of junctions. years due to a climbing This innovation brings even greater Flowtack analyses this loop data in degree of urbanisation. control to city road managers. It puts combination with all kinds of traffic Many roads and intersections are them in the driving seat to control their systems on the streets – and the road Talready at the limit of their capacity city’s traffic, and gives them the power users themselves. It continuously and improving traffic flow can increase to guide traffic to preferred roads, react matches up supply and demand, so that the accessibility and attractiveness swiftly to traffic incidents and keep traffic flows through a junction and of a city, making it safer and cleaner. vehicles and special target groups as onward through the city. Local governments across the globe are public transport flowing at peak times The result is greater control not seeking innovation. to make best use of all road assets. just of that particular junction, but the entire traffic network in the city, Introducing Flowtack Traffic measures of tomorrow thus leading to more efficient use of Launched in 2017, Flowtack is an Flowtack has been pioneered by Royal the road network, negating any need award-winning, innovative solution HaskoningDHV in the Netherlands for additional lanes and roadways and designed by Royal HaskoningDHV and will be deployed by the cities of improving traffic flows. which continuously optimises traffic Deventer, Rijswijk (The Hague area) and More data equals better control flow in real time. Rijkswaterstaat (national motorways Flowtack is able to collect, analyse The aim is to address the growing authority) in the Netherlands. and process vast amounts of real time global challenge of traffic congestion in Today’s traffic lights are controlled data every second. The tool takes data city environments. By gaining proactive based on measurement data from loops from apps, phones and navigation control of traffic flow, Flowtack can within the road surface. systems in cars in and around the city improve accessibility within the city In quiet conditions, this is sufficient: and combines them with transport
74 NEW CIVIL ENGINEER | JANUARY 2019 IN PARTNERSHIP WITH ROYAL HASKONINGDHV
Flowtack runs thousands of calculations each second to discern “how best to maintain traffic flow
modelling tools. It calculates and Flowtack such as lorries do not need to start data for more sophisticated control. adapts the traffic light controls within optimises traffic and stop at every single junction. An important element of the tool is seconds and optimises the traffic flows to the This in turn means that less CO2 to inform the road user in return for flows to the desired policy as set by desired policy as emissions are being produced across providing the data. It does this by each city. set by each city, a city, subsequently contributing to a counting down the “time to green” or It also takes into account the specific bringing even healthier environment. “time to red”, advising different routing roadway policies for the area, whether greater control and clearly displaying this to drivers. that be to prioritise certain types of to city road The evolution of traffic solutions traffic, keep major routes flowing or managers Traffic flow systems have been Enabling smarter cities even help speed up buses that are evolving steadily over recent decades. Flowtack makes use of all of the real running late. But despite visible innovations such time data available in the digital world Flowtack runs thousands of as smart motorways, in the urban instead of simply relying on loops within calculations each second to discern environment traffic control still relies the road surface. how best to maintain traffic flow and heavily on traffic signal timings. This provides more information, controls traffic signals accordingly. The difficulty with a city-wide sooner, and in real time across all Importantly, it also reacts to live events system is the vast amount of data transportation modes. With Flowtack, – if an accident is causing a tailback, which must be processed every it is possible to anticipate and take a steps will be taken to divert traffic to second. The core of the data handling proactive approach to managing traffic improve the flow of vehicles around the was developed within highly dense flows, not simply responding to the city, or priority can be given to cyclists traffic conditions in Beijing. There amounts of traffic in a given city, but in heavy rain. Royal HaskoningDHV was forced to by instead adjusting to changing traffic We can even take this one step think outside the box and the idea was flows and ensuring that cities ultimately further – by gaining greater control born. become more accessible, safer and of a city’s traffic flow, it is possible to Flowtack is an evolution of this cleaner through the use of smart better manage traffic so that vehicles technology to combine even more solutions.
JANUARY 2019 | NEW CIVIL ENGINEER 75 Innovation in Infrastructure Wavin STACKS OF STORAGE Wavin says its Q-Bic Plus modular stormwater management system is setting new standards for accessibility and flexible design.
avin’s Q-Bic Access and maintenance Plus stormwater KEY FACTS The design team created an open tank management design with column units allowing system offers for an open structure that can carry an improved 96% vertical loads. Each pre-assembled method of storing column unit has a top layer with six surface water with uncompromised Q-Bic Plus supporting columns that have a “four- Wperformance and high storage volume stormwater in-one” design for extra strength and by water companies under Sewers for to cope with peaks in rainfall. storage stability. 70% of the floor space is Adoption 8 guidance.” says Wavin The manufacturer’s technical and open allowing for easy maintenance product manager for stormwater innovation centre has utilised over 20 capacity with lateral and vertical access for management Martin Lambley, . years of experience combined with inspection and cleaning equipment. customer-led innovation to design a The design incorporates wide access Flexible tank design flexible system with no internal wall and bi-directional guide channels of The modular system of the product creating a unique lightweight open up to 370mm to allow for smooth and can be configured in different shapes structure with complete access for unobstructed access of CCTV and to give flexibility of design depending inspection and maintenance, flexible cleaning nozzles. on the site conditions while also giving design and easy installation. This reduces the number of vertical a 96% stormwater storage capacity. The modular system is fully British access points required. Lateral chamfers This includes the tank orientation and Board of Agrément certified and can be keep CCTV cameras on track and the layout as well as different connection used to create an attenuation tank or open structure allows for a 360˚ picture options to allow effective infiltration soakaway in a wide range of trafficked of the open structure during inspection. or attenuation whatever the area. A or landscaped applications. It can be “The open structure of the Q-Bic choice of base plates is available with used as part of a sustainable urban Plus ensures that optimal tank capacity a solid base plate for attenuation and drainage scheme to help reduce flood can be maintained throughout the a perforated base plate for infiltration. risk. product’s lifespan making it adoptable Inspection access inlets and outlets to
76 NEW CIVIL ENGINEER | JANUARY 2019 IN PARTNERSHIP WITH WAVIN
be placed in almost any position. The Main picture: The open into one another for quick and easy product is also fully building information The product is installation without the use of small model enabled allowing for the design to lightweight and structure parts or specialist equipment. be fully integrated into the overall project. easy to handle Wavin’s Q-Bic Plus stormwater Top right: Easy of the Q-Bic Plus management system is compatible Safe and Easy installation to access for with the new Sewers for Adoption The customer-led design of the inspection ensures that optimal 8 guidance which is expected to be system has resulted in a number of Top left: Easy implemented in mid-2019. ergonomic features for safe and easy to access for tank capacity can This guidance includes for the installation including lightweight cleaning “ first time standards for sustainable nestable components with hand grips Bottom right: be maintained drainage systems to be adopted by and rounded edges. A level walkable Stackable, throughout the water companies with a particular surface to be created at each level flexible, durable focus on installation, health and safety, of installation with no trip hazards or product’s lifespan maintenance and access requirements protruding vertical connectors allowing as part of their designs. Flexible design for safe construction of the next layer. and the compatibility of Wavin’s Q-Bic Integrated, patented connectors, Plus will allow for full integration that secure the units vertically and of SuDS into the surface water horizontally, automatically slide management and urban design process.
JANUARY 2019 | NEW CIVIL ENGINEER 77 FLOODDebate: Flooding RISK ASSETS
DEBATE BACKGROUND
7,000 92 10,000 Homes in Hull Recommendations Number of damaged by in the Pitt review assets Essex fl ooding in 2007 which followed the County Council 2007 fl oods has mapped
In association with
78 After serious floods of 2007, the government introduced the Flood and Water Management Act 2010 following a review conducted by Sir Michael Pitt. Now, each Lead Local Flood Authority (LLFA) is required by law to maintain a register of structures and features likely to have a significant effect on flood risk in their area. Here we examine of the practical challenges faced, particularly by local authorities, when it comes to maintaining those asset registers. Report by Sam Sholli.
sset registers have a crucial role to play in Asset registers will help local authorities keep track of at-risk infrastructure delivering better flood KEY FACTS risk management. But with local authorities 46,431 under tremendous financial pressure, is it realistic for Number themA to manage and maintain them? of homes Here we look at the challenges and inundated opportunities presented by good during 2007 registers of flood-related assets. floods Eleven years ago, the UK was hit by floods which had a devastating impact. What prompted the flooding was the “extreme heavy and prolonged rain” that fell persistently throughout June and July 2007, according to the Met Office. The flooding caused 13 deaths and the recovery effort took months. In total, 48,461 homes and 6,896 businesses were flooded. In Hull, more than 7,000 homes were damaged by surface water flooding, while the rivers the UK’s response to flooding which and drainage assets over and Severn and Thames burst their banks. all subsequently received support underground, including a record of In addition, motorways and railway from then environment secretary their ownership and condition. stations were forced to close. Hillary Benn. He promised that an Examples of flood risk management In response, Sir Michael Pitt was action plan would “help to ensure and drainage assets include gullies, appointed by the then environment that, as a country, we are all better manholes, highway drainage, secretary Hillary Benn to chair an prepared for flooding”. culverts, trash screens and independent review into the flooding . In the review, one of Pitt’s sustainable drainage systems (SuDs). His final report was published in June recommendations was for local Pitt explained that he believed 2008. authorities to collate and map collating such data would enable Pitt described the scale of the the main flood risk management local authorities to develop more damage caused by the flooding as informed maintenance regimes which “shocking” and first-hand accounts could be used to prioritise assets of it as “troubling”. He also declared Two-thirds of which are vital for managing flood it the UK’s biggest peacetime risk, especially in high risk areas. He emergency for 60 years. Immediately the properties argued that if local authorities can after the floods the Environment establish where all of the drainage Agency said that “two-thirds of the flooded this summer and watercourse systems within their properties flooded this summer were boundaries, they would be able to affected because drains and sewers [2007] were affected identify the authority responsible for were overwhelmed” and added them more quickly in cases of severe that in urban areas “paved surfaces because drains flooding. Pitt also explained that by behave like saturated soil”. “ mapping and collating information and sewers were In his review, Pitt made 92 about such assets, local authorities recommendations for how to better overwhelmed would be able to produce and publish
JANUARY 2019 | NEW CIVIL ENGINEER 79 Debate Flooding
I think there is Essex County Council fl ood asset offi cer Joanna Ludlow said Essex a resource issue County Council has been able to access enough resources to maintain for local authorities her asset register despite diffi culties with securing adequate funding from to actually capture central government. Essex has been able to bring in external funding to the data in the fi rst pay for the maintenance of its asset “ register by seeking out organisations instance such as water companies and wildlife trusts that may be interested in forming joint ventures with the maintenance schedules for their own council. assets as well as providing guidance Essex has also secured external to riparian owners about how they funding by the team providing advice should maintain their assets. to developers in exchange for money. That specifi c recommendation from Despite the pressure on local Pitt was then implemented into law authorities, Essex has managed to by the Flood & Water Management retain “quite a large team compared Act 2010. Section 21 of the Act to a lot of county councils”, according ensures that each Lead Local Flood to Ludlow. “We have really got on Authority (LLFA) must establish and Flood authorities must keep a record of all board with more commercial aspects maintain a “register of structures fl ood defences within their boundaries and are managing to bring in some or features, which in the opinion income,” she says. of the authority are likely to have a Another diffi culty for local signifi cant effect on a fl ood risk in its authorities, is the fact they do not area”. It says they must also establish own the assets which are on their and maintain “a record of information AT THE ROUND TABLE registers, Ludlow argues. about each of those structures or “[Essex County Council] has got features including information about This report is informed by a Julian Harms Network Rail nearly 10,000 fl ood assets mapped. ownership and state of repair”. round table discussion held Joanna Ludlow Essex We have gone beyond critical assets Section 21 of the Act also requires in London in October, in County Council and we are mapping anything. So, LLFAs to “arrange for the register association with Innovyze. Sarah Netherclift Innovyze if an engineer goes out on site or to be available for inspection at all Charlotte Palmer Essex a parish council has been out and reasonable times”. Around the table were: County Council surveyed the land then we map it,” But the ability of cash strapped Tony Andrews Innovyze Sam Sholli says Ludlow. local authorities to capture this data Simon Boyland New Civil Engineer “We are really trying to build a has been questioned. United Utilities Brian Smith Yorkshire picture of the network, but we do “I think there is a resource issue for Peter Coombs Innovyze Water not own [the assets] and we do not local authorities to actually capture Mathew Greetham Ofwat Innes Thompson maintain them, so it is very diffi cult,” the data in the fi rst instance,” says James Hale RPS Europe Association of Drainage she says. “We can write a letter Yorkshire Water strategy manager Mark Hansford Authorities saying, ‘please maintain your ditch’ Brian Smith. In September, the County New Civil Engineer Andrew Walker Innovyze but is not quite the same as the water Councils Network, a cross-party companies who have got a really special interest group of the Local good handle on their assets and when Government Association, predicted they might need renewing or relining that local authorities would make or replacing.” “unpalatable cutbacks” in 2019 as FURTHER READING Meanwhile, concern has also been councils had calculated that they will expressed about the degree to which have to make at least £1bn in savings Department for The Pitt Review, UK the condition of an individual asset by 2020. Environment, Food Government Web Archive can be accurately recorded on an For instance, Northamptonshire & Rural Affairs and www.nationalarchives.gov. asset register. County Council has affi rmed that it Environment Agency flood uk/webarchive “I think the asset data is actually has make £70M in savings by March risk management guidance not bad. We have pretty good while Somerset County Council has www.gov.uk/guidance Managing flood risk – what information on assets. I think what approved in-year funding cuts to keep happens next?, ICE is diffi cult to capture is something to its 2018-19 budgets. Flood and Water www.ice.org.uk around the status,” says United But some local authorities have Management Act 2010 Utilities wholesale asset management been able to protect their asset www.legislation.gov.uk team head of policy Simon Boyland. management budgets. “So, we might know the asset is there,
