Joining host Rob Hakimian this month is Mind Foundry director of civil infrastructure Tom Bartley to discuss how the business is working on the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into our infrastructure maintenance and management processes. Tom discusses the issues with current structural maintenance regimes and how AI can help to empower the workforce to overcome these constraints. He explains the concept of “digital custodianship” of structures and how Mind Foundry’s new phone app is expanding the accessibility to its tools. Rob and Tom also discuss the work that Mind Foundry has done with HS2 and Sir Robert McAlpine, as well as the potential for AI use in infrastructure to change the way assets are insured. Tom also talks about the work that Mind Foundry is doing with the Advanced Research + Invention Agency (ARIA) to ensure that use of AI remains both ethical and safe in hazardous contexts. Prior to the interview portion, Rob is joined by NCE senior reporter Tom Pashby to discuss all the recent developments with the Sizewell C nuclear plant including the funding agreement, recent work on site and appointment of a main civils contractor.

The latest episode of the Engineers Collective is out now: listen in on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, your usual platform or the player below.   After a busy month of infrastructure commitments from the UK government, host Rob Hakimian welcomes Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) director of policy and external affairs Sam Gould to the podcast to discuss it all.   They touch on spending settlements for England’s city regions to upgrade their transport offerings, investment in the railways via projects such as HS2 and East West Rail, the large financial commitments to nuclear energy including Sizewell C and small modular reactors (SMRs) and more.   Gould also talks about what the updates to the Green Book could mean for improving delivery of infrastructure and the certainty that the release of the 10 Year Infrastructure Strategy will bring to private entities looking to invest in the UK’s future.   Prior to the interview portion, Rob is joined by NCE senior reporter Tom Pashby to discuss the Industrial Strategy, specifically the way that it entwines the UK’s civil nuclear and defence nuclear sectors.

The latest episode of the Engineers Collective is out now: listen in on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, your usual platform or the player below. This month’s guest is WSP associate structural engineer Sally Walsh, who joins the podcast to discuss steel reuse in construction, specifically on the Elephant & Castle Town Centre scheme. The Elephant & Castle Town Centre scheme is regenerating a lively part of central London into a vibrant new mixed-use hub with ample living space, commercial offerings and public spaces. WSP is the structural and geotechnical engineer on the project and Sally has been at the heart of the decision-making, which has seen the firm push the contractor to utilise reused steel in some of the structures – a first for the consultant. In this discussion, we cover how the decision was made to make this WSP’s first project to attempt steel reuse, how it was implemented and the learnings – both positive and negative – that have come out of it. Sally and host Rob Hakimian then broaden out the discussion into how steel reuse could become business as usual in the sector – the types of projects where it is most suited, the barriers that stand in the way and the benefits that it could bring to the built environment. Prior to the interview portion, Rob is joined by NCE senior reporter Thomas Johnson to discuss recent revelations about the HS2 “bat shed” and the upcoming outcomes from the government’s Spending Review.

The latest episode of the Engineers Collective is out now: listen in on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, your usual platform or the player below. This month’s guest is Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) President Jim Hall, who joins host Rob Hakimian to discuss the work of the ICE in representing and supporting civil engineers in the modern construction and economic landscape. After getting to know Jim, hearing about his storied career and new role at the National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority (Nista), the discussion turns to emerging considerations in the sector, including the need to improve efficiency in the workforce and build infrastructure resilience. They discuss how digitisation is a growing tool in this field and how the ICE is seeking to foster collaboration through its knowledge services to bring forward cutting edge solutions. Lastly, they look ahead to what future civil engineers can expect and how the ICE is providing pathways to reflect the diversity of the profession and bring new talent into it. Before the interview section, Rob is joined by NCE senior report Tom Pashby to discuss the launch of Nista and infrastructure preparedness for space weather.

