HANDS FREE - New Civil Engineer - TECHNICAL AND TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATIONS SHAPING 2019 - EMAP CDN!
←
→
Page content transcription
If your browser does not render page correctly, please read the page content below
Digitising the highways p16 Pioneering tidal energy p46 Innovation report p59
New Civil Engineer
J A N U A R Y 201 9
HANDS
FREE
TECHNICAL AND TECHNOLOGICAL
INNOVATIONS SHAPING 2019
BIM.
ACCURATE
PIPE DESIGN
at your fingertips
FREE!
CONNECT TO BETTER FEATURING
REVIT CONTENT
PACKAGE
• Quickest way to a complete ‘as built’ pipe system
• Precise designs with intelligent assistance
Download
yours today! • Fully integrated Bill of Materials
Download now at wavin.com/bim
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
G for the government and our industry alike. One year
on from the announcement of the Construction Sector
Deal and £170M of government funding to drive that in-
we forget) – the delay to Crossrail and the collapse of Carillion – were
disasters in their own right, they were seen by the government as signs
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
seen by the government as signs and
they simply do not have the time to stop and work out where to access
them.
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
J A N U A R Y 2 01 9 | NEW CIVIL ENGINEER 3
ContentsNEW 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
electrification 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 off the north
Apprentice of the Year awards emissions Scotland coast
4 NEW CIVIL ENGINEER | J A N U A R Y 20 1 9
ineer
il Eng
New C
iv
Get news delivered daily
Weekl
y Wrap
and analysis delivered weekly
with our newsletters.
Sign-up at newcivilengineer.com
16 Big 24 Business EDITORIAL TEAM
Interview Culture EDITORIAL ENQUIRIES
Email: nceedit@emap.com
Editor
Mark Hansford
(020) 3953 2821 mark.hansford
Deputy Editor
Alexandra Wynne
(020) 3953 2822 alexandra.wynne
Contributing Editor
Jackie Whitelaw
jackie.whitelaw@btinternet.com
Associate Editor
Emily Ashwell
(020) 3953 2094 emily.ashwell
16 Highways England executive director 24 SME Interview: CMPS was News Editor
of major projects and capital portfolio established when its founders Rob Horgan
management Peter Mumford on wanted to fill 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
Excellence Infrastructure Connor James Ibbetson
(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
james.mccarthy@emap.com
Graphic Artist
Anthea Carter
ben.anth@lunestudio.co.uk
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 customerservices@nce.co.uk
J A N U A R Y 2 019 | 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 An extended
T
fury of Brexit is will enable more private investment
dominating much of to flow in. We also tested the public period of
the national debate. mood for pay-as-you-go systems on
However, between Great Britain’s roads and found that uncertainty, which
stretches back to July
the political machinations, a number almost half the population would
of interventions have taken place. approve of this type of approach if it
Chancellor Philip Hammond’s
Autumn Budget announcements BY ART WE
replaced VED and fuel duty.
As the world makes progress
2016, does nobody
generated a lot of attention with the
slightly ambiguous statements about
MASTER
W H AT W O U L D
towards de-carbonisation and
electric vehicles, new investment
any favours
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 policy@ice.org.uk
6 N E W C I V I L E N G I N E E R | J A N U A R Y 2 0 19
Engineering
Excellence
Bringing solutions that work both above & below ground
When it comes to providing you with the quickest, safest and
easiest solution to your temporary works challenge RMD
Kwikform leads the field. Our engineers have the skill and
experience to produce ingenious solutions that many others
would never even consider.
With a product range including many unique innovations and
enhancements, substantial stock holdings and a customer
focused branch network across the UK, RMD Kwikform will
provide you with the most cost effective solution possible.
Get in touch to see how we can help bring your
structure to life
0800 389 8231
info@rmdkwikform.com
www.rmdkwikform.com
Bringing
structures
to life
MORE
The Edit
NEWS T I D E WAY
ENGINEERING
More CHALLENGES
coverage T R I G G E R T I D E WAY
E S S E N T I A L N E W S & I N F O R M AT I O N online at COST CUTTING
F R O M N E W C I V I L E N G I N E E R .C O M 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 KEY STATS
CROSSRAIL
CROSSRAIL
on civils work as client revisits £1bn
COMPLETION
PA C K A G E T O B E
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
over budget
“cost pressures” on the project, in an the line began to come in above 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.
