PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS FOR CONSTRUCTION AND THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT Innovation & Research Issue No. 64 Also at www.innovationandresearchfocus.org.uk February 2006 IN THIS ISSUE Standard for systemised Buildings Vibration tests on floors 4 building envelopes Coastal Engineering Beach lowering at seawalls 2 The use of a performance-based specification is essential when designing and procuring building envelopes. Performance is increasingly complex and has to Construction futures include thermal, acoustic and lighting performance in addition to weathertightness Erabuild 8 Where next for construction? 3 and air permeability. Performance-based specifications have to be comprehensive and relevant to site and project conditions. Furthermore, building envelopes are Design becoming more diverse in their construction and there is a trend to mix and match Reducing air in pipelines 4 different constructions within one roof or wall. Reducing slip-related accidents 6 n recognition of these dynamic aero engine test, Ground engineering trends the CWCT stan- which is the only suitable Remediation technology transfer 6 Idards for curtain way for testing any venti- walling, ventilated rain- lated rainscreen and the Highways & Infrastructure screens and slope glazing only practical way of test- New plastic bridge 3 have been updated and ing most sealed building Affordable infrastructure 7 integrated into a single envelopes. Standard for systemised The Standard is IT building envelopes. arranged as separate Information delivery on site 7 The CWCT Standards parts covering: have been in use for PART 1 – Scope, terminol- Materials twelve years in some ogy, testing and classifi- Concrete towers enable larger turbines5 thirty-three countries. cation; New plastic bridge 3 They are taken as the PART 2 – Loads, fixings Reducing slip-related accidents 6 basis for the National and movement; Building Specification PART 3 – Air, water and Renewables (NBS) and the standards Wind turbines 5 wind resistance; of the National House PART 4 – Operable com- Building Council Safety ponents, additional ele- (NHBC). The new CWCT Reducing slip-related accidents 6 ments and means of Standard has been writ- access; Sustainability ten by CWCT members, PART 5 – Thermal, mois- drawn from the broad Erabuild 8 ture and acoustic perfor- spectrum of the curtain Where next for construction? 3 mance; walling industry, under PART 6 – Fire perfor- the guidance of its Tunnelling Facade watertightness testing: dynamic aero mance; Technical and Standards UK tunnel database 5 engine method in accordance with CWCT PART 7 – Robustness, committees. The docu- ‘Standard for systemised building envelopes’, durability, tolerances ment includes the new courtesy Wintech. and workmanship; BS EN Standards for PART 8 – Testing; curtain walling and takes account of the PART 0 – Specifiers’ checklist and certification. changes to the Building Regulations regarding There is a complementary document conservation of energy (U-values, air leakage Standard test methods for building envelopes, and g-values), sound insulation, fire perfor- which describes each test in detail. The new mance and access for the disabled. Standard gives a framework for specifying per- The new BS EN Standards for curtain formance and gives both mandatory clauses and walling are not appropriate for walls clad with supplementary advice. The specifiers’ checklist is ventilated rainscreens (an increasing proportion included to assist the decision-making required of walls) and the new CWCT document fills the to produce a specification that is applicable to a gap in the CEN standards. The BS EN particular location, building and use. Standards include an optional dynamic water test but it cannot be used with curtain walls of For further information please complex geometry or with attachments such as contact Brenda Apted at CWCT brise soleil (a significant majority of custom (01225 386541; E-mail walls). The CWCT Standard has retained the [email protected]). www.innovationandresearchfocus.org.uk Innovation & Research Focus Issue 64 FEBRUARY 2006 1 RESEARCH & INNOVATION European construction technology platform

The European construction sector is facing a number of serious challenges. These include: catering for the growing realisa- tion of the impact of the sector on society at both central and local government levels; increasing productivity to match increasing global competitiveness in construction; environment legislation; the shortage of skilled construction workers; and the sector’s health and safety record. Sustainability within the construction sector remains a major concern for the industry, trade associations and governments across Europe.

