bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Highway bridges and environment—sustainable perspectives
Authors: Steele Kristian , Cole Graham , Parke Gerard , Clarke Brian , Harding John
Published: December 2009

Civil engineering infrastructure is generally maintained in accordance with safety, economic and technical issues. But what of the environmental impact of such activities? Regular maintenance can have a significant environmental impact—particularly in the case of bridges, where closure can result in traffic jams and lengthy detours. Higher cost but lower maintenance components and transfer of structures to lower-grade sites are possible answers which, until now, have been difficult to assess. This paper reports on a life-cycle assessment method developed to factor environmental impact into bridge maintenance strategy. Though developed for bridges, it has potential application throughout the facilities management sector.
Channel Tunnel Rail Link: from options to approval
Authors: Gambrill Bernard
Published: December 2009

This paper describes the elaborate planning, development and consultation process that successfully took the £5·2 billion Channel Tunnel Rail Link scheme from four independent options in 1990 to a fully approved scheme in 1997. Learning from the failed 1980s planning process, it introduced several innovative approