Built Environment

A timber pavilion featured at the 2021 London Design Biennale explored how we can use nature based solutions to build back better and address the challenges of the built environment including the climate crisis. Unfolding – created by the Centre for Natural Material Innovation at the University of Cambridge, with partners...

Cross-discipline collaboration, cultural barriers and compelling questions. Better data can help us understand the complex interactions between the urban systems we create and the natural systems in which they operate. Such an understanding would underpin our ability to meet important environmental targets such as Net Zero...

In a proof-of-concept collaboration between TWI Ltd and the University of Cambridge and enabled by the Construction Innovation Hub, researchers have developed a sustainable process to rapidly join timber elements using linear friction welding. Two years into the project they have been able to join pieces of wood in two to...

screenshot_2021-04-21_at_14.20.53.png A bold new Vision for the Built Environment is published today (Thursday 22 April). With contributions from over 75 industry leaders and endorsed by more than 35 cross industry bodies spanning the UK built environment sector, the Vision describes the future we want: a built environment...

prlcess_model.png If we are to achieve more from the built environment, it essential that we better understand the information required in its planning, design, construction and management. This information needs to be able to be shared and aggregated in a way that is effective, resilient and secure. This is critical not...

Dr Sakthy Selvakumaran , Department of Engineering at the University of Cambridge, and Dr Cristian Rossi , Satellite Applications Catapult, call for infrastructure owners to work with the research teams leading cutting-edge work exploring the capabilities of satellite tools to better monitor assets. This research builds on...

A major rail upgrade programme to remove a bottleneck on the West Coast Main Line saw collaboration between Atkins, Laing O’Rourke, Volker Rail and Network Rail. The Stafford Area Improvement Programme included construction of a number of new bridges designed by Atkins using Building Information Modelling (BIM) from the...