o deal with these issues and to raise Government Departments and Academia, the sector’s profile and competitiveness, seeking their views on the draft. The latest Tthe European Construction Technology version of the SRA can be viewed at Platform (ECTP) was launched at www.ectp.org/docmentation/ECTP-SRA- Maastricht in 2004. UK membership Draft-2005-Oct-14.pdf and the UK’s response includes Taylor Woodrow, Corus, Arup, and can be viewed at DTI’s sector web page. The the University of Salford. SRA is still in the draft form. Comments or The ECTP aims to analyse the sector’s chal- views on the latest version are invited – lenges in terms of society, sustainability and please forward them to Ms Loveli Sanayat at technological development. Research and inno- the DTi – contact details below. vation strategies will be developed to meet To create the connection between the UK these challenges, engaging with and mobilising and European research programmes, a UK the wide range of leading skills, expertise and National Technology Platform (NTP) has talent available within the industry over the been established. Launched at the ICE in coming decades, in order to meet the needs of June 2005, the UK Platform is chaired by society. The ECTP is seen as a key grouping to Keith Clarke, Chief Executive of Atkins and inform future European research calls through will be supported by Constructing Framework Programme 7 and beyond. Excellence. The Platform will be addressing Since its launch a year ago, the ECTP has the future needs of the built environment, developed A vision for a sustainable and com- and particularly the challenges of innova- petitive construction sector by 2030. This has tion and industry transformation in the con- been signed and committed to by a number of struction sector. The platform will have major stakeholders and Terms of Reference three roles: informing the European have been agreed. Both documents can be Research Agenda, informing the domestic viewed at www.ectp.org. construction research agenda, and stimulat- The ECTP then produced a draft Does the SRA go far enough to deal with the ing the involvement and uptake of research Strategic Research Agenda (SRA) to outline challenges that the industry will be facing? in the UK. how the Vision 2030 will be achieved. This will be followed by ‘roadmaps’ and strategies • becoming sustainable; For further information please contact Loveli for the initial focus areas. The SRA divided • transformation of the construction sector. Sanayat at DTi (E-mail: the agenda into three key areas: [email protected]; or visit the The SRA was circulated by DTI to leading website: www.dti.gov.uk/construction/ • meeting client requirements; organisations in the UK construction sector, research/index.htm).

COASTAL ENGINEERING Beach lowering at seawalls

Work continues at HR Wallingford on improving methods to monitor and predict how beaches are suddenly lowered by the effect of storms and tides. The research is leading to a guide on how to mitigate the toe-scour that sometimes undermines seawalls, and in severe cases is the principal cause of their failure.

vidence recently collected by HR so that they would not be noticeable at low tide. Wallingford indicates that scour holes Tests using the medium-scale physical Egenerated during storms are often models in the Froude Modelling Hall, HR refilled within a few hours as the storm sub- Wallingford’s new experimental facility, have sides. Toe scour, one of the main forms of been carried out to investigate seawall toe beach lowering, can be a short-lived phenome- scour and validate these field observations. non that is difficult to monitor. This explains The results are being used in the development why at low tide, when beaches are surveyed, of an improved scour prediction method. The few scour holes are observed. investigations have featured wave action The ‘Tell Tail’ scour monitoring system, superimposed on tidal variations in water level which records the onset of scour, the depth of (see photo) – a unique modelling approach. scour reached and in-filling of scour holes, was The aim of the project is to provide new deployed at two contrasting locations of the guidance on the mitigation of scour. English coastline: a 1:2 sloping seawall at Southbourne, near Bournemouth; and a verti- For further information please contact cal sea wall at Blackpool. The results revealed Examining the impact of storm waves on toe Dr James Sutherland at HR Wallingford that during a single tidal cycle, beach levels scour in front of a vertical sea-wall in one of HR (01491 822311; Email: could drop by up to 1m and then refill quickly Wallingford’s wave-flumes. [email protected]).

2 Innovation & Research Focus Issue 64 FEBRUARY 2006 www.innovationandresearchfocus.org.uk HIGHWAYS & MATERIALS Highways Agency new plastic bridge

Drivers on the M6 in Lancashire will soon be passing under the Highways Agency’s first plastic road bridge. The new bridge at Mount Pleasant will be much lighter than the old one but is of a similar strength and will need less maintenance. The inno- vative new plastic material is so light that the deck can be fabricated at the roadside and lifted into place overnight, meaning disruption to road users is kept to a minimum.