80 NEW CIVIL ENGINEER | JANUARY 2019 but the recording of its condition might be more challenging. And then how that asset interacts with other CASE STUDY ASSET MANAGEMENT assets is the next question,” he adds. While different companies as well as local authorities do maintain individual asset registers, industry “What we need to provide is the chiefs have warned that the idea of sharing data with each other information” to promote a more collaborative approach to flood risk management has ultimately proved challenging despite potentially being a welcome development. Speaking of the need for local authorities and different companies to share information, Association of Drainage Authorities chief executive Innes Thompson says: “While actually we have got systems within our organisations that record assets, getting them to talk to each other and then actually getting that information to be catchment-wide is actually quite a major hurdle.” Thompson also calls for greater investment to allow for a collective database to enable the sharing of such information to take place more efficiently than it does at present. “The investment in something where actually everyone can collectively access, use and really Coastal management investment worth £2.6bn will cover 300,000 homes between 2015 and 2021 benefit from that collective look at information will actually take quite a bit of investment… and this will require Last month, a senior Allison called for these agencies the coast, will update government support,” he says. N Environment Agency official to ensure that local communities the national flood and coastal urged the industry to ensure it are aware of risks so local erosion risk management provides at-risk communities planners can build in the right strategy ahead of the with the appropriate places. Comprehensive Spending Review information for them to make “[This information] also lets of funding needs beyond 2021. informed flood protection the industry work out if we can Investment in flood and decisions. invest to reduce the risk [of coastal risk management flooding] and where is best to between 2015 and 2021 in “What we need to provide is the reduce the risk which is where England will be £2.6bn and by information,” said Environment the spread of hard and soft flood the end of the period 300,000 Agency director for allocation defence options comes in… a homes are expected to be better and asset management Ken combination that will vary in protected. Allison while speaking at different places,” he added. Meanwhile, the Department New Civil Engineer’s Flood The use of asset registers for Environment, Food and Rural We have Management Forum. could play an important role in Affairs’ 25 Year Environment The UK does already have ensuring the provision of such Plan says that “without any pretty good an extensive flood warning information is possible and may further investment in flood system in place, operated by well play a key part in the UK’s defences the number of information on assets. the Environment Agency, broader flood risk management properties at medium or high Natural Resources Wales and strategy going forward. risk could rise from 750,000 to I think what is difficult the Scottish Environment Next year the Environment 1.29M in 50 years”. Protection Agency. However, Agency, which manages flood Current planning assumptions to capture is something along with flood warnings which risk of 36,000km of river and are for a 1m sea level rise by the “ enable communities to evacuate, 9,000km of raised defences on end of the century. around the status
JANUARY 2019 | NEW CIVIL ENGINEER 81 ICE200 Clockwise: finalist at the Pitch200 event; Engineering Superheroes exhibition; Explore Engineering visit to the Trent and Mersey Canal; Kaikourn earthquake recovery; Explore Engineering visit SPREADING in Nottingham THE WORD The ICE’s bicentenary has been a phenomenal year. The Institution has a long history and we should be proud to celebrate this significant milestone, says Simon Creer.
uring the summer with community groups as part of of 2017, the ICE Café 200, inspired by the Institution’s conducted a survey coffee shop roots. As many as of 1,000 adults and 20,000 people have attended these 1,000 young people informative and engaging talks. to find out what the The Pitch 200 competition raised general public understood about civil the stakes higher, challenging Dengineering. members to explain a complex The results were stark. Over half of engineering concept in only 200 the adults and more than two-thirds ICE200 seconds. The regional heats of the young people surveyed had whittled 100 civil engineers down no idea what a civil engineer does. to 13 (including entrants from the 7,000 More than 60% of adults and young Netherlands, Hong Kong and Australia) people could not identify a single civil People have for the grand final in London. The engineering project. taken up the eventual winner was Imogen Graves It was essential for ICE 200 to opportunity from the East Midlands, who used illustrate, explain and demystify civil to learn more roly-poly cakes and rich tea biscuits engineering for as many people as as props to explain safe demolition in about civil possible in the year of the ICE’s 200th construction to a rapt public audience. anniversary. The engagement from engineering Showcasing civil engineering more members across the world and the projects widely, the ICE has published 200 wider engineering community has Projects and People on its website. been outstanding. 