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Transcript of Evolution Magazine May 2010
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evolutionMay 2010
sharing knowledge, building best practice
Celebrating50 Years
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www.ciria.org2
Editorial
Con
tents
The UN climate change talks in April
ended with agreement to intensify
the meeting schedule and achieve a
strong outcome in Mexico at the endof 2010. The UNFCCC process
recognises that the only way to
overcome complex issues is through
dialogue and collaboration.
Collaboration has formed the basis
of CIRIAs work for 50 years. To mark
our anniversary we have included in
this issue a quick tour of some of the
highlights of CIRIAs past, present
and future.
Climate change also provides a
common thread for three of the
articles in this issue of Evolution.
Brian McDonald of Natural England
examines the role of green
infrastructure in creating sustainable
communities that can help society
adapt to the effects of climate
change and improve peoples health
and quality of life through regular
contact with nature. Green
infrastructure includes green roofs,
which are increasingly popular. To
introduce the topic, Louise Clarke
describes the different types of green
roofs and their benefits. This will befollowed in September by the second
World Green Roof Congress being
organised in London by CIRIA and
Livingroofs.org
Our third article looks at the loss of
essential services during extreme
CIRIA 2010
Evolution is published by
CIRIA
Classic House,
174180 Old Street,
London, EC1V 9BP, UK
Tel +44 (0)20 7549 3300
Fax +44 (0)20 7253 0523
ISSN No. 01402817
3
Members update
4
Green infrastructure
6
Benefits of green roofs
8
Climate change effects on ageing
infrastructure
10
CIRIA turns 50
12
CEEQUAL Scheme
14
Getting design for movement
right
16
Keeping up-to-date
17
Latest CIRIA courses
18
New and forthcoming titles
19
Getting on top of top events
Bill Healy
Chief Executive
Evolution is printed with vegetable inks on
paper comprising 75 per cent post-consumer
waste and 25 per cent ECF recycled paper.
Photograph acknowledgements
Front cover M1 J6A-10 widening gantry
installation, Matthew Walter,
Balfour Beatty SKANSKA
Page 45 Chris Gibson and Natural England
Page 67 Dusty Gedge, Livingroofs.org
Page 9 Stephen Hird, Reuters
Page 15 Reuters
Box 3, Stuart Alexander
Page 19 London Fire Brigade
weather events such as the flooding
of summer 2007 and the snowfall
between December 2009 and
January 2010. Ben Kidd explainshow the experience of these events
together with acceptance of
predicted climate change have raised
the profile of the need for greater
stakeholder collaboration and
prioritised investment to bring about
improved infrastructure resilience.
Change sometimes needs a helping
hand. CEEQUAL is an assessment
and awards scheme for civil
engineering projects that go beyond
minimum requirements for
environmental and socialperformance. Philip Charles explains
how it works.
The final articles in this issue invite
you to get involved. We revisit one of
CIRIAs structural engineering guides:
Design for movement in buildings.
Stuart Alexander makes the case for
updating and invites contributions
and case studies. In Viewpoint, Mike
Cross (HSE) argues for better
understanding of major incidents. Do
we need a new approach to risk
management? Contact us tocontribute to the debate.
TheM1,whichalsorecentlycelebratedits50than
niversary
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CIRIA NewsThe International Levee
Handbook
International collaboration involving
Germany, France, Ireland, the
Netherlands, UK and the USA has
already resulted in an extensive
exchange of knowledge on this topic
and this will be consolidated into a
handbook. Work on the project
started with an investigating study.
This involved several internationalworkshops as well as site visits to
illustrate both the devastation and
the remedial works undertaken
following hurricane Katrina (USA) and
Xynthia (France). Contact:
Lean construction
Increased interest is being shown in
lean principles, accentuated partly by
the current economic climate and
the appreciation of the need to do
more with less. This project willgenerate industry consensus and
momentum for the application of
lean in construction. Contact:
Slips and trips update
The popularity of CIRIAs guide,
including its adoption by the
transport sector, together with rapid
progress being made in materials
and applications led CIRIA to produce
this supplement. Key messages are
identified and issues for clients,manufacturers and other
stakeholders are highlighted.
Contact: [email protected]
Alternative views on
radiological risk estimation
CIRIAs nuclear networks exemplify
our role in bringing together different
stakeholders. This position paper
aims to provide a balanced view
taking into account the perspectives
of campaigning organisations,
government organisations, and thoseof site licensed companies, regulators
and other industry professionals.
Contact: [email protected]
SuDS National Standards
CIRIAs involvement in sustainable
drainage spans over a decade, and
has been selected to lead the
consortium providing technical
advice to DEFRA and CLG on the
development of these standards.
Contact: [email protected]
Designing against crime
and disorderThe design of urban areas can affect
the rate of crime and by improving
the urban environment it can act as
a deterrent and create greater
ownership of places that helps
reduce crime. CIRIA is developing
guidance exploring how planners and
designers of the built environment
can respond to the issues arising
from threats to social well-being and
infrastructure. Contact:
Transport infrastructure
drainage: condition
appraisal and remedial
treatment (RP941)
CIRIA are well placed to highlight the
link between poorly maintained
drainage systems and the incidence
of earthwork and pavement failures.
This research project will develop
good practice guidance on the whole-
life management of drainage assets.
Contact: [email protected]
Under the sea Geo-Seas
CIRIA is involved with an EU FP7
project that combines 26 marine
geological and geophysical data
centres across 17 European
maritime countries. The survey
covered topics such as requirements
on geological/geophysical seabed
data products, the needs for
standardisation and harmonisation
and also the requirements for
viewing and access services.
Contact: [email protected]
Sound foundations
geotechnical issues in
construction
At this second annual workshop,
delegates discussed a series of
topics ranging from pile head
snapping to electronic data formats.
The papers, prepared by a range of
industry professionals, have now
been published. Contact:[email protected]
Online training
contaminated land
CIRIAs extensive range of work on
contaminated land now includes a
recently launched online course. The
course is aimed at graduates and
more experienced professionals
working in contaminated land for the
first time. Contact:
3
This selection of recent projects illustrates the breadth and relevance of CIRIAs work. It
underlines the continuing importance of CIRIAs research process involving collaboratively-
funded projects, with specialist industry teams commissioned to produce the guidance:
Update of construction over abandoned mine workings
Mitigation and remediation of volatile organic compounds
Sustainable procurement in construction
Design for movement in structures update (scoping)
Design against crime and disorder
Lean construction
Update of environmental good practice site guide
Conservation and enhancement of biodiversity in civil engineering projects
Large trees in the urban landscape design and management guide
Infrastructure drainage: condition appraisal and remedial treatment
International levee handbook scoping study
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Natural developments thatinspire our livesBrian McDonald from
Natural England discusses
their new green
infrastructure project
The beauty and wonder of thenatural environment inspires and
enriches our lives. It plays an
important role in creating
sustainable communities, can help
us adapt to the effects of climate
change and improve peoples health
and quality of life through regular
contact with nature.