he deck of the bridge will use Fibre Reinforced Polymer (FRP) sections Tjoined together, bonded to and support- ed by steel girders. FRP materials used in construction generally contain carbon, aramid or glass fibres embedded in a resin matrix. The exact properties of FRPs can be manipulated by the choice and content of fibre, providing a range of structural proper- ties with different values for stiffness and strength. In comparative terms, the type of FRP used for the Mount Pleasant Bridge has around 60% the strength of steel, but is much less dense so that sections used for construction are much lighter. FRPs are claimed to offer a number of advantages over traditional construction materials. They can be up to four times less dense than steel, so they can be more-easily transported and installed in large sections using a mobile crane, saving up to a possible four weeks on traditional construction meth- ods. FRPs are not susceptible to corrosion from water or salt, and are therefore expect- ed to have superior durability. The compo- nents are also virtually maintenance free. The initial cost of using FRP can be up to Overnight construction of the HA’s first plastic footbridge over the A30. The HA will soon be con- three times greater than conventional mate- structing its first plastic road bridge. rials, but there are significant cuts in other construction costs, particularly in the The M6 bridge was made possible by the country, where lengthy road or lane clo- reduced duration of traffic management. The research carried out at TRL, which enabled sures would otherwise be required. The con- Mount Pleasant Bridge is likely to cost 5 to the development of a HA design standard for struction of the Mount Pleasant Bridge is an 10% more to construct using FRP. However, the design of FRP bridges, which forms part important step towards the wider use of FRP these estimates do not take into account the of the Design Manual for Roads and Bridges. to the benefit of bridge owners and road users. ‘cost to the nation’ of congestion saved, and FRP bridges will evolve as the technology the Highways Agency is confident there will develops, good practice becomes established For further information please contact also be significant whole-life cost savings. In and engineers become familiar with its prop- Ben Sadka, Highways Agency, Federated future, material costs are also expected to erties and benefits. They are expected to be House, London Road, Dorking, RH4 1SZ lower as manufacturing techniques improve particularly useful in motorway widening (01306 878316; E-mail and more-efficient designs are developed. schemes and in bridge rehabilitation across [email protected]).

SUSTAINABILITY & CONSTRUCTION FUTURES Sustainability Forum: where next for construction?

The UK Government’s strategy for sustainable construction is under review by the DTI, with a revised version due to be pub- lished later this year. The Sustainability Forum, which, under the chairmanship of Ian Coull, includes representatives from across the UK construction industry and advises the DTI, the Strategic Forum and Constructing Excellence on sustainability issues, welcomes this initiative.

he Sustainability Forum recognises As part of the DTI’s consultation process, the For further details of the Sustainability that there is a need for an overarching Sustainability Forum has held a series of Forum go to TFramework for implementing sustain- workshops to identify the targets and mile- http://www.constructingexcellence.org.uk/re able construction: stones that different stakeholders involved in sourcecentre/sustainabilityzone/forum/abou and with the construction industry think the tus.jsp • to set a very clear agenda for the UK indus- strategy should set for the future. The try, which everyone in and associated with results of these workshops are being For further information about the Review construction will feel able to buy into, and absorbed into the DTI review. When that is please contact George Martin, chair of the • to provide a tool for use by the industry to published, it is anticipated that there will be Framework Sub Group establish and help deliver best practice. an opportunity for public comment. (E-Mail [email protected]). www.innovationandresearchfocus.org.uk Innovation & Research Focus Issue 64 FEBRUARY 2006 3 BUILDINGS & STRUCTURES Vibration tests on sensitive floors

The SCI has enlarged its measurements database with vibration tests on a number of recently completed steel-framed hos- pital buildings. The tests were undertaken to determine the damping, frequency and associated mode shapes in situ, as well as identifying the worst-case response for the floor from walking tests. By frequency-weighting the response for human per- ception, response factors could be evaluated to enable comparisons to be made with published acceptability guidelines.