20,000 Volunteer members have been Attended Café taking the public on guided Explore 200 talks Engineering walks and tours to see civil engineering wonders in their It was essential regions. More than 7,500 people have taken up the opportunity to learn for ICE 200 more about civil engineering projects, old and new, and rediscover local to illustrate, explain gems that many previously took for granted. and demystify civil Members have also been engaging engineering 82 NEW CIVIL ENGINEER | JANUARY 2019 “ Parthajit Patra – Metro Man – who The exhibition helped deliver the Guwahati water supply project in India, are continuing transformed the fight against poor water and real-life civil engineers, sanitation conditions. Bringing more life-changing past and present, into examples of civil engineering to the public’s attention, the People’s Choice cartoon superheroes Awards were expanded to include “ international entries for the first time. The winning project, announced by It is a series of inspirational case President Andrew Wyllie during his studies from around the world. inaugural address, was the Kaikoura Nominated by the membership and earthquake recovery project in New selected by a panel of experts, the Zealand. projects illustrate the breadth and The project restored road and rail depth of civil engineering, from links to isolated communities cut automated vehicles to an Antarctic off by an earthquake, reconnecting research station. communities and allowing businesses They allow young people to to welcome back tourism. consider the many varied and If individual projects can make rewarding career paths available such a difference, we should be more within the profession. Already viewed ambitious about what we could do as by thousands of people on the “What a united and co-ordinated engineering is Civil Engineering?” web pages, community. the case studies will remain a valuable The ICE hosted the Global illustrative resource for years to come. Engineering Congress to do just that, The projects provided the basis for bringing together the world’s best the official bicentenary book, Shaping engineering minds to begin taking the World, a beautifully-designed practical action towards the United memento of the ICE 200 bicentenary Nations’ Sustainable Development celebrations. The book is the Goals. The Institution welcomed culmination of two years’ hard work thousands of delegates from 82 from volunteers across the breadth countries, including 18 government of ICE’s membership, offering their delegations. The Congress was expert knowledge. endorsed by UN secretary general, Some of the case studies were Antonio Guterres, who underlined further used as inspiring content for the fact that each of the goals the Invisible Superheroes exhibition. requires solutions rooted in science, Thousands of people have seen this technology and engineering. public exhibition, either at its home By hosting the Congress, and in One Great George Street, or during through public engagement work, its pop-up residencies at Belfast the ICE has been leading the way in City Airport, the Great Exhibition demonstrating the transformative of the North, Wellington Cable Car work of civil engineers. But it would Museum in New Zealand, and the not have been possible without Civil Engineer 200 conference and the continued commitment and exhibition in Budapest. For people dedication of our members. From unable to visit in person, the 3D QUEST scholars guiding young school walkthrough remains available on the children from East London around the ICE website. sewers of the Palace of Westminster, The exhibition’s main theme was to a six-part television series on that civil engineers make incredibly Northern Irish engineering giants, heroic contributions to society, the diversity of our activities shows but often remain unseen and the many ways all ICE members can unrecognised. engage with the wider world. To spark the imaginations of ICE members’ efforts have begun children and young people, the to pay off, with a repeat survey exhibition transformed real-life civil revealing a two-percentage point engineers, past and present, into increase in public awareness of the cartoon superhero alter-egos. profession. But that is just the start. For example, Joseph Bazalgette If we are to drive change, achieve the was reimagined as Captain Sanitation, UN Sustainable Development Goals whose ground-breaking sewer system and continue to promote the positive saved thousands of lives in Victorian impacts of civil engineering, we London by preventing the spread cannot stop here. N of cholera through unclean water. l Simon Creer is ICE Modern-day civil engineers, such as communications director
JANUARY 2019 | NEW CIVIL ENGINEER 83 Institution of Civil Engineers Record
SCHOLARSHIPS Record number of Quest awards More than half of the Quest student scholarships went to women, while scholarship and bursary awards totalled 254.
A total of 254 Quest scholarshi their knowledge and skills awards were made as part of ICE and help them to fulfil their 200th anniversary celebrations, potential. up from 186 in 2017. Quest Committee chair More than half of 2018’s and ICE Past President Barry undergraduate scholarships Clarke said: “I am delighted that Quest scholarship and were awarded to women, who over 200 Quest awards have busary recipients at a picked up 43 out of a total 76 been made during the ICE’s reception at Holyrood scholarships awarded. bicentenary year, helping us to in Edinburgh The Queen’s Jubilee showcase the rewarding and Scholarship Trust, or Quest, varied careers on offer in civil scholarships to further their said a Quest scholarship had was set up to encourage and engineering. careers and make their mark helped her career. “Being support education in civil “The latest Quest graduates on the profession, helping to a Quest scholar is a seal of engineering. Quest offers are a testament to the passion directly transform lives and approval. If you go for a job scholarships and bursaries and creativity of the next safeguard the future for people’s and someone else has the for students, graduates and generation and I congratulate families.” same CV, with the same level of professionally-qualified ICE them all. I look forward to seeing University of Manchester qualification, you can say: ‘the members at all levels to develop how they have used their Quest undergraduate Clara Bermejo ICE has chosen me’ - it really