Natural England, the governments
advisor on natural environment,
aims to deliver these benefits close
to where people live and work
through a new project that
encapsulates the concept of green
infrastructure.
A natural development project,
already supported by Arup, Barking
Riverside, Land Securities and
Countryside Properties, will highlight
best practice and raise the standard
of design and delivery for green
infrastructure across the country.
The project aims to ensure that
green infrastructure is woven into
urban development. This will either
be by incorporating it into newdevelopments or by adapting existing
buildings or areas, to deliver locally
distinctive places that work with
nature.
Green infrastructure provides the
environmental foundation that
supports the function, health, wealth
and identity of our communities. Set
within, between and beyond our
urban areas, it provides a structured
network of multi-functional open
spaces and natural assets that
include trees, parks, gardens,
allotments, cemeteries, living roofs,
woodlands, green corridors, rivers
and waterways.
Natural England believes that these
green places need to be integrated
into the planning, design and
management of our towns and cities
for the many benefits they present to
society. For example, green
infrastructure can help reducecarbon, generate renewable energy,
raise air quality, enhance biodiversity
and water management, increase
local food production and promote
healthy communities. These
ecosystem services are essential
ingredients for successful places,
and research states:
a wooded park can filter out 85
per cent of air pollutants and a
street lined with trees by up to 70
per cent
people who live within 500 m of a
quality greenspace are 24 per
cent more active. Increasing
exercise levels of just one per
cent of the UKs population would
save lives and deliver nearly
1.5bn in health care savings
in heat waves urban greening
can cool the city by as much as
4C, while green roofs slow down
the runoff of stormwater into our
already overburdened drainage
system.
The natural development project
condenses the benefits of green
infrastructure into four key areas:
1 Natural signature: distinctive
landscapes with more wildlife
and ecological connections
shaped by peoples needs.
2 Natural resilience: the greening
of towns and cities that
contribute to climate changeadaptation through flood
management and urban cooling.
3 Natural health service:
accessible natural green spaces
close to where people live and
work, providing opportunities for
healthy living.
4 Natural connections: children
play in wildlife rich spaces and
adults are involved in
environmental activities,
reinforcing a sense of place and
ownership.
Poul Christensen, Chair of Natural
England said:
A natural development
presents a great opportunity for
the development and
environment sectors to work
closely together in greening
urban development. Green
spaces transform urban life by
cooling our cities, filtering out
pollutants, improving peoples
health, supporting wildlife and
creating attractive places to live
and work in. Incorporating green
infrastructure into the very core
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www.ciria.org 5
of spatial planning and urban
design would deliver countless
benefits for our cities and theirinhabitants.
Peter Head, Director at Arup and
champion for innovation and
enterprise in the Thames Gateway
said:
I am very supportive of
developing understanding of how
important green infrastructure is
for economic vitality, good health
and happiness. We can bring
these benefits to existing
communities as part of improved
low carbon place making and
enable people to live in harmony
with and enjoy the natural world.
This should be central to all low
carbon housing retrofit.
Brian McDonald from Natural
England said:
Our aim, through projects such
as natural development, is to
work with partners to help deliver
locally distinctive places that work
with nature to deliver a wide
range of benefits: for health andwell-being, climate change
adaptation and reconnecting
people with nature.
Natural England views green
infrastructure as critical to
regeneration projects and is involved
in the delivery of 95 green
infrastructure projects across the
country, from Plymouth and Bristol in
the south-west, to the urban fringe of
Darlington and Newcastle in the
north-east. They are also working
with their partners within the growth
areas, growth points and proposed
ecotowns to prepare and adopt
green infrastructure strategies and
demonstrate good practice on the
ground.
The organisation has also recently
published guidance to outline its
position in relation to green
infrastructure, planning and delivery
(Natural England, 2009). Aimed at
local authorities and developers, it
articulates the importance of early
planning for green infrastructure and
integrating green infrastructure
strategies within spatial planning.
Sustainable drainage
Using sustainable drainage systems
(SuDS) to manage surface water can
dramatically improve the urban
environment through the use of
landscaped SuDS components and
interaction with nature and water.
SuDS should include landscape
integrated into the local community
providing a valued and attractive
contribution to green infrastructure as
well as managing flood risk and water
quality.
CIRAs new guidance Planning for
SuDS making it happen will be
published in 2010. This guide will
focus on the delivery of SuDS within
the planning and development
process ensuring successful
sustainable drainage is effectively
specified by planners and delivered by
developers.
Recognising the vital contribution that
spatial planning and urban design
make to the delivery of SuDs, CIRIA is
in the early stages of developing a
proposal to produce an urban design
toolkit for SuDs. This toolkit will
identify and explain the principles of
SuDs, and demonstrate their
suitability for a variety of new build
and retrofit applications. The proposal
will highlight their multi-functionality
including how they add to local place
making and place shaping as well as
green infrastructure.
For further information on these
initiatives please contact Paul Shaffer,
CIRIA, at: [email protected]
Conservation and enhancing
biodiversity within civil
engineering projects
The delivery of infrastructure provides
valuable opportunities to deliver green
infrastructure including habitats forwildlife and areas of open space for
amenity and recreation. This gives
attractive natural corridors through
what otherwise would be unattractive
often intensively developed areas.
CIRIA is currently developing guidance
to combine information available on
the multiple opportunities presented
by infrastructure assets and their
surrounding landscape. The guidance
will go beyond regulatory compliance
exploring imaginative opportunities for
organisations to contribute to local
biodiversity and green infrastructure
through the delivery and managementof infrastructure assets.
For further information on this
proposal please contact Philip Charles,
CIRIA, at: [email protected]
Clapton Park Estate Flowers
To find out more and sign up to the
natural development project please
visit:
www.naturalengland.org.uk
Natural Englands Green
infrastructure guidance (NE176) canbe downloaded from:
www.naturalengland.org.uk
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Louise Clarke explores the
benefits of this increasingly
popular form of
construction and the
forthcoming London World
Green Roof Congress
Londons parks have long been
recognised as having a range of
ecological, recreational and other
benefits. In terms of scale, the
benefits of a green roof may not be
clear until you consider that
Londons green roofs cover an area
equivalent to Hyde Park.
Green roofs use vegetation and soil
to provide a sustainable roofing
solution. They have multiple benefits
and are steadily becoming amainstream technology, and are
increasingly being recognised as an
important resource that can help
adapt and mitigate the effects of
climate change.
Green roofs are a useful way to add
vegetation to otherwise wasted
space. Conventional roofs add little
benefit to the surrounding
environment and are often a
missed opportunity. Space in urban
areas is limited especially green
open space so there is theopportunity to use roof space to
gain multiple benefits. Roofs can
have substantial benefits if they are
used as a resource to create green
spaces providing environmental and
amenity benefits.
The term green roofs refers to
several different types of roofs that
have vegetation on them including
living roofs, brown roofs, terraces
and balconies. Green roofs can be
included in new buildings and
retrofitted on existing roofs.Retrofitting green roofs can be
particularly beneficial when space is
limited.
The main types of green roofs are
extensive, simple intensive and
intensive:
extensive roofs have thin soils
that consist of drought and wind
tolerant plants including sedums,
other succulents and wildflowers.
They have minimal maintenance
and are not normally designed to
be accessible
simple intensive often consists of
lawns or ground covering plants
that need regular maintenance
intensive roofs are gardens and
parks or even semi natural
woodland at roof level and are
usually accessible to people.
Here vegetation includes scrubs,
trees, beds and lawns and
requires regular maintenance.
Benefits of green roofs
Green roofs have multiple benefits
for the environment, our health and
well-being. They also add to the
green infrastructure of urban areas,
which is increasingly being seen asan important part of adapting and
mitigating the effects of climate
change. They are a practical way of
reducing building running costs,
reducing the negative development
impacts of climate change and
increasing the quality of the urban
environment. These factors are
achieved through increased thermal
performance, improved water
quantity and quality, enhancing
biodiversity and improving amenity.
Thermal performance
The inclusion of green roofs in urban
areas can help reduce the urban
heat island effect (UHI). UHI is
created by surfaces such as
pavement and conventional roofs
that absorb solar energy, which then
radiates as heat. This raises the
temperature of urban areas by
several degrees compared to thesurrounding rural areas. High
temperatures in urban areas causes
more air conditioning units to be
used resulting in increased energy.
Green roofs can help reduce the
effects of UHI as less heat is
radiated in the atmosphere, and the
thermal performance of buildings
increases by reducing the need for
air conditioning and providing
insulation in winter. This helps
reduce the daily range of
temperatures in buildings.
Water
Green roofs can provide significant
benefits through surface water
management. They help reduce the
peak rate of runoff and are
important components of
sustainable drainage systems
(SuDS). Also, they are major source
Gardens in the sky
Green roof at Roman Fort, Plochingen, Stuttgart
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control mechanism in the SuDSmanagement train.
Green roofs can help reduce the
pollution from rainfall runoff.
Pollutants on roof surfaces can
include dust or contaminants
dissolved in rainwater. Green roofs
can retain and bind these pollutants
improving the water quality of runoff
to the receiving watercourse.
Biodiversity
Green roofs have considerable
biodiversity benefits by providingliving space for plants and animals.
They can help provide new habitat
areas supporting a variety of plants
and more habitat for rare species
especially those associated with
brownfield land and open space.
Green roofs are particularly
significant in urban areas as they
give valuable habitats in areas that
are often lacking in biodiversity. They
can also play an important role of
providing links and connections
between existing habitats helping toprovide corridors for wildlife through
urban areas.
Amenity
Amenity provides both tangible and
intangible benefits to a development
or property. The amenity of an area
can increases its attractiveness and
value while adding to the comfort
and convenience of the community.
Green roofs give amenity to places by
increasing open space, adding to the
green infrastructure and providing
visual benefits to developments and
the community.
World Green Roof Congress
The World Green Roof Congress
(WGRC) will be held on 1516
September 2010 in London. It is an
opportunity for experts from across
the world to showcase green roofs
and walls. The idea of the Congress
is to bring together the latest
research from around the world and
leading international figures in the
green roof world, to continue to
stimulate innovation and uptake of
this important element within the
sustainability agenda.
Green roofs are common throughout
Germany, Switzerland and Austria. In
the UK they have slowly evolved into
the mainstream in the last 10 years.
In London there are examples of all
types of green roofs including the
highest in Europe, if not the world, at
Barclays Headquarters in Canary
Wharf. Others include a park/garden
at the top of Canon Street station
and the famous Kensington Gardens.
In London there is now estimated to
be in the region of 500 000 m of
green roofs. Although this is quite a
large area and demonstrates that
green roofs have joined the
mainstream, this is relatively small
when compared to other leading
green roofs cities in the world such
as Stuttgart and Basel. The WGRC is
an opportunity to discuss how their
delivery can be progressed and
achieve mainstream inclusion in
buildings.
This Congress will be the third such
event. The first WGRC was held in
Basel, Switzerland followed by
London in 2008. The previous event
in London attracted over 300
delegates from around 15 countries.
The Congress in 2008 was a
resounding success both in the
numbers of people attending, and
the satisfaction of sponsors,
speakers and delegates. The event
was a great opportunity for learning
about research and gave plenty oftime for networking and promotional
activities.
Dusty Gedge, president of the EFB
and director of Livingroofs.org
commented on the WGRC:
I am really excited that
Livingroofs.org and CIRIA are
again bringing the latest in green
roofs to London in 2010. The
WGRC 2010 should ensure that
not only green roofs continue to
develop and to be used in the UK
but will ensure that London isrecognised as pushing the
boundaries of green roofs in the
world.
The Congress will provide a platform
for communication in the latest
research, case studies and policy
initiatives. It will focus on what can
be done to fully exploit the multiple
benefits of green roofs in adapting to
climate change and strive to create
innovation, encouraging the use and
adoption of green roofs.
There are many benefits of green
roofs for the built environment
including helping achieve climate
change adaptation and mitigation.
They also offer wider social benefits
and their inclusion is becoming more
mainstream. The WGRC provides an
opportunity to raise their profile and
increase their use.
There are several ways to get involved
with the Congress. Opportunities
range from speaking, arranging a
green roof tour, to sponsoring theconference and related events. For
further information please visit:
www.worldgreenroofcongress.com
Green roof at Canary Wharf, London
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Infrastructure resilience foran uncertain futureBen Kidd highlights the
difficulties facing ageing
infrastructure in becoming
more resilient and
adaptable to future climate
scenarios
Introduction
The loss of essential services, such
as power, water, transport and
telecommunications during the flood
events of summer 2007 highlighted
that disruption to service of this
critical infrastructure can have direct
effects on both society and the
economy. Other high consequence
events such as the disruption caused
by large snowfall between December2009 and January 2010, where
significant strain was put on road grit
resources, add weight to the need for
further research into methods and
technologies. This will help to
improve the resilience of our nations
critical legacy infrastructure.
The experience of such large scale
extreme weather events, together
with acceptance of predicted climate
change effects, have raised the
profile of the need for greater
stakeholder collaboration and
prioritised investment to bring about
improved resilience.
The challenge
The UK has a large stock of legacy
infrastructure. Much of this dates
back to Victorian times when
engineering designs were good, but
have since fallen into disrepair
through lack of maintenance or now
require enhancement to cope with
increased incidents of extreme
weather.
Devolution and privatisation of the
utilities sector has introduced new
challenges with a significantly
increased number of stakeholders
and geographical/legislative
boundaries requiring increased
knowledge sharing and co-
ordination.
The difficulty in co-ordinating the
prioritisation of investment, with
each infrastructure sector having
different funding sources and
regulatory regimes, increases the
scale of the challenge.
Strategic level resilience
Increasing awareness of
interdependencies between
infrastructure assets and the need
for a co-ordinated effort to build
levels of resilience led to the
formation of the Natural Hazards
Team (NHT) within the Cabinet Office
in 2009, which sits as part of the
existing Civil Contingencies
Secretariat.
Given the co-ordination challenges
described before, the NHT is well
placed to affect change right across
the UK, since the Civil Contingencies
Act (CCA) provides a common
framework for all stakeholders and
devolved powers. For example,
measures to mitigate one of the
most prominent hazards to UK
infrastructure flooding are oftenconstrained by a raft of different
legislation and guidance across
geographical boundaries. The CCA is
also clear on roles and
responsibilities, something that is
altogether more complex on the
issue of flood risk management,
although this is due to be clarified via
the Flood and Water Management
Bill.
The NHT has recently published their
Strategic framework and policy
statement (Cabinet Office, 2009),which gives details of the process,
timetable and expectations for their
critical infrastructure resilience
programme (CIRP). During 2009 the
government departments
responsible for each of the nine
sectors of national infrastructure
(communications, emergency
services, energy, finance, food,
government, health, transport andwater) assessed the current
vulnerability of their sector from
flooding. A summary of the findings,
produced as Sector resilience plans
(Cabinet Office, 2010a), was
published in March 2010, two years
after being recommended in The Pitt
Review: learning lessons from the
2007 floods (Cabinet Office, 2008).
The Cabinet Office have also
published Interim guidance for the
economic regulated sectors (Cabinet
Office 2010b), identifying
considerations for industry on howthey may be able to support
resilience building.
There are also several other cross-
government initiatives that relate to
the resilience agenda, none more so
than the Climate Change Adaptation
programme. This programme is
bringing about a transition in
adaptation, and so resilience, to
climate change through the
requirement for formal reporting
under the Climate Change Act 2008.
This will require a significant culturalchange for most infrastructure asset
owner organisations.
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Emergency service personnel attend the flooded Castlemeads power station, Gloucester
www.ciria.org 9
Resilience to flooding
A cultural change is alreadyunderway, which should improve the
resilience of new-built infrastructure
to flooding. This is by the setting up
of Infrastructure UK and the
Infrastructure Planning Commission,
the latter suitably chaired by Sir
Michael Pitt, author of the review of
the summer 2007 floods (Cabinet
Office, 2008). Linking with existing
planning guidance we can be
confident that the new generation of
infrastructure projects will
incorporate appropriate levels of
flood resilience.
However, the implementation of flood
resistance and resilience measures
is most challenging, when appliedretrospectively to existing stocks of
legacy infrastructure in the UK. The
existing regulatory context is highly
complex and is further complicated
by different sectors having differing
planning and investment periods. A
recent CIRIA publication, Flood
resilience and resistance for critical
infrastructure (McBain et al, 2010),
presents an evidence base of the
work that has been undertaken to
date to improve the flood resilience
of the UKs critical infrastructure
asset stock. The publication is
supported by case studies on current
flood risk management approaches
and investment prioritisation for
critical infrastructure, from both
within the UK and internationally.
Building in resilience for an
uncertain future
The most effective way to build in
resilience is for improvement
measures to be included as an
integral part of individual
organisations business continuity
management processes, whole-life
asset management plans and climate
change adaptation strategies.
Co-ordination of collective individual
effort and prioritisation of the overall
spend on resilience measures in the
UK could be supported by the
adoption of a National Infrastructure
Bank, as proposed by the Institution
of Civil Engineers in May 2009 (New
Civil Engineer, 2009). This is likely to
be a topic of discussion in the lead
up to the forthcoming generalelection. The idea of a National
Infrastructure Bank would be to
leverage public funds with private
capital. This approach will be
essential if the UK is to progress with
the implementation of increased
resilience for our critical
infrastructure in the current
economic climate.
In December 2009 Hilary Benn MP
and Secretary of State for
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
called on the engineering sector to
lead the design and build of a
climate change resilient Britain
(Defra, 2009). With climate change
comes an increased level of
uncertainty. This then adds a further
dimension to sustainable
construction, requiring a project to
not only satisfy economic, social and
environmental requirements, butalso to be adaptable to take account
of different future conditions that
may exist over the considerable
lifetime of such infrastructure.
The first step required will be the
development of a common approach
for all involved. Through the inception
of cross-government initiatives on
climate change adaptation and
critical infrastructure resilience we
may see the development of a
climate change resilient Britain.
References
CABINET OFFICE (2008) The Pitt Review: learning lessons from the 2007 floods. Go to:
www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk
CABINET OFFICE (2009) Strategic framework and policy statement. Go to:
www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk
CABINET OFFICE (2010a) Sector resilience plans. Go to: www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk
CABINET OFFICE (2010b) Interim guidance for the economic regulated sectors. Go to:
www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk
DEFRA (2009) Hilary Benn calls on engineering sector to lead the design and build of a
climate change resilient Britain. Ref 281/09. Go to: www.defra.gov.uk
MCBAIN, W, WILKES, D and RETTER, M (2010) Flood resilience and resistance for criticalinfrastructure. C688, CIRIA, London (ISBN: 978-086017-688-6). Go to:
www.ciria.org/service/c688
NCE (2009) ICE calls for national infrastructure bank. Go to: www.nce.co.uk
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www.ciria.org10
50 years of engaging
with industry
CERC was set up in 1960 with a
Council including the Institution of
Civil Engineers, the Federation of
Civil Engineering Contractors, the
Association of Consulting Engineers
and the Department of Scientific and
Industrial Research. Advisory
committees the forerunners of the
current advisory panels were put inplace to provide access to specialist
industrial knowledge.
By 1963, 15 projects were underway
and CERC produced its first
publication Interim Research Report 1
Research into the design of arch
dams. The price was 10/-. In 1968,
CIRIA produced its first Technical
Note Factors influencing the erosion
of concrete by cavitation (TN1) for
members only.
Towards the end of the 1960s the
Underwater Engineering Group (UEG)was formed. Reports produced by the
UEG are still being sold by Amazon.
CIRIA became recognised as a bridge
between research and practice,
leading to collaboration with other
researchers and industry
associations. In 1974 the
Department of the Environment
placed a contract with CIRIA to lead a
major co-operative programme on
R&D into piling problems. The
guidance produced became an
industry standard for the next 25
years.
I sat on CIRIAs Geotechnical
Advisory Board in the early 1970s
when we suggested that CIRIA
should focus on producing
practical guidance. I was not the
only voice expressing this view
but how right it has proved! The
guides CIRIA produces are
excellent.
John Burland, Emeritus Professor and
Senior Research Investigator,Imperial College, London
Arup and CIRIA have collaborated
closely on numerous projects.
CIRIA doesnt just engage key
stakeholders, but gets them to
participate actively in research.