This month’s guest is Civic Engineers associate director Sam Harland who talks to host Rob Hakimian about the Building Safety Act 2022 and how it is changing the way that engineers are working. They talk about how it has introduced new processes, particularly for structural engineers like Harland, with the tightening of design competency requirements, the introduction of the gateway process and the creation of the Golden Thread for buildings. The discussion particularly focuses on what this means for works on existing buildings and how engineers now have to carry out extensive investigations to uncover their structural health and history. Harland also provides insight on how implementation of the Act has been difficult and how it might drive the future of the sector. Prior to the interview portion, Rob is joined by NCE senior reporters Thomas Johnson and Tom Pashby to discuss some of the reporting they have been doing on the Havant Thicket Reservoir, water quality in the River Thames and the protracted consenting process for the Aquind Interconnector.  

This month we’re discussing the Ofwat Innovation Fund and we’re joined by Ofwat director for environment and innovation Jo Jolly alongside representatives of two companies who have been part of innovations that have been boosted by the fund: Royal HaskoningDHV UK water sector director Paul Lavender and Changemaker 3D CEO and cofounder Natalie Wadley. The chat starts with a focus on how the Innovation Fund was set up and how it is helping to overcome issues that are being faced in the UK water sector. It then broadens into how it is encouraging greater collaboration between different parts of the sector and we hear firsthand from both Paul and Natalie about how their innovations have come together and how they are being put to use. We then look ahead at the future of the Innovation Fund, what’s next for the initiatives that have been developed through it and the bigger picture of how they will help long-term water security in the UK. You can find out more about the initiatives brought forward by the Innovation Fund through the learning reports at waterinnovation.challenges.org/insights Prior to the Ofwat section, host Rob Hakimian is joined by NCE senior reporters Tom Pashby and Thomas Johnson to talk about their recent reporting on plutonium stockpiles and groundwater flooding respectively.

This month’s guest is Ronan O’Driscoll, an engineer who has worked in a variety of sectors in his storied career – often in temporary works, which is what he is doing in his current role working on the construction of Hinkley Point C. Having amassed a wealth of knowledge over his time in the sector, O’Driscoll has put together a free-to-download guide called Construction Engineering – A Guide to Temporary Works in Construction & BS5975 : 2019. It collects together a vast range of temporary works practices, and you can acquire it, no email necessary, from constructionengineering.uk In the conversation, O’Driscoll tells host Rob Hakimian about his career and how he came to compile the nearly-900-page document. They then move on to discussing temporary works at large – the history, the variety, the importance, good practice, bad practice, misconceptions and more. Prior to the interview portion, Rob is joined by NCE senior reporter Tom Pashby to discuss the ever-increasing scrutiny on the cost of Sizewell C nuclear power station, before flipping over to defence nuclear to discuss a major opportunity for civils firms to gain work constructing a new nuclear weapons facility for AWE (the Atomic Weapons Establishment).

Our innovation experts Samuel Stephens, director, head of digital, nuclear at AtkinsRéalis and Angela MacOscar, director of innovation at Northumbrian Water, grill two innovators about their technology.  In this launch episode, recorded live at Techfest, they speak with FC Laboratories’ Matthew Norbury about their AI-powered wearable neurotech to support brain fitness, and Matt Barney, chief hydrogen officer at Geopura about their Hydrogen Power Unit, designed to replace diesel generator power on site. Hydrogen power units have the potential to decarbonise construction activity by replacing diesel generators with green hydrogen. But how is the low carbon nature of that hydrogen assured and how site-ready are these new units?  Wearable fitness and safety technology has come a long way, so can brain fitness neurotech help improve wellbeing and safety by identifying fatigue and stress for those working on site and in potentially high risk roles?  Listen to our podcast to find out!