STRUCTURES SAFETY NATIONALISATION PROJECT 13 Longest Lego bridge Health and safety ICE publishes New Project 13 goes on display at panel chair Margaret nationalisation impact early adopters are Qatar exhibition Sackey steps down discussion paper announced
The world’s longest Lego Margaret Sackey is stepping In October, the ICE published Network Rail and Sellafield bridge is now on display as the down as chair of the ICE health a discussion paper about Ltd are the latest Project 13 centrepiece of the Qatar’s Little and safety expert panel and the the possible effects of early adopters. They have Builders: Bridging Communities H&S Community of Practice, nationalisation on the rail, water committed to implement Project exhibition, which is part of the with Ciaran McAleenan of and energy sectors and on 13 principles on a programme Qatar British Festival 2018. Ulster University taking over in investment and service delivery. or project to deliver better The ICE is showcasing the January 2019. During Sackey’s The paper outlines the potential customer outcomes. For bridge until January 2019 in term, the panel led on health cost, and practical and technical Network Rail, this will be on its partnership with the British and safety initiatives, including implications that could result next-generation track alliances: Council in Qatar. Designed by lifelong health and safety learning from nationalisation. It says North Alliance (Scotland route), world-renowned bridge engineer guidance, as well as contributing that it is vital to consider future Central Alliance (London North and ICE Fellow Robin Sham, to the review of ICE’s health and infrastructure needs and the West, London North East and the bridge was first displayed safety training material. “Good pipeline of upcoming projects in East Midland routes) and South in London in 2016 and set a communications and centralised the context of nationalisation. Alliance (Anglia, South East, Guinness World Record. It information are vital to ensuring It adds that addressing this Wessex, Western and Wales has also been put on show in health and safety is adequately is a major priority whether routes). Sellafield will adopt the Liverpool, Glasgow and Hong managed in all organisations,” ownership and management are principles on its programme and Kong. she said. private or public. project partners model.
84 NEW CIVIL ENGINEER | JANUARY 2019 MORE ICE NEWS GO TO NEWCIVILENGINEER.COM/ICE
WALES CYMRU VIEW WE MUST DO MORE TO END GENDER IMBALANCE
Some 10 years ago, We are drawing from a 10% of engineers were female. very limited small pool to Today, that figure has stubbornly risen to get the very best civil engineers only 12%, even though the percentage of opens doors.” Keith female undergraduates This is supplemented by simple talks and games, l Prospective Quest Jones at university is now and the presentation of short video clips to help to candidates can view award around 30%. “spread the word. criteria and information on It presents an With our new 6th Form Initiative, we are linking how and when to apply at ongoing challenge. ICE members with schools and colleges to help www.ice.org.uk/careers-and- We must spread the message that civil their students with civil engineering careers training/awards-competitions- engineering is a high-tech profession which guidance. While there have been similar regional and-scholarships provides opportunities to shape the world schemes in the past, this will be a concerted effort around us. across the UK. However, it is difficult to relay this message Latterly, there has been a growth in to those who influence young women when apprenticeships, where young students can gain choosing their careers, particularly teachers entry to civil engineering by undertaking BTEC PASS LISTS, BYLAW 15 and carers. level 3 courses on a part-time basis whilst being As New Civil Engineer is now I have found that environmental issues can employed. published monthly, the names be particularly attractive to young female civil In this way, after two years, student members of candidates recently awarded a engineers. It is a fantastic opportunity to shape can become professionally qualified civil professional qualification with ICE future generations and minimise our impact on the engineering technicians. will only be published online at finite resources of the world. Part-time courses can help improve diversity www.newcivilengineer.com/latest/ ICE Wales Cymru’s Fairness, Inclusion and by making the profession more accessible to a icenews. They will no longer be Respect (FIR) Group has made a special effort to wider group of people, including those who need published in the print edition. highlight the importance of this issue recently. to balance family or caring responsibilities or who On 12 November, Welsh Government minister cannot afford to study full-time. The pass lists will also be published Julie James and the ICE hosted an event entitled The Apprenticeship Levy presents us with on ICE’s website, along with the “Changing the gender imbalance”, at the National an opportunity to help young engineers pursue names of all candidates applying Assembly for Wales Senedd, with ICE director these routes, but the scheme needs to be utilised for professionally qualified general Nick Baveystock and FIR Group panel effectively by engineering organisations. membership (Bylaw 15). Both member Anusha Shah. Women represent 52% of the total working can be viewed at www.ice.org.uk/ This event saw senior engineers and industry population. Our profession is extremely bylaw15 under “newest qualified stakeholders reaffirming their commitment to disproportionate in comparison, meaning we are member”. Lists will remain on the providing a level playing field. drawing from a very limited small pool to get the site for 28 days. To view lists on The ICE engages with school children of all very best civil engineers. the New Civil Engineer website, ages from age nine, utilising hands on activities We must promote the message that civil visit www.newcivilengineer.com/ including our “Bridges to Schools” model, which is engineering is a truly rewarding career for all. l latest/icenews a 14m long replica of the Second Severn Crossing. Keith Jones is ICE Director Wales Cymru
JANUARY 2019 | NEW CIVIL ENGINEER 85 Institution of Civil Engineers Record
ICE 200 Graves used cakes and biscuits to explain Westminster different approaches to demolition work Abbey service celebrates Year of Engineering
Hundreds of people gathered at a national service to celebrate the Year of Engineering and ICE 200 at Westminster Abbey in London in November. The event was organised by the ICE and its Year of Engineering partners, the Royal Academy of Engineering and the Department for Transport. Transport secretary Chris Grayling, was joined at the service by people from the engineering community, charities, members of the public and local schoolchildren. The service celebrated the outstanding contribution that engineers have made to society and highlighted the importance PITCH200 of inspiring the next generation to join the profession. Attendees heard a personal Winning Pitch 200 presentation testimony from engineering ambassador Aecom associate director Roma Agrawal who is built on cakes and biscuits explained how engineering had changed her life. The ICE’s first president Using roly-poly cakes and rich recycling of construction government’s year of engineering Thomas Telford and renowned tea biscuits to explain how materials at the end of an envoy Marty Jopson; Ayo Sokale engineers Robert Stephenson demolition in construction asset’s life. who is an inventor and reporter and Richard Trevithick, are works won a West Midlands Using two models, both made for the BBC’s The ONE Show and buried at the abbey. Memorials engineer the top award in the of roly-poly cakes and rich tea who is one of the 2017/18 ICE to these engineers include a global final of Pitch 200. biscuits, Graves demonstrated President’s Future Leaders. marble statue and stained-glass The ICE launched Pitch the difference between a more They said that Graves was windows. 200 as part of its bicentenary traditional “smashing” method witty and engaging. Donations were collected at celebrations this year. of demolition and having a Akshay Budhihal Ashokkuma the end of the service for charity Competing engineers had to demolition plan. from TU Delft in the Engineers Without Borders. explain an engineering concept In smashing, materials become Netherlands, representing to the public in an engaging and contaminated and cannot Europe, was second. creative way in 200 seconds. be reused. But planning a Third place went to J Murphy & Sons assistant demolition project can result Catriona Salvini from Heriot design manager Imogen Graves, in the recycling of up to 90% of Watt University, representing beat 12 other finalists at the materials. Scotland. final, held at the ICE’s London The judges were ITV chair The competition will run headquarters in November. Sir Peter Bazalgette who is also again in 2019, with regional Her presentation, “Demolition: the great-great-grandson of heats throughout the year. what a load of rubbish!” engineer and ICE Past President Members should speak to explored the importance of Sir Joseph Bazalgette; MP their regional representatives Thanksgiving for engineering thinking about the reuse and Stephen Metcalfe, who is the for more information.
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EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD FUTURE GAZERS Rachel Skinner (chair), Bill Grose, Alan Clucas, Andrew Mylius, Martin Knights, Mike Napier, Miles Ashley, Rob Naybour, Tim Chapman, Tony Gates, Zakiyya Adam, Aimi Elias, John Dillon, David Caiden, Fay Bull, Sophie McPhilips, Stephen Wells, The high point of the Jennifer Cooke, Simon Creer ICE’s 2018 calendar It was in station design Magazine of the was the Global Institution of Civil Engineers Engineering Congress that the early railway 1 Great George Street, London SW1P 3AA (GEC) (New Civil 020 7222 7722 | www.ice.org.uk Engineer December engineers were badly caught ICE MEMBERS’ ADDRESS 2018). The ICE will Mike out in their designs and CHANGES/ SUBSCRIPTIONS now be leading on the QUERIES Chrimes delivery of actions estimates www.ice.org.uk/myice to update your identifi ed in GEC address quickly online. For subscription discussions and will be “ queries, please phone 020 7665 doing so against a background where equality, Civil Engineers history and heritage committee, 2227, or email [email protected] diversity and inclusion (EDI) become a key and Mike Bartlett from the Canadian Society for SUBSCRIPTIONS success measure for the Institution. Civil Engineering’s heritage committee. They all For subscription queries contact; A former ICE employee, I left at a time when spoke about the historical challenges in making dsb.net Ltd, 3 Queensbridge, global ambitions, sustainability and EDI were civil engineering infrastructure sustainable as Northampton NN4 7BF Telephone: 01604 828 705 much spoken of but often seemed aspirational society’s needs and operational standards and rather than embraced by all. I was inspired by maintenance regimes change. All rights reserved © 2018 New Civil what I heard and saw at GEC – over 500 delegates In another session,WSP UK head of corporate Engineer. Published by EMAP a member attending daily from all over the world, and of all social responsibility Claire Gott, who is also project of the Metropolis Group. Metropolis ages and backgrounds. manager at High Speed 2’s (HS2’s) Curzon Street Group respects the