Our recent work together on the
flood resilience of the UKs critical
infrastructure is a great example
of the value added by CIRIAs truly
collaborative approach.
Will McBain, Associate, Arup
At the start of the 1980s CIRIA
organised a national forum on quality
assurance in construction, leading to
a suite of publications and a video on
this important new topic.
Trenching practice was published to
help improve safe design and
working. The guide is still in print.
Work began on Scope for control ofurban runoff the start of CIRIAs
influential work on sustainable urban
drainage. Also in the 1980s, CIRIA
ran projects on the use of vegetation
in civil engineering, protection of river
and canal banks and the design of
reinforced grass waterways
marking the start of a programme of
activities relating to biodiversity in
buildings and infrastructure.
CIRIA also began an international
collaborative project on quarried rock
slope protection.
BAM Nuttall is very proud to be a
long standing CIRIA member. We
are currently involved in CIRIAs
work on sustainable procurement,
lean construction and
environmental good practice.
Our staff place enormous value
on CIRIA guides and the
networking opportunities
presented by CIRIA events.
Derek Ross, Director Business Process
and Sustainability, BAM Nuttall Ltd
1960sCivil Engineering Research Council
(CERC) formed to raise money from
industry and plan research. In 1967
the name is changed to CIRIA
reflecting a broader construction
remit
1970sCIRIAs committee structure
reorganised to focus on membership
and research management. The
successful model of collaboration
with specialists was born. CIRIA
News introduced
1980sNew formats and media for CIRIA
publications, including a video on
Quality assurance in construction
and the first site guide Setting-out
procedures. The guide was designed
to fit in a donkey jacket pocket
When the construction
community supports an
independent research
association for 50 years,
its a sure sign of a good
thing. Heres a quick tour of
some of the highlights of
CIRIAs past, present andfuture in our own words,
and in the words of some
of our stakeholders.
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CIRIAs Building on derelict land was
published, leading to a suite of
guidance on contaminated land. The
Site safety handbookwas published
in 1992, adding to the successful
site guide series. Other best selling
publications launched in the 1990s
were the first Beach management
manual and further publications on
SuDS.
If you were to ask anyone
involved in the remediation of
contaminated land in the UK
about valuable publications, they
would almost certainly name
CIRIAs publications. I value my
relationship with CIRIA. It is a
privilege to participate in the
preparation of CIRIA guides.
Valerie Fogleman, Consultant,
Stevens & Bolton LLP and
Professor of Law, Cardiff University
CIRIA made its first moves into
training with the launch of a CDM
training pack for designers -- the first
of several such publications.
Balfour Beatty Civil Engineering
has been a CIRIA member for
many years. We actively encourage
our young professionals to use the
CIRIA website for practical
solutions to site problems and for
CPD.
John Hodgkins, Head of Technical
and Engineering Development,Balfour Beatty Civil Engineering
The contaminated land programme
took a step forward in 2002 with the
establishment of the Local Authority
Contaminated Land (LACL) network.
In 2005 Environmental good
practice on site was launched. The
handbook is CIRIAs best selling
publication. A third edition will be
launched in 2010.
HSE has worked closely with
CIRIA on many projects. We
benefit from contributing to
informative, authoritative guides
that are widely used by industry.
For example, the UXO guide is one
that HSE could never have
produced in on its own.
Donald Lamont, HM Principal Specialist
Inspector, Health and Safety Executive
Also in this decade CIRIA won a
consortium bid to set up the Scottish
Construction Centre and published a
second edition of The Rock manual
an example of international
collaboration. Other publications
included Unexploded ordnance
(UXO).
Crossrail has collaborated
successfully with CIRIA on the
recent UXO project. Our
discussions led to expansion of
the report brief to cover the risk to
construction of UXOs.
Rob Paris, Head of Planning,
Environment and Transport,
Crossrail Ltd
CIRIA was established as an industry
research and information
organisation developing and
championing performance
improvement across all areas of the
construction industry and built
environment. It has remained true to
its origins, and in 2010 we are still
delivering a broad programme of
research projects, networks,
publications, training and events.
The need for collaborative research
continues to grow. Economic
pressures demand ever more
efficient solutions, and policy and
regulatory pressures drive towards
more sustainable, low carbon,
solutions. The increasing pace of
change in technology, materials and
processes creates an increasing
array of new opportunities.
CIRIA will remain an independent
and impartial organisation that isguided by its members and senior
figures from a wide range of industry
stakeholders. We will continue to
maintain and develop our activities
to reflect the increasingly demanding
requirements placed on the built
environment. We will also continue to
develop and apply new approaches
and technology to help support both
collaboration and promotion of
business and delivery improvement.
The future holds significant
challenges. I have no doubt thatCIRIAs members and supporters will
work together to meet those
challenges.
1990sCIRIA Core Programme launched in
1991, closely followed by two
networks: the CIEF and the CPN.
CIRIAs first corporate website
launched
2000sCIRIA training launched to help
industry implement guidance. After
37 years in Westminster, CIRIA
moved to offices in Old Street
The futureChief Executive Bill Healy sets out his
vision for CIRIAs future. The focus
continues on independence,
collaboration, membership and
engagement with industry
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Environmental projects getthe thumbs upPhilip Charles discusses
the CEEQUAL Scheme
assessing the
environmental and social
performance of civil
engineering and public
realm projects
Civil engineering and public realm
projects are vital to supporting the
industrial, economic and societal
fabric of the UK. However, how can
you ensure such projects perform
well from environmental and social
viewpoints?
Since its inception 10 years ago,
CEEQUAL has become the accepted
UK industry assessment scheme for
major civil engineering clients,
designers and contractors, being
applied to over 13bn worth of
projects. CEEQUAL is the assessment
and awards scheme for improving
sustainability in civil engineering and
the public realm.
CEEQUAL aims to deliver improved
project specification, design and
construction by acknowledging
commitment to go beyond minimum
legal and environmental
requirements. Project teams
undertake a verified, self-assessment
process for their projects, which
involves considering 12 areas:
overarching project management
environmental issues: use of
water, energy and carbon, land-
use, ecology, landscape, noise
and dust, cultural heritage, waste
minimisation and management
social issues: effects onneighbours and community
relations.
Becoming a CEEQUAL assessor
involves attending a training course.
The course equips assessors with
the skill to assess projects against
the questions set out in the CEEQUAL
manual. Assessment scores are
based on supporting evidence (eg
site environmental management
plan) rather than assertion.
Submitted project assessments are
then independently verified before a
formal award being presented to the
project team.
Several award types can be applied
for, depending on which members of
the project team agree to be involved:
whole project award client,
designer and principal
contractor(s)
design award principal
designer(s)
construction award principal
contractor(s)
design and build award for designand build and other partnership
contracts
client and design award.
For the type of award selected, there
are four possible levels of
achievement based on the degree to
which minimum requirements have
been exceeded:
exceeded by 25% pass
exceeded by 40% good
exceeded by 60% very good
exceeded by 75% excellent
(with the actual score being givenon the award certificate).