This month’s guest is Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) trustee for policy and external affairs Jonathan Spruce, who joins host Rob Hakimian to discuss the trials of the UK’s megaproject High Speed 2

In the latest episode of The Engineers Collective from New Civil Engineer, host Rob Hakimian welcomes Professor John Orr from the Institution of Structural Engineers (IStructE) and Cambridge University Department of Engineering. They discuss the IStructE’s upcoming 2024 Structural Awards, which seeks to honour the outstanding structures from all over the globe that have been completed in the last year. After discussing the history of the awards and how they’ve evolved over the years, John talks about what the IStructE looks for in the outstanding candidates. These are centred around the four key judging attributes: planet, people, process and profession. John highlights four entries from this year’s Structural Awards, which offer variety of type, purpose and location and were emblematic of each of those four attributes. The discussion concludes with looking ahead to further editions of the Structural Awards and what factors John would like to see more of from entries going forward. Prior to the interview portion, Rob welcomes NCE’s senior reporters Tom Pashby and Thomas Johnson to discuss recent site visits to GE Vernova’s new valve manufacturing facility, Tottenham Hotspur’s stadium and under construction nuclear power plant Hinkley Point C.

The latest episode of the Engineers Collective is out now: listen in on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or your usual platform. This month we’re joined by the International Hydropower Association (IHA) to discuss the “grandfather” of renewable energy. IHA senior energy policy manager Rebecca Ellis chats to NCE news editor Rob Hakimian about the history and importance of pumped storage hydro, covering how it works, its ability to “store” energy and why this is so crucial as the world transitions to a zero carbon energy system. Rebecca also tells us about the engineering and risks involved with developing pumped storage hydro schemes, talks about the appetite for pumped storage hydro projects in the UK and around the globe and highlights some of the exciting new schemes and technologies that are emerging in the sector. Prior to the interview portion, Rob is joined by NCE senior reporter Tom Pashby to discuss the potential impact of Hinkley Point C on fish populations in the Bristol Estuary and how a recent legal ruling could impact its plans, as well as the news that Liverpool City Region’s Mersey Tidal barrage scheme is moving forward.

The latest episode of The Engineers Collective from New Civil Engineer is all about the development and construction of East West Rail (EWR), the brand new railway being built between Oxford and Cambridge. Our interviewee is former East West Rail Company innovation manager Daisy Chapman-Chamberlain, who was involved with all the future-facing elements of this exciting project. It should be noted that since this interview was recorded in early May she moved on to a new role at Transport for the North. Nevertheless, Chapman-Chamberlain’s insights about the way that EWR has been designed and specified to be a “railway fit for the future” are still relevant and pertinent not only to this project but to all railway developments. We also broaden out the conversation to hear her valuable insights on the state of the UK rail sector, innovating to improve areas including efficiency and accessibility, the challenges of inclusion and diversity in the rail sector and the prospect of rail reform. Prior to the interview section, NCE news editor and podcast host Rob Hakimian chats with senior reporter Tom Pashby about the first weeks of the new government and what the infrastructure, energy and railway Bills announced in the King’s Speech signal to the civil engineering sector.

In the new episode the we meet the authors of new book The Regenerative Structural Engineer, Oliver Broadbent and James Norman. The book, published by the Institution of Structural Engineers, draws on the two authors’ years of experience of civil and structural engineering. Today, Oliver is founder and co-leader of regenerative engineering training Constructivist and James is professor of sustainable design at the University of Bristol. Their passion for engineering and helping to promote the inherent benevolence of the vocation is clear in our discussion. We talk about the process of writing and designing The Regenerative Structural Engineer then dive into some of its themes including regenerative thinking, the construction site as a system, learning from living systems and transitioning to a future where healing the environment is a natural outcome of design, construction and engineering. Prior to that, the NCE team discusses the infrastructure related pledges in the manifestos of the major UK political parties as we build towards the General Election.

This month’s episode is dedicated to celebrating 40 years since Queen Elizabeth II officially opened the Thames Barrier in London, the engineering marvel that protects London from disastrous flooding. We speak to two engineers who worked on its construction, which commenced nearly half a century ago. Rory O’Grady was a section engineer for Costain on the project between 1975 and 1980 and has just published a book called We Gave A Dam: The Epic Race To Build The Thames Barrier, which recollects the people, struggles and ingenuity that contributed to the creation of the landmark infrastructure. We also have future ICE president Richard Bayfield who spent six months in the very early part of his career on the barrier as an assistant planning engineer for Costain. Together they discuss the Thames Barrier’s creation, its legacy and what its future looks like. Prior to that, host Rob Hakimian and NCE reporter Thomas Johnson briefly discuss the announcement of a General Election in the UK and what that means for the country’s major infrastructure projects and policies.