Thurston confirmed that as designs
It had become two previous bailouts. Morgan
resigned as chair of Crossrail and
had developed it had become clear
that ground conditions were more
clear that the High Speed 2 promoter HS2 Ltd in
early December He is being replaced
complex than first thought and the
issue of risk taken on by the
ground conditions at HS2 Ltd by former Atkins chair
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 | J A N U A R Y 20 1 9
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 M O R E C A M B E B AY KEY STATS I TA LY V I A D U C T
CONSIDERS SALE POWER CONNECTION REBUILD COULD
OF TROUBLED AMEY TUNNEL PROJECT £2.8bn TA K E A S L I T T L E A S
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.
J A N U A R Y 2 019 | NEW CIVIL ENGINEER 9
The Edit
STRUCTURES TRANSPORT TRANSPORT
COUNCILS GET G R AY L I N G KEY STATS R EG U L ATO R C H ANG E S
BACKING TO REMOVE CONSIDERS SHORTER N ETWO R K R AI L
CLADDING FROM T R A N S -P E N N I N E 9km PER F O R MA NC E
P R I VAT E H I G H R I S E S ROAD TUNNEL Revised A SSESSMENT R E G I M E
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 tunnel ORR said it wanted to target “areas
to cover the costs. Cladding on only Civil Engineering Contractors 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.
10 NEW CIVIL ENGINEER | J A N U A R Y 20 1 9Safety... By Designers
Site safety begins with your design.
With AquaSpira you can…
• Specify pipes that reduce the number of vehicle • Specify prefabricated Access Units, and reduce
deliveries to site by over 60% *
operatives time working in deep excavations by
up to 90%
• Specify pipes that reduce movements of heavy
plant and products around site by up to 80%* • Specify pipes that weigh 95% less than the
weight of an equivalent concrete pipe, with
• Specify pipes that reduce operatives time
no compromise in performance.
working in deep excavations by 30%
Savings... By Designers
Find out more at www.aquaspira.com
or call today on 01282 608 510
Used and approved for adoption in all UK water company regions Composite Steel Reinforced Pipes
*comparison with concrete pipe for a typical 1200mmØ pipeProductivity Analysis
CONNOR IBBETSON
Is open source
software the way to
increase productivity?
dopting He went on to say that it is time
A standardised, open
source software
and automated
33%
Amount by
to “abandon” traditional sector
separation in favour of a united
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, construction sets of components usable
says multi-disciplinary firm 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
and head of global systems Jamie
construction components would
allow us to talk more directly to
The Platform
Johnston says that the future
of the construction industry is
the supply chain, engage more
with SMEs and make better use of
model relies on
about changing the way we think.
“This isn’t about automated
existing capacity,” Johnston adds .
“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.
12 NEW CIVIL ENGINEER | J A N U A R Y 2 01 9Asset answers
at everyone’s
fingertips
C
M
Y
CM
MY
CY
CMY NEW InfoAsset provides water
K and wastewater asset information
to everyone who needs it.
Record assets in the field,
manage risk and optimise capital
improvements for asset health,
performance and resilience.
go.innovyze.com/assetanswersTransport Analysis
KATHERINE SMALE
De-risking Northern
Powerhouse rail
“
ransport for the Infrastructure Assessment. We want
T
North (TfN) is Wood said that when
planning to deliver
its £35bn Northern
building or upgrading a railway,
understanding the ground
to take out
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
strip ad ideas_Layout
Commission’s National engineer.com
1 6/7/18 11:47 AM Page 2 board when the client is looking connections.
LIEBIG anchoring technology.
It’s back in your hands!
LIEBIG is now in the hands of global fastening manufacturer, EJOT.
That means the finest anchoring technology for cracked / uncracked European Technical Approval
concrete, is back in your hands... with unrivalled technical support.