CEEQUAL realises that although
concern for environmental and social
performance on civil engineering
projects remains high, there is
increasing focus on sustainability
and sustainable development.
In response, CEEQUAL has been
working to set the scheme within this
context and to assist potential
applicants to connect CEEQUAL to
their own sustainability-driven policies.
Currently, CEEQUAL is not a full
sustainability assessment tool as it
does not assess a project clients
financial decisions, the social
acceptability of the project, or the
wisdom of planning authorities in
allowing projects to proceed.
However, it acts as a significant
influence for project teams and their
decisions, enabling improvements to
the sustainability of civil engineering
and public realm projects.
CEEQUAL can be applied to a wide
variety of projects (eg roads, railways,
airports, coast and river works, water
supply and wastewater treatment,
and power stations). It has been
applied to projects of varying scales,
ranging from less than 75 000 to
3bn and beyond as illustrated in the
following case study.
Taking this into account, participants
in a CEEQUAL assessment report arange of benefits from using
CEEQUAL as a driver for
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Case study: Moneymore flood
protection schemeMoneymore is a small village located
on the outskirts of Magherafelt in
County Londonderry, Northern Ireland.
Within the village there are two housing
developments that are bordered by the
Coltrim and Ballymully Rivers. Through
recent years the Ballymully River has
overtopped its banks on several
occasions during periods of prolonged
and heavy rainfall. This, combined with
upstream runoff from Slieve Gallion,
poses the potential risk of serious
flooding to some 100 dwellings.
Project achievements included:
substantial energy savings through
both material choice and
construction methods adopted
all 1500 tonnes of rock armour
used for toe protection was
recycled material
all felled trees were logged and
stacked along the river-banks on
completion to create habitats for
invertebrates
all plant and equipment used bio-
degradable oils in case of
accidental spillages
98 per cent of inert and non-
hazardous waste material was sent
for recovery in a waste to energy
plant
all labour, sub-contractors and
material suppliers were sourced
within an 18 mile radius to
minimise the carbon footprint of
the site
extensive silt control mechanisms
were installed within the river to
prevent migration of silt
downstream while installing the toe
protection and fishery measures.
www.ciria.org 13
Type of award
Construction-only award
Level of achievement
Excellent 83%
Project team
Client
DARD Rivers Agency
Designers
DARD Rivers Agency/DAWSON-WAM Ltd
Contractor
DAWSON-WAM Ltd
Further information
To find out more about CEEQUAL,
please email Philip Charles at:
[email protected] or visit:
www.ceequal.com
CEEQUALs development was led by
the Institution of Civil Engineers
(ICE), with support from the UK
Government and industry, including
the Association for Consultancy and
Engineering (ACE) and the Civil
Engineering Contractors Association
(CECA). CEEQUAL is co-managed by
CIRIA and Crane Environmental.
Moneymore flood protection scheme
improvement and having their
project assessed including:
building reputation and good PR
including delivery of the
organisations environmental,
sustainability and/or corporate
social responsibility policies.
improvements to projects and
best practice, ranging from
whole-life costing, waste
minimisation, resource efficiency
(materials, water, energy), to
reducing complaints and
environmental incidents
demonstrating commitment to
the environmental agenda toclients, within the team and the
organisations involved, and to the
industry as a whole
improved team spirit by
developing a positive we must
score well here attitude and
rewarding teams that have gone
the extra mile.
Since its launch, the cumulative
value of projects that have or are
being assessed using CEEQUAL
exceeds 13bn.
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Stuart Alexander an
Independent Consultant
discusses the issues that
cause havoc with designer/
client relationships and
claims against insurance
Introduction
Getting design for movement right
should be of concern to all senior
design managers to reduce the risk
of problems arising later on.
Most of the emphasis in structural
codes of practice and teaching
material is on design for axial load,
bending movement and shear force.
However, the most common
problems in practice are different:
excessive deflection, unsightly
cracking, leaks in basements and
differential settlement. Also, while
the understanding of topics such as
crack widths and tension stiffening in
concrete has improved, defects and
failures arising from movement still
regularly occur.
It is tempting to categorise all these
shortfalls as serviceability failures,
but failure to appreciate the power of
temperature fluctuations appears to
have triggered the collapse of theterminal roof at Charles de Gaulle
airport in 2004, which killed six
people (see Box 2). This was one of
the most newsworthy construction
incidents of the decade, and serves
to underline the importance of
movement as an integral aspect of
structural engineering.
CIRIAs Design for movement in
buildings (TN107) was published in
1981, and has proved remarkably
durable. But the world and the
industry has moved on, and thisarticle discusses the topic of
movement and identifies changes and
developments over the past 30 years.
Movement in buildings
time for an update?
Often, accommodating movement
can affect basic design concepts.
Multi-storey car parks are
particularly susceptible to this
problem (see Box 3).
There are six principal sources of
movement:
1 Temperature and radiation
effects.
2 Elastic and creep deformation.
3 Shrinkage and moisture
movement.
4 Early-age thermal contractions in
concrete.
5 Foundation movement.
6 Dynamic movement.
Occasionally, these can lead to
absolute deflections of a structure,
but more often they lead to relativemovement between different parts of
a building, structural elements and
other building elements. Unpredicted
combinations of these movements
can lead to serious damage. The
overall philosophy of design for
movement may be expressed in the
following stages:
assess the potential for
unrestrained movements,
combining different types and
time-scales of movement as
appropriate
evaluate the restraints to
freedom of movement, in each
case estimating the final balance
between restraining forces and
net movement
decide whether the restraining
forces (in conjunction with other
co-acting forces) and net
movements are acceptable
come to an acceptable solution
by reducing the movements,
modifying the elements or form
to accept greater movement
joints, or introduce movementjoints.
Movement in perspective
There are many examples of large
buildings where there is no apparent
provision for movement and yet they
do not appear to exhibit any
problems. There are three mainreasons for this:
1 The buildings often use massive
construction with high thermal
inertia so that the internal
temperature is fairly constant
and large thermal movements do
not occur.
2 They are constructed of, or at
least jointed with relatively soft
materials so that movements are
spread imperceptibly over many
points.
3 Traditional materials (brick,
stone, concrete, mortar and
steel) all expand in similar
predictable ways, whereas wood
has been detailed to allow
differential movement.
An example of a traditional building
that has suffered severe differential
settlement is the Tower of Pisa (see
Box 1), which has survived
remarkably well. However as
buildings have departed from
traditional patterns they have
become lighter and more vulnerable
to temperature variations,
structurally more flexible often with
independent skeletal frame and
cladding, and comprise a range of
different material that exhibit
different temperature and loading
behaviours. The design of many
modern buildings has to take
account of movements as well as
forces and stresses.