In this episode of The Engineers Collective we speak to ICE president Anusha Shah about the importance of biodiversity net gain (BNG). This year has seen BNG of 10% become mandatory for new developments. Shah has committed her year in office to pushing the agenda of nature-based solutions in civil engineering. The two themes are intertwined and she explains how they are essential for driving forward sustainability in the built environment and are essential in how construction must be shaped moving into the future. Prior to the interview, NCE editor Gavin Pearson, news editor Rob Hakimian and report Tom Johnson discuss some of the biggest stories of the last month. There is a chat about the Francis Scott Key collapse and what we have learned from the engineers they’ve spoken to, Tom talks about his chat with Jacobs about San Francisco’s hugely ambitious $13bn plan to protect against inevitable sea level rise and finally the trio discuss the latest developments at Everton FC’s new stadium on Merseyside.

In this month’s episode of The Engineers Collective podcast from New Civil Engineer we mark one year since the publication of the 2023 update to the PAS 2080 standard for carbon management in infrastructure.   We’ve gathered representatives from Mott MacDonald, the Department for Transport and Anglian Water to gain insight a series of roundtables held by Mott MacDonald where industry stakeholders discussed and debated how PAS 2080 should be implemented in their businesses and projects.   DfT head of systems Tom McLenachan tells us about the systems thinking outcomes from the roundtables, Mott MacDonald water and infrastructure technical principal Heather Marshall discusses the procurement outcomes from the debate and Anglian Water @one Alliance carbon sustainability manager Alex Herridge provides insight on the decision making outcomes from the discussions.   Prior to the interview portion, NCE editor Gavin Pearson, news editor Rob Hakimian and reporter Tom Johnson discuss some of the month’s biggest stories, touching on the lack of infrastructure in the recent Budget and Anglian Water’s development of its £2.2bn Fenlands Reservoir. Lastly, Tom tells us about his recent visit to the Woodsmith polyhalite mine in Yorkshire.   The Engineers Collective is available via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, A-cast, Stitcher, PodBean and via newcivilengineer.com/podcast

In this month’s episode of The Engineers Collective podcast from New Civil Engineer we speak to Julia Stevens, the chief executive of the Constructionarium, about how the facility is preparing budding construction workers and engineers for life on a work site. Stevens tells us about the Constructionarium, a 7.5ha site at Bircharm Newton in Norfolk, which features a range of work areas including scaled down rivers, lakes, stabilised flatlands, mountainous terrain. We hear about the rigorous week-long courses which encompass everything from pre-construction documentation to client engagement to the actual construction task itself. In this way, participants experience the true breadth of what it is like to work for a contractor. Prior to the interview portion, NCE editor Gavin Pearson, news editor Rob Hakimian and senior reporter Tom Pashby discuss some of the month’s biggest stories, touching on the draft Rail Reform Bill, the potential impacts of space weather on infrastructure and the need for resilience in the wake of the news that global temperatures breached the 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels barrier for a year straight.

This month’s episode of The Engineers Collective from New Civil Engineer focuses on the role that hydrogen could play in the global effort to transition to a zero-carbon world. International management consultancy Arthur D. Little recently put out a report entitled Hydrogen: The electroshock to the energy transition and in this episode NCE acting news editor Rob Hakimian is joined by three experts from the consultancy to discuss just how this might happen. They discuss where it’s already being used, the barriers to greater adoption, the UK’s recently published hydrogen strategy, National Highways’ commitment to using hydrogen plant on its landmark Lower Thames Crossing road tunnel and much more. Read Arthur D Little’s full report here. Prior to the interview portion, Rob is joined by NCE editor Gavin Pearson and reporter Tom Johnson to discuss some of the stories from the civil engineering world that have caught their attention in the early portion of 2024. They discuss Thames Water’s controversial Teddington Direct River Abstraction, the government’s pledge to work with the tidal range sector and Balfour Beatty’s ill-fated attempts to carry out net zero construction at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh.