• LIEBIG Ultra-Plus
EJOT UK Customer Service: 01977 687040 • LIEBIG Super-Plus
Email: info@ejot.co.uk • LIEBIG Safety Bolts
EJOT LIEBIG Specialist: Paul Papworth
CFA Full Member • LIEBIG Anchors
Mobile: 07538 110145 European Technical Approvals for
Email p.papworth@ejot.co.uk www.ejot.co.uk cracked and uncracked concrete
14 NEW CIVIL ENGINEER | JANUARY 2019Peter Mumford
The Interview BY EMILY ASHWELL
How digital engineering
will change Highways
England projects
our years ago plan to do and how does it want the
F Highways England
claimed it was at
the start of a new
supply chain to do it?
Highways England’s new Routes
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
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
next few years. Mumford’s language We don’t want We don’t want inconsistency
between what we ask the market to
reflects his background in engineer-
ing consultancies and is in line with
inconsistency do and their interface with us,” he
explains.
where Highways England wants to
be. For example, he refers to the
between what we ask The body’s project management
has in recent times come under fire
organisation becoming a “capable the market to do and from roads regulator the Office for
their interface with us
owner” – a term from the ICE’s Proj- Rail & Road, which says costs and
ect 13 initiative – and talks about scope for major schemes at the
16 NEW CIVIL ENGINEER | J A N U A R Y 20 1 9“
What I’m
beginning of RIS1 were underestimat- work with an “industry leader” and
ed, meaning a number of schemes wants bids from those firms which
KEY FACTS
have either been cancelled, paused or
pushed back into RIS2. interested in understand the “productionisation” of
infrastructure and can roll that out to
Highways England hopes it will only
have to spend around £301M to fund
£23.3bn is having the right generate efficiencies.
But that does not mean that all the
Highways
the difference. Mumford says that its
programme delivery transformation England RIS2
people in the right engineering consultancies currently
realigning themselves as technology
work is on track to be finished by
June next year, but understandably
funding roles and the right firms have a shoo-in for the work. He
says he is open to new entrants too.
he is keen not to repeat the same value added skills set “What I’m interested in is having
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.
J A N U A R Y 2 019 | NEW CIVIL ENGINEER 17road user charging in the UK, so the
Your View
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
title, given that UK government has
lower borrowing costs than private
LET TERS 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
INTEGRATION TO BLAME?
@ Eurocodes represent a fantastic
opportunity to really progress the
theory of design by simplifying
dynamic public policy environment I
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. engineer.com that it would be a mistake to regard
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 robinson@arup.com 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 PLAN TO RECYCLE
in the other. complicated and that some work
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), gabrielczyk@tws.uk.com project a group of graduate civil
Roswell, Georgia, United States engineers including myself are
The Editor, FINANCE undertaking. Our team has recently
TECH EXCELLENCE New Civil TAXPAYERS ALWAYS END been awarded the Quest Travel
Engineer, Award to design and construct a
DESIGNERS NEED NOT UP PAYING FOR PFI building using recycled PET bottles
Telephone
RELY ON EUROCODES, House,
in the Philippines and report our
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 | J A N U A R Y 20 1 9MAIN POINT
INCLUSIVENESS NEEDS CARE
YOUR VIEWS AND OPINIONS
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 caccavones@bv.com 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 SLOWER HIGH SPEED HIGH SPEED 2
to provide some much needed CHINESE LESSONS ON
research into this field and assess 2 COULD OFFER MORE
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
stevan.lukic@morgansindall.com 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
ONLY A TRADE improvements to the business case. 120km/h and second class one way
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
J A N U A R Y 2 01 9 | NEW CIVIL ENGINEER 19Graduate 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 | J A N U A R Y 20 1 9WATCH WINNERS’ VIDEOS AT
NEWCIVILENGINEER.COM/LIVE
A
recent report from forerunners in the use and design of WINNER
Engineering UK, a technology which will soon become APPRENTICE OF THE YEAR
body which works
KEY FACTS 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. 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.
J A N U A R Y 2 019 | NEW CIVIL ENGINEER 21Graduate and Apprentice of the Year Awards Winners
Technology and Research team.
Winners and Finalists
Projects she has worked on cover AT THE AWARDS
everything from structures, climate
change, computational fluid 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, fluid 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 flood
WINNER management has led her to develop
G R A D U AT E O F T H E Y E A R land use classifiers 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
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 | J A N U A R Y 20 1 9MORE 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
J A N U A R Y 2 019 | NEW CIVIL ENGINEER 23You can also read