Examples of relative movement
include an exposed parapet wall
moving relative to an insulated roof,
or non-loadbearing brickwork beingsqueezed by creep-shortening of
loadbearing concrete columns.
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30 years experience
While TN107 was published 30 years
ago, it is still a highly relevant
document. However, although the
contents in this article may not
surprise any structural engineers,frequently problems still occur. CIRIA
recently undertook a review of the
document identifying the main areas
requiring updating. The following
sections introduce some of the
identified changes in practice since
TN107 was published.
The most dramatic change over this
period is the way designers now
spend a high proportion of their time
across most design activities using
computer software. The automatic
generation of results that appear to
produce a high degree of accuracy is
however spurious, and the topic of
movements remains one where
checking by hand calculations and
making estimates is still needed.
The transition from British codes of
practice to Eurocodes is more recent.
Eurocodes contain considerably
more data than the British codes (for
example, thermal actions are now
covered), but they are presented in a
more computer-orientated way and
omit much of the general guidance
that appeared in British codes. So
there is likely to be a greater need
than before for the type of knowledge
and background guidance to
supplement direct experience.
In building construction, all elements
but particularly cladding and
partitions have got lighter and
generally more flexible. Also,
sustainability targets are
encouraging further economy in
material content, the use of by-
products with lower embodied
energy, and major reductions inenergy consumption.
Building design has become more
complex and the number of different
professions and experts involved has
multiplied. It is important to
communicate decisions on designing
for movement between disciplines so
that, for example, the claddingdesigner knows what deflection the
fixings will need to accommodate.
Also, these issues will need to
include appropriate factors of safety
to take account of variability in
material properties and
environmental factors.
View of Terminal 2E after the roof collapsed at Charles de Gaulle airport, Paris
Box 1: Tower of Pisa
High and differential settlements of
the soft clays have affected this
masonry structure. So far it has
survived intact despite some of the
older interventions not being helpful.
Box 3: Multi-storey car parks
Some modern reinforced concrete car
parks have experienced unsightly
cracking due to shrinkage of the
concrete and thermal effects.
Typical movement cracks in a car park column
Box 2: Charles de Gaulle airport terminal
The reason for the collapse of a new passenger walkway structure in 2004 was difficult
to understand but thermal movements were implicated by forensic investigators.
(source New Civil Engineer, Article 1, April 2005)
Summary
Following its review, CIRIA is
proposing to update TN107 guide.
Readers interested in contributing to
the study, in particular by providing
case studies are invited to emailAlan Gilbertson, CIRIA, at:
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Networks, events andconferences
www.ciria.org16
complementing CIRIAs work in
the coastal and marine sector,
CIRIA assists the European
Marine Sand and Gravel Group
(EMSAGG), which provides a
forum for data exchange between
researchers, regulators, policy-makers and contractors. In
common with the other CIRIA
networks, EMSAGG supports the
dissemination of good practice
and policy change.
Linked to CIRIAs research and
industry activities these networks
bring together innovators,
practitioners and the main decision
and policy-makers helping industry to
respond to changing agendas. If you
would like to participate, join or
support any of these networks
please visit: www.ciria.org
The production of CIRIA guidance is
complemented by the delivery of
several learning and business
networks, which cover a diverse
range of topics for those working in
the construction and built
environment sectors.
The networks provide an engaging
platform for sharing experiences,
disseminating good practice,
providing opportunities to network as
well as developing contacts and
valuable business. Our two main
networks are the Construction
Industry Environmental Forum (CIEF)
and the Construction Productivity
Network (CPN). These provide a
unique opportunity for professionals
to remain at the forefront of new and
current good practice, as well as
understanding the latest policy,
business and technology
developments.
The CIEF covers topics in the
environment and sustainability areas
and has held several breakfast
briefings, site visits and seminars.
For 2010, CIEF is developing its
profile and covering issues relating to
green infrastructure, sustainable
procurement and the sustainable
delivery of the 2012 Olympics.
CPN tackles issues related toconstruction process, technology and
infrastructure, and has similarly run
a variety of events. For 2010, CPN is
focusing on improving design and
delivery efficiency, skills and
competence, and the role of the
intelligent client. It also provides an
opportunity to keep abreast of
advances in the management of
infrastructure.
Alongside these established
networks, we also develop and assist
theme or sector networks to respond
to specific needs as new
opportunities arise.
These include:
the SAFESPUR forum, which
complements the
SAFEGROUNDS and SD:SPUR
learning networks, assists with
the development and
dissemination of good practice
on contaminated land
management and the
management of assets and
decommissioning wastes from
defense and nuclear sites
CIRIA has developed two
networks supporting local
authorities in their functions: theLocal Authority Contaminated
Land Network (LACL), which has
been running since 2002 helps
officers fulfill their
responsibilities relating to land
contamination and the
regeneration of brownfield sites.
The Local Authority Network on
Drainage and Flood Risk
Management (LANDFRM)
supports local authorities with
the challenges of responding to
flood risk and surface water
management
CIRIAs Brownfield Risk
Management Forum (BRMF)
aims to promote cross-sector
communication and learning for
those involved in brownfield
projects, encourage sustainable
and good practice in
procurement, and improve the
management of risk and liability
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Training
Supported by 50 years experience in
providing authoritative guidance to
the construction and built
environment sectors, CIRIA delivers a
range of informative, accessible and
engaging training courses covering
topics from construction managementand sustainable drainage to
environmental good practice.
Training is delivered by industry
experts and course content is based
on recognised good practice, which
is regularly reviewed by CIRIA and its
team of trainers. This ensures that
the information given is relevant and
up-to-date as well as offering
delegates plenty of scope for
interaction and active learning.
In-house training
CIRIA training courses can be
delivered in-house, and can be based
on existing programmes or adapted
to develop more bespoke training. For
full details visit: www.ciria.org
Benefits of in-house training
CIRIA comes to you
save on time and cost
flexible course times
better interaction and effective
learning
helping personal development
greater relevance to your
organisation.
Forthcoming in 2010Environment good practice on
site
26 May, London
24 June, Manchester
September, London
Resource use and waste
management
15 June, London
SuDS foundation
9 July, London
September, Belfast
September, Bristol
Designing SuDS
2223 July, London
September, Belfast
September, Bristol
Working with wildlife
15 July 2010, London
Events and conferences
CIRIA events, conferences and
networks provide a highly effective
means to communicate and
generate new ideas and approaches
as well as business to businessopportunities. The events
programme delivers over 120 events
each year attracting some 3000
delegates. The programme includes
conferences, workshops and good
practice seminars. Full details of our
forthcoming programme are
available on the CIRIA website.
In May, the SD:SPUR learning
network will hold a case study driven
event: Materials management in
nuclear decommissioning
challenges and opportunities. This
event will provide a platform to
showcase up-to-date industry case
studies on sharing good practice,
exploring challenges and
opportunities in material
management, and lessons learnt
from within the nuclear
decommissioning industry, the non-
nuclear sector, regulators, local
authorities, NGOs and other
community based organisations.