he table summarizes the measured fun- Table1 Measured performance within operating theatre areas on steel-framed floors damental (first-mode) frequency and Floor Project Bay size Overall slab Beam depth Fundamental Response Factor Tthe maximum response factor deter- (m) depth (mm) Sec/ Pri (mm) frequency (Hz) measured from mined from walking tests. The wide scatter walking test of the natural frequencies reflects the range 1 Hospital 1 11.3 x 7.2 300 625/571 6.4 0.25 of structural types tested. Operating Cellular Beam The evaluation of the exposure of humans Theatre to vibrations within hospital buildings is cov- 2 Hospital 2 15 x 7.5 175 457 x 152UB/700 7.6 0.49 ered by BS 6472: 1992 and the NHS document, Operating Cellular Beam HTM2045. Both use response factors (some- Theatre times known as a ‘multiplying factors’) to pro- 3 Hospital 3 8.1 x 8.1 200 533 x 210UB/ 8.0 0.21 vide satisfactory limits of vibration magnitude. Operating 533 x 210UB This is defined as the magnitude of vibration Theatre for the environment under consideration divid- 4 St Richards 5.9 x 5.5 335 300ASB153/- 14.0 0.29 ed by the vibration level at the threshold of Hospital, + 80 human perception. Since very sensitive tasks Chichester screed are carried out in operating theatres areas, 5 Sunderland 6.8 x 5.7 337 300ASB185/- 17.0 0.54 both guides recommend a response factor of Royal 1.0 for these environments (i.e. the magnitude Hospital of vibrations in-service should not exceed the level of human perception). reductions to the slab thicknesses could have included in the update to SCI’s Design guide All floors easily satisfied the response fac- been made in these cases. for floor vibrations, Publication 76. tor requirements for operating theatre envi- The results are currently being considered ronments, out-performing BS6472 and HTM using FE models together with a software tool For Further information please contact 2045 by a factor of between 2 and 4. Since developed by the SCI to predict response fac- Dr Stephen Hicks, Manager Building acceleration response is inversely proportional tor values. It is hoped that these comparisons Engineering at SCI (01344 623345; Fax: to mass, these results indicate that significant will lead to improved design equations, to be 01344 622944; E-mail: [email protected]).

PIPELINE DESIGN Reducing air in pipelines Ð new design guidance

Air in pipelines can severely affect the flow of water or wastewater for many reasons Ð reduced flow capacity, flow disruption, reduced efficiency in pumps and turbines, and difficulties in operating filters and screens. Other problems include waterham- mer, false flowmeter readings, buoyancy in underwater pipes, corrosion, increased biological activity and blow-back, and accumulation of air trapped at hydraulic jumps that causes vibration and structural damage. A two-year study on preventing air problems in water and wastewater pipelines, led by HR Wallingford, has resulted in the production of a guidance manual.

he study involved experimental and neers need to take measures accordingly in pipes and chambers, and controlling air numerical studies, as well as a compre- new designs. using valves and vents. The manual gives an Thensive literature review, and was The new design manual provides practical introduction to multiphase flow, and pre- funded by DTI, Thames Water, United information regarding gravity pipes and sents its information in a practical way Utilities and others. The experimental work pumping mains that convey raw or potable aimed at enabling engineering decisions to be was conducted on 150mm diameter pipes set water, cooling water, wastewater or made with increased confidence. It includes at various slopes, and provided new evidence stormwater. The improved design guidelines contributions from the University of that a minimum flow velocity (critical veloci- resulting from the studies includes hydraulic Liverpool and Black & Veatch, and has bene- ty) is always required to move air-pockets removal of air, together with guidance to fited from consultations with a range of along downward-sloping pipes. This velocity designers on excluding air at pump inlets, designers, contractors and operators. is strongly dependent on both the pipe slope For further information on the Design and the air-pocket volume. New formulae Manual Air problems in pipelines contact the and other design guidance, on air transport Information Department at HR Wallingford and entrainment at hydraulic jumps, have (01491 835381; E-mail been developed to help in identifying mini- [email protected] or see mum velocities and gradients, and in locat- http://www.hrwallingford.co.uk/publications/s ing air valves. earch.html to purchase the design manual). The effects of entrapped air on pressure surges due to pipeline flow interruptions have For further information on this project also been studied. Numerical modelling simula- including published research reports and tions have shown how the presence of single access to the manual contents, see the project air-pockets can exacerbate transient pressures. website at www.hrwallingford.co.uk/ This can cause operational problems and engi- An air-pocket in a near-horizontal pipe projects/air_in_waterpipelines.

4 Innovation & Research Focus Issue 64 FEBRUARY 2006 www.innovationandresearchfocus.org.uk MATERIALS & RENEWABLES Concrete towers enable larger wind turbines

Wind energy is one of the fastest growing UK renewable energy technologies, and construction of wind farms supports an industry that grew by 20% in 2004. The next five years will see implementation of a large programme of offshore and onshore wind farms, contributing significantly towards the UK’s renewable energy target of 10% by 2010.