privacy of every Particularly encouraging was the way in Station, was stressing that projects like HS2 must person for whom we have personal which younger members of staff were working consider the same sustainability issues. data. We comply with data protection with young members to record and distil the Tellingly, it was in station design that the legislation such as the Data Protection Act 1998 and the General Data discussions into a road map for the profession. early railway engineers were badly caught out in Protection Regulations which regulates Notes were being transformed into a colourful their designs and estimates. Engineers like the the processing of data and ensures patchwork of ideas and then captured and Stephensons failed to anticipate the runaway that your data is processed fairly and categorised on a digital white board for all to success of the railways in terms of passenger lawfully, is kept secure and only that data comment on and digest. If such collaboration traffi c, and original stations like Crown Street necessary for any processing is kept. can be sustained, a much stronger bond between Liverpool and Liverpool Road Manchester were You can see our privacy policy at www. new graduate engineers and their Institution soon obsolete. metropolis.co.uk/privacy should emerge for mutual benefi t. As ICE President Today’s engineers must recognise that without Andrew Wyllie says: “we need to be attracting and fl exibility in design, a similar fate will await them. Printed by Precision Colour Printing Ltd, Telford. Registered as a newspaper with retaining the fi nest minds of the next generation” More passengers may arrive by bicycle than the Post Offi ce ISSN 0307-7683; Issue and this applies as much to the Institution and its car, and ticket machines may become a thing of No: 2069. Statements made or opinions volunteers as the practicing membership. the past – these are among the more obvious expressed in New Civil Engineer do Unsurprisingly, I attended the GEC session changes that are likely to impact HS2 stations not necessarily refl ect the views of ICE chaired by ICE Panel for Historical Engineering before they are opened. Anticipating the future, Council or ICE committees Works chair Gordon Masterton, with lectures along with quality original designs and building from Andy Savage of the (UK) Railway Heritage materials, will ensure long-term sustainability. Trust, Ted Green from the American Society of l MIke Chrimes is an engineering historian
JANUARY 2019 | NEW CIVIL ENGINEER 87 Careers Undergraduate Advice
Don’t over-plan your career. You never know where you will end up
““There is no right or wrong choice GETTING ON here,” she said. “What is important is: does the company feel right to you and do you like the people?” New engineers must also realise their potential to shape their communities by getting involved in politics, said Taylor. “Engineers have to get involved in politics,” said Taylor, “because THE PATH often they are the only ones who Industry heavyweights working on major projects such as can articulate the pros and cons of projects they are working on to the Crossrail and Crossrail 2 offer graduates advice about how people who will benefit from them.” Vickers added that it was important to break into the engineering sector not just to tell the public about projects, but to let the public tell you about engineers about their projects: “We need to understand our tudents from CivSoc, the customers more,” Vickers said. “How Imperial College London people use our assets will help us to civil engineering society, make a case around infrastructure were given first hand projects to influence future projects.” careers advice from Vickers said it was also important industry big hitters at a to not overthink career planning. recent New Civil Engineer Question “Don’t over-plan your career,” STime-themed debate at Imperial Vickers told the audience. “You never College London in association with know where you will end up SMEs Arup. are very creative and agile, but big Before them was a panel of senior corporate jobs may lead you to work engineers including Arup director on a big project. All will give you an of infrastructure design group Tim excellent perspective.” Chapman, Crossrail 2 managing Taylor said that it was important director Michèle Dix, Crossrail head for future engineers to get experience of technical information Malcolm as a students and to gain insight Taylor, Association for Consultancy & into what areas of the industry most Engineering chief executive Hannah appeal to them. Vickers, and Balfour Beatty managing “Get as many holiday and short director Stephen Tarr. term assignments as possible,” he Advice about getting onto the job said. “Then you bolster your CV and ladder ranged from communicating Chapman agreed, and added: The panel included gain a wider experience of different new ideas to fleshing out CVs. Tarr “Curiosity, listening skills, and clarity sector leaders from parts of the industry.” said that the ability of engineers to of thought are the big three that I Crossrail 2, Balfour Vickers added that an ability to communicate ideas and convince would look for in a graduate,” he Beatty and Arup view a project from the angles of people of their merits was a critical said. “Good knowledge of systems different stakeholders, as well as skill, sometimes missing in graduates. engineering is also a key area to considering small details, is important “Something that we at Balfour grasp.” for graduates. Beatty see as critical is the ability to Dix said there was no “correct” “The ability to see the intricate martial thoughts in a persuasive way answer to deciding whether to work details of a project, but also zoom and communicate across teams and at a small specialist firm or a tier out to view the bigger picture is collaborate across boundaries,” he one contractor working on national something I would like to see more in said. projects. graduates,” she said. N
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