The second World Green Roof
Congress (WGRC) Green roofs for a
changing climate in (see page 7)
brings together leading green roof
experts from across the world,
providing a platform for
communicating the latest case
studies, research and policy
initiatives. The focus will be on their
application and delivery covering
aspects such as climate change
adaptation, stormwater
management, biodiversity, and the
potential for a higher quality of urban
living, within a challenging regulatory
and competitive financial framework.
To find out more on how to get
involved or to book visit: www.ciria.org To find out more about CIRIA trainingand to book please visit: www.ciria.org
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WaND Guidance on water cycle
management for new developments
(C690)
This publication provides guidance
on how to achieve improved
sustainable water cycle management
in new developments. This document
provides practitioners with an
improved understanding of the tools
and techniques necessary for
achieving, delivering and adopting
sustainable water cycle management
in new developments.
Price: 60 (30)
ISBN 978-0-86017-690-9
Also due to be published in 2010
Culvert design and operation guide
(C689)
This guide replaces CIRIAs Culvert
design manual (R168) published in
1997. It adopts a whole-life approach
to the design and operation of
culverts, with a focus on asset
management, reflecting the
significant changes that have
occurred in the field over the last 10
to 15 years.
This is a comprehensive guide
covering a wide range of subject
matter relevant to the design and
operation of culverts. Users can read
the guide in its entirety or dip in and
out of sections that are the most
relevant to their needs. Inevitably
there is some repetition but this is to
reduce the risk of users missing vital
information by selective reading.
Price: 120 (60)
ISBN 978-0-86017-689-3
The Concrete Manual (C674)
Concrete is a highly versatile
construction material. It is cost-
effective and a relatively small
contributor to greenhouse gas
emissions with the potential to
increasingly make use of recycled
materials and low carbon
technologies in the future.
This good practice guide for use in
maritime engineering builds on
current information combined with
new material authored by
contributors from HR Wallingford,
Halcrow and CETMEF.
This guide aims to distil conclusions
from existing UK, French and
international research and practical
experience on the use of concrete inthe marine environment.
Price: TBC
ISBN 978-0-86017-674-9
Forthcoming in 2010
Update of the beach management
manual (C685)
Planning for SuDs making it
happen (C687)
Working with wildlife update (RP915)
Environmental good practice siteguide (version 3) (RP928)
To order any of these publications
please visit: www.ciria.org
With more than 600 titles in the
current publications catalogue,
CIRIAs research has given rise to a
huge variety of publications in 2009
with several planned for the first half
of 2010. Many of CIRIAs older
publications are still regarded as thebest available in the industry.
Recently published outputs in early
2010 include three important
industry guides:
Tunnels: condition appraisal and
remedial treatment (C671)
This guide provides information on
the management, condition
appraisal, maintenance and repair of
the structural elements of existing
infrastructure tunnels, focusing
primarily on older infrastructure andcertain tunnel types.
Price: 120 (60)
ISBN 978-0-86017-671-8
Flood resilience and resistance for
critical infrastructure (C688)
This publication provides an overview
of the regulatory framework and
outlines the main issues now faced
by the industry in this area. It states
that flood resilience measures
should be adopted as an integral
part of individual organisations
business continuity management
processes, whole-life asset
management plans and climate
change adaptation strategies.
Price: 70 (35)
ISBN 978-0-86017-688-6
Publications
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www.ciria.org 19
Getting on top
of top events
Leading industry figuresshare their views
The UK construction industry enjoys
the unfortunate reputation of being
one of the most dangerous to work in
not least because it has the largest
number of fatal injuries of the main
industry groups. In 20082009
there were 53 fatal injuries giving a
rate of 2.5 per 100 000 workers.
This is the third highest rate of fatal
injuries, behind agriculture and
extractive industries. Most incidents
affect only one worker butoccasionally two or more may be
killed or injured by a single event.
And even more infrequently a
member of the public may be
involved.
What is so remarkable in the
aftermath of many of these incidents
is how often the words luckily or
miraculously spring to peoples lips
a reflection that the outcome in
terms of on- and off-site fatalities,
injuries and damage could have
been so much worse. Incidents suchas those listed here all have the
potential to kill or injure several
people in a single episode:
collapses of buildings and
structures
major fires
underground services strikes
collapses of temporary works
collapse or overturn of large
plant such as cranes and piling
rigs.
Often it seems that luck rather than
good accident preventionmanagement minimised the number
of casualties.
Defining this type of incident is not
necessarily straightforward. Terms
such as major hazard or major
accident potential run the risk of
associating the construction industry
with more recognised hazardous
industries such as nuclear,chemicals and offshore. They can
also be described as high hazard,
low probability incidents, which
gives some indication of their
unpredictability. One label that might
be used is top event or: what is the
worst that could happen should
something go wrong?
Whatever term is used, when one of
these (thankfully) rare events does
occur the consequences can be far
reaching. Apart from the high human
cost, the financial costs can be
enormous. The site might be taken
over by the police and HSE for days
or weeks as evidence is collected.
Time and cost will also arise from the
work to make the site safe again and
clear away materials and equipment.
And these are often dwarfed by the
impact on project completion and, in
the long-term, damage to reputation
leading to potential loss of future
business.
There can also be wider implications.
The public and media are much
more exercised by single,
catastrophic events, than by a steady
toll of routine incidents, which can
lead to an outcry for something to be
done including demand for more
legislation.
Conventional risk management
approaches might not be entirely
appropriate to the effective
prevention of top events.
Examination of lagging indicators
such as historical data and trends
provides few clues as to when the
next event will occur by their verynature they are highly unpredictable
and the past provides little guarantee
that the next incident isnt just
around the corner. However, there is
a role for near miss reporting and
ensuring companies adopt a positive
culture of learning from near misses
and incidents rather than seeking to
blame those involved.
One important measure senior
managers can use to gain greater
assurance that the potential for top
events to occur is under control is
through the development of
meaningful leading key performance
indicators. These can be identified by
determining the critical elements of
the risk control measures needed to
prevent top events then devising
indicators that can provide
assurance that the control measures
are working in practice. Examples
might include gaining assurance on
the competence of staff or the rigour
of design processes.
To ensure HSE and the construction
industry has a clearer understanding
of the nature of top events HSE is
working with CIRIA and
Loughborough University on a
research project designed to gain
greater insight into their nature and
causes. This will help HSE identify
whether further work is needed on
the development of appropriate risk
management strategies and on
action needed to deal with specific
hazards. It is hoped the research will
stimulate the construction industry to
consider whether they are taking the
right action to minimise the potential
of top events occurring. The guide
will be published in summer 2010.
Viewpoint
Mike Cross, Head of Construction
Engineering Specialists,
Health and Safety Executive
There is a great deal of scope for
industry professionals to get involved.
For more information, please email
Alan Gilbertson, CIRIA, at:
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8/13/2019 Evolution Magazine May 2010
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