The new episode of the Engineers Collective podcast is out now. This month’s episode focuses on ‘transforming infrastructure performance’. The UK’s Infrastructure and Projects Authority (IPA) released two papers, in 2017 and 2021, called Transforming infrastructure performance in which it set out a vision for the future of infrastructure delivery. This process embeds the use of modern tools and greater project integration to make delivery less expensive and less unpredictable, while increasing safety, learning, efficiency and future readiness. Since then, there have been regular Transforming Infrastructure Performance (TIP) live summits where stakeholders from government, consultants and engineering contractors convene to discuss the developments towards – and hurdles that stand in the way of – reaching the IPA’s vision for infrastructure delivery by 2030. This year saw TIP events in both Singapore and London, organised by Bentley Systems and supported by Turner & Townsend in association with the IPA. This year’s summits focused on the implementation of digital tools, artificial intelligence, creating more synergy between delivery bodies, utilisation of modern methods of construction, the need to upskill and maintain talent, decarbonisation and much more. More about the lessons shared at TIP and videos of some of the sessions can be found at infrastructurepolicyadvancement.com. On this month’s episode we have an international panel of experts who were involved in the TIP events in both Singapore and London, to discuss some of TIP 2023’s key themes even further. Alongside NCE assistant news editor Rob Hakimian, the panel includes Bentley Systems senior international director of infrastructure advancement Mark Coates, Turner & Townsend director, infrastructure and design management lead Glenda Ho and Turner & Townsend director of portfolio management Liam Bray. The panel starts by discussing what TIP is and why it is valuable, before moving onto some of the meaty topics. Opinions are shared on how AI can be used to support supply chains a sustainability before the discussions turns to how firms can further their adoption of new technologies. There are some interesting comparisons on the way infrastructure is delivered in both the UK and Singapore and how the two nations are approaching the challenge of net zero. There is also a debate about whether it is the clients holding back the implementation of new technologies in construction or whether the blame lies elsewhere. The panel then concludes by discussing what concrete steps need to be taken to ensure the industry is on course to meet the IPA’s expectations by 2030.

This episode focuses on the value of place making within construction and engineering projects. Place making is the practice of ensuring that a project goes beyond functionality and delivers something that benefits the society in which it is being constructed. It is ensuring that there is space above and around it for public use, which will bolster a community with new resources. Fitting in the requirements of a client while also providing wider benefit for the community can make place making feel like a difficult jigsaw, but it has wide-ranging knock-on effects that make it worthwhile. These include improved mental health, physical health, pride of place and economic uplift. These are long-term positives for a broad swatch of society. We’ve seen plenty of placemaking within cities with the likes of the Battersea and Nine Elms developments around the Northern Line extension or the creation of MediaCity at the previously derelict Salford Quay docklands. However, these types of regenerative projects can also be smaller but just as transformational in smaller locations. The guests joining NCE assistant news editor Rob Hakimian on this month’s episode have plenty of experience in place making initiatives. Alex Scott-Whitby is the founder and director of Scott Whitby Studios, the architectural firm that walked away with the Place Making Initiative of the Year award at this year’s British Construction Industry Awards for its Jubilee Pool project in Penzance – a project that is discussed in the podcast. Alongside Alex is Chris Short, iconic bridge director at Arcadis. Chris’ work also sees him sit on Arcadis’ infrastructure group, which focuses on urban development – something that he is passionate about. In this conversation, Alex and Chris discuss the importance of place making and how it should be embedded into projects. They talk specifically about the ScottWhitby Studio’s Jubilee Pool and the benefits it has brought to the people of Penzance. They also discuss the makeup of the current urban landscape and how it can be redressed to better serve the public. The discussion also takes a broader view to discuss the implementation of place making; who has the responsibility to make sure it happens and what is the best way for those working on a project to bring it into a design. Lastly, they look to the future to imagine what towns and cities might look and feel like in the future if place making is instilled in all future developments.