he technology and economics of wind Current specifications predominantly use towers can have a reduced environmental foot- energy continue to improve, bringing with 1.0 to 2.5MW turbines, requiring 40m blades print, with levels of embodied CO up to 60% 2 Tthem a demand for higher power outputs. and 60 to 70m towers. However, several wind less than competitor materials. To achieve this, towers must become taller and farm developers are now introducing new gen- Concrete towers are used across Europe stronger to accommodate developments in tur- eration 4.5 to 5MW turbines with a rotor length for onshore and offshore installations, and bine technology and future site constraints. of up to 60m. This calls for a tower of around building on this experience, structural engi- 100m in height, which must also be stronger neers Gifford and Partners have recently and stiffer than those currently specified. completed feasibility studies and conceptual These demanding requirements point the designs for the UK. This work was commis- way towards the use of pre-stressed concrete sioned by The Concrete Centre, from whom a towers. In addition to meeting the structural full report is available (see contact details challenges, a concrete solution also offers bene- below). A shorter overview can be down- fits such as low maintenance, high durability loaded from www.concretecentre.com. and good dynamic performance in terms of res- onance and damping properties. A long service For further information please contact life ensures that as technology advances, Alan Bromage, The Concrete Centre future turbine upgrades can be fully accommo- (01276 606800; E-mail dated. Recent studies also show that concrete [email protected]). TUNNELLING British Tunnelling Society’s UK tunnel database

As part of it’s primary aim to promote excellence in tunneling, the British Tunnelling Society (BTS) launched the UK Tunnel Database on 26 October 2005. Currently, about 200 UK tunnels constructed over the last 30 to 50 years are recorded, and many more projects will be added in the coming months and years. Information is provided across the whole spectrum of the industry from road, rail and metro tunnels to water, sewer and cable tunnels.

ver the past 20 years several advances in methods and equipment have made Otunnelling a highly technical and con- trolled procedure. Tunnels in ground condi- tions and urban environments that were pre- viously difficult to tackle, such as the Jubilee Line Extension in London, can now be suc- cessfully achieved through the use of advanced Tunnel Boring Machines. The wider use of sprayed concrete tunnel linings have also successfully contributed to the Channel Tunnel Crossover, the Round Hill Tunnel and the Heathrow Terminal 5 projects. Microtunnelling and directional drilling are also increasingly popular, often preferred to traditional excavation for the installation of CTRL: Tunnel 250: May 2002 new services, because ground surface disrup- QA Photos Ltd: courtesy of Rail Link Engineering tion is minimised. collated under: project name and tunnel use; The BTS recognize that as cities and details of the organization involved, the period towns become more and more developed, the of construction, tender value and form of opportunities to expand infrastructure at Contract; project details including diameters, ground level become more limited and the lengths, geology, method of excavation, ground alternative of creating underground space support, tunnel linings and any information on becomes more attractive. Subsequently the rates of progress; special feature where rele- need for a comprehensive and up-to-date vant; and references for further research. record of tunnels is significant. (Top) Quick and efficient construction with pre- To access the database or to find out more For further information on the project please cast elements (Courtesy of The Concrete Society) about the British Tunnelling Society please go contact Gavin Bowyer at the Institution of (Above) In-situ slipformed concrete tower; an to www.britishtunnelling.org. For each project Civil Engineers (020 7665 2233; Fax 0207 alternative to the precast option (Courtesy of Bierrum) the available published information has been 799 1325; E-mail [email protected]). www.innovationandresearchfocus.org.uk Innovation & Research Focus Issue 64 FEBRUARY 2006 5 GROUND ENGINEERING Contaminated land and groundwater remediation technology transfer from bottle to brownfield

The Environmental Engineering Research Centre (EERC) at Queen’s University Belfast (QUB) takes another step forward as a centre of excellence through the appointment of Professor Robert M (Bob) Kalin to a Research Chair co-sponsored by the Royal Academy of Engineering and Keller Ground Engineering. Complementing the RAEng Chair is a strategic investment by QUB in academic staff to meet its decade-old environmental engineering vision of ‘Integration of the built environment within the natural environment using science and engineering to meet the principles of social, economic and environmental sustainability’.

ustainability has become the mantra initiative will be further leveraged by contin- for our generation and requires that ued collaboration to develop and implement Sfundamental science and engineering is new environmental engineering technologies translated into innovative and practical solu- worldwide, with the FIRST FARADAY part- tions that meet EU Legislation on water, ners, the new DTI KTN in Integrated soil, air and waste, as well as social, econom- Pollution Control, and through Professor ic and environmental targets. Kalin’s long-standing work with the IAEA’s The aim Professor Kalin has set for the programme on water resource management. RAEng Keller Chair is to enhance the environ- Particular research effort during the next mental engineering expertise of the 60 EERC 5 years will aim at new technology for: QUB researchers working in coastal and flu- • integrated ground engineering and reme- vial hydraulics, ground engineering, hydroge- diation treatments; ology, and contaminated land with a new • leading environmental forensic applica- research focus in environmental forensics, bio- tions for risk assessment; and geophysics, environmental planning and envi- • development of holistic solutions (treat- ronmental economics. The target is one unified ment trains) for environmental liabilities research vision to meet the goals of sustain- and risk where site boundaries and envi- able re-development and water resource man- ronmental responsibilities are at odds. agement, for example in the requirements of the Water Framework Directive. The portfolio For further information on the Royal Academy of research led by Professor Kalin was recog- of Engineering’s Research Schemes please nised in 2005 with two UK Brownfield Briefing contact Mr. Rob Barrett, (0207 2270500; Awards for innovative engineering and novel (Top) Prof. Bob Kalin discussing EERC E-mail [email protected]). applications of bioremediation. research with Lord Sainsbury. For information on the Environmental The EERC recognises the evolving global (Above) Joint Keller / FIRST FARADAY INSTEP Engineering Research Centre please contact leadership of the civil engineering profession soil mixing research project (Prof. Kalin PI) on Professor Bob Kalin (02890 974018; to meet sustainability goals, and this new DNAPL bioremediation. E-mail [email protected]). SAFETY, MATERIALS, DESIGN & MAINTENANCE A firm footing for reducing slip-related accidents

Slips, probably not recognised as one of the major safety concerns in many businesses and organisations, are the most common cause of injury in the workplace and account for 37% of all reported major injuries (www.hse.gov.uk/slips). Statistically, slipping is one of the most common risks confronting us all.

he common misconception that slips are specification and maintenance of safe flooring The guide is designed to provide an author- inevitable often leads to the risks not surfaces, and is a single source of clear guid- itative background to ‘slips’, and to assist those Tbeing taken seriously. For employers, ance covering all the issues, from the flooring involved in: specifying new floor materials for and owners and managers of walking sur- itself, to activities taking place, visual new and refurbished premises; assessing the faces, the likelihood of slip-related accidents impacts, wear and the maintenance regime. suitability of existing floor materials for should be a major concern. The new CDM changes in use; managing the use, environ- regulations (as currently written) will require ment or maintenance (including the cleaning designers to design surfaces for in-use condi- regime) of flooring surfaces; and investigating tions, so they will need to formally assess the slip incidents on flooring surfaces. risks of slipping to ensure that floors are safe. The primary source and emphasis for the In addition, dealing with civil action resulting document has been the considerable quantity from injury sustained from inadequate sur- of research carried out by the Health and facing takes up valuable time and money. Safety Laboratory (HSL) and the Health and Simple, cost-effective measures, better Safety Executive (HSE). CIRIA guidance application of risk assessment and manage- Safer surfaces to walk on - reducing the risks ment controls, and improved understanding of slips (C652) was officially launched at the of the causes of slipping can significantly RIBA on 26 January 2005 in London. reduce these accidents. CIRIA’s new guidance Safer surfaces to To find out more about the publication, visit walk on – reducing the risks of slips provides www.ciriabooks.com or contact CIRIA advice to clients, designers, managers and Uneven wear on timber stair treads and landings (020 7549 3300; Fax: 020 7253 0523; others with a responsibility for the provision, change slip resistance characteristics over time E-mail: [email protected]).

6 Innovation & Research Focus Issue 64 FEBRUARY 2006 www.innovationandresearchfocus.org.uk INFRASTRUCTURE Affordable infrastructure

Poverty reduction remains the central goal of global development efforts, and increasingly it is acknowledged that this can be achieved and sustained only through a country’s carefully determined growth pattern. Governments’ development plans need to include policies that are specifically poverty- and inequality-reducing.

he South East Asia Community also seek to maximise work with other Access Programme (SEACAP) aims partners in both the public and private Tto improve the sustainability and sectors and at local, regional and interna- affordability of rural access. This in turn tional levels within the region. will lead to improved access to economic SEACAP has seen a successful first opportunities, trade, social and health phase with the completion of four pro- and education services, thereby creating jects and frequent outputs from all con- opportunities for pro-poor growth and tracted projects. Early successes have poverty alleviation. been the production of two films on rural SEACAP is a poverty-targeted trans- road access and poverty reduction in port initiative facilitating the improve- Vietnam, development of low-cost surfac- ment of sustainable access to rural com- ing in Cambodia, training via commune munities, centred on Vietnam, Cambodia handbooks, and setting up knowledge and Laos PDR. The programme is influ- transfer systems including a rural trans- encing funders to provide low-cost, main- port workshop in Vietnam. These have tainable, locally owned access to poor Problematic rural road access attracted the Asian Development Bank people. It is achieving this through adop- to incorporate SEACAP into their pro- tion of local materials and training local projects with a common objective demonstrates grammes and persuaded the World Bank people in evidence-based sustainable tech- a response to local demand and a comprehen- to pledge funds for this approach. niques. To do this, DFID provides funding for sive multi-level approach with high expecta- applied research, its dissemination to imple- tion of the results being embedded in national For further information please contact Yogita menting agencies and support to help them practice. All projects focus on the needs of the Maini at DFID (E-mail: [email protected] adopt improved techniques. poor, maximising participation and creating a or Le Minh Nguyet in Vietnam The combination of twenty-four individual locally sustainable infrastructure system. They E-mail: [email protected]).

CONSTRUCTION PROCESS & IT Context-aware information delivery for on-site construction operations

The information-intensive nature of construction projects requires that construction personnel have on-demand access to project information. Current information delivery methods are primarily static and do not take into account people’s changing context. Delivering information, especially to site staff, based on their context (such as location, time, existing task, and pro- file) has the tremendous potential to improve construction productivity.

s part of the WiSeCon project, a con- nism is that relevant information is delivered ceptual framework and a prototype to the right person at the right time based on Aapplication have been developed to the interpretation of his or her context. In enable context capture, context-reasoning and this way it is possible to minimise distrac- discovery, and the integration of resources tions for mobile workers, particularly those based on the captured context. The imple- related to the volume and level of informa- mentation was based on a Pocket-PC plat- tion. In addition, user interaction with the form and made use of a wireless local area mobile device can be reduced by using context network (WiFi) to capture the user context – as a filtering mechanism to deliver only con- user identity through the IP address of their text-relevant information to users. This has mobile device; user location through real time the potential to increase usability, by decreas- tracking within the WiFi network; and user ing the level of interaction required between task through integration with a project man- the mobile devices and the end-users. agement application. The emergence of complementary technolo- The captured context was then used as a gies such as user profiling, ubiquitous comput- filtering mechanism to query the project ing, and sensor networking enables the cap- database to determine the relevant data for ture of many other context parameters result- the particular context. Using over-the-air ing in a wide range of possible applications to service provisioning technique, relevant enhance existing construction processes. information was pushed as icons onto the construction worker’s mobile device (see fig- For further information, please contact ure). Clicking on a particular icon results in Professor Chimay Anumba, Director, Centre access to context-relevant information on an for Innovative and Collaborative Engineering as-needed basis. (01509 22 8549; E-mail The key benefit of this delivery mecha- The System Interface [email protected]). www.innovationandresearchfocus.org.uk Innovation & Research Focus Issue 64 FEBRUARY 2006 7 SUSTAINABLE CONSTRUCTION & MANAGEMENT SPONSORING ORGANISATIONS GOVERNMENT ERABUILD: European research Department of Trade and Industry Construction Sector Unit Department of Trade and Industry Bay 286, 151 Buckingham Palace Road on sustainable construction and London SW1W 9SS (020 7215 0848 or 0826) Website: www.dti.gov.uk operation of buildings E-mail: [email protected] Department for International The building and civil engineering industries form a major sector of Europe’s econo- Development my. Both technical and process improvements are needed throughout the sector to 1 Palace St, London SW1E 5HE (020 7023 7000; fax: 020 7023 0072) reduce adverse environmental impact and to enhance quality and competitiveness. Website: www.dfid.gov.uk E-mail: [email protected] any of the issues that require research and Highways Agency development in order to 5th Floor, 123 Buckingham Palace Road, M London SW1 9HA bring about improvement are Website: www.highways.gov.uk. common to several countries Email [email protected]. across Europe. Cooperation between national research fun- RESEARCH ORGANISATIONS ders would improve the cost- British Cement Association effectiveness of addressing these Riverside House, 4 Meadows Business Park, Station Approach, Blackwater, Camberley, Surrey, GU17 9AB common issues and enable a (01276 608700) wider range of topics to be fund- Website: www.cementindustry.co.uk ed by avoiding un-necessary E-mail: [email protected] duplication of work. Centre for Innovative and To encourage such coopera- Collaborative Engineering (CICE) tion the European Commission Loughborough University, Loughborough, has supported ERABUILD, an LE11 3TU (01509 228549; fax: 01509 223982) ERA-Net project in the field of Website: www.cice.org.uk ERABUILDS relationship between national and european research E-mail: [email protected] sustainable construction and operation of buildings. DTI, ERABUILD started in 2004, with the com- Centre for Window and Cladding through the Construction Sector Unit, is one parison and analysis of existing national Technology of eight participating countries in the University of Bath, Claverton Down, Bath, research programmes. Currently, pilot activi- ERABUILD project. BA2 7AY (01225 386541; fax: 01225 386556) ties are under way to enable the project part- Website: www.cwct.co.uk The objective of the ERA-NET scheme is ners to “learn by doing”. These activities, E-mail: [email protected] to step up the co-operation and co-ordination which include joint calls for proposals, will of national research and technology pro- CIRIA allow partners of ERABUILD to gain wider grammes. The scheme will contribute to mak- Classic House, 174Ð180 Old Street, London, EC1V experience and knowledge of what barriers to 9BP (020 7549 3300; fax: 020 7253 0523) ing a reality of a ‘European Research Area’, cooperation exist and how these can be over- Website: www.ciria.org, E-mail: [email protected] by improving the coherence and co-ordination come. These two areas of activity will provide of research programmes across Europe. the foundations for the planned trans-nation- HR Wallingford Ltd The scheme will also enable national sys- Wallingford, Oxfordshire, OX10 8BA al research activities, which will be one of the tems to take on tasks collectively that they (01491 835381; fax: 01491 832233) key outputs from the project. Website: www.hrwallingford.co.uk would not have been able to tackle indepen- The ERABUILD partners are: E-mail: [email protected] dently. National systems can benefit from this Austria; Denmark; Finland; France; scheme by exchange of information and good The Steel Construction Institute Germany; Netherlands; Sweden; and UK. practices, by exchange of strategic ideas con- Silwood Park, Ascot, Berkshire, SL5 7QN (01344 623345; fax: 01344 622944) cerning national research planning and in Further information on the ERABUILD Website: www.steel-sci.org terms of quality, in particular quality of evalu- project and joint calls can be found on the E-mail: [email protected] ation and quality of training. The ERA-NET project website www.erabuild.net or contact scheme aims to avoid duplication and to devel- Ms Loveli Sanayat, Department of Trade and PROFESSIONAL INSTITUTIONS op complementarities and synergies between Industry (E-mail: Institution of Civil Engineers different national research programmes. [email protected]). 1 Great George Street, Westminster, London, SW1P 3AA (020 7222 7722; fax: 020 7222 7500) Website: www.ice.org.uk ABOUT INNOVATION & RESEARCH FOCUS E-mail: [email protected] also on the web at www.innovationandresearchfocus.org.uk Aims Ð The aim of Innovation & Research Mailing List Ð If you receive Innovation & Institution of Structural Engineers Focus is to promote the application of inno- Research Focus by direct mail (i.e. not with 11 Upper Belgrave Street, London SW1X 8BH (020 7235 4535; fax: 020 7235 4294) vation and research in building, civil engi- NCE) and your address is incorrect, please Website: www.istructe.org.uk neering and the built environment by dissem- contact Simon Whalley at the Institution of E-mail: [email protected] inating new information as widely as possi- Civil Engineers: [email protected]. ble. Its sponsors wish to promote the benefits Royal Academy of Engineering Editor Ð Professor Eur Ing Roger Venables at of research and innovation, improve contacts 29 Great Peter Street, London SW1P 3LW between industry and researchers, encour- Venables Consultancy, 12 Cranes Drive, (020 7227 0500; fax 0207 233 0054) age investment by industry in research and Surbiton, Surrey, KT5 8AL UK (020 8399 website: www.raeng.org.uk E-mail: [email protected] innovation and the use of results in practice, 4389; fax: 020 8390 9368; E-mail: irf@ven- and facilitate collaboration between all the ablesconsultancy.co.uk). INDUSTRY parties involved. Articles may be reproduced, Innovation & Research Focus is published by provided the source is acknowledged. 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8 Innovation & Research Focus Issue 64 FEBRUARY 2006 www.innovationandresearchfocus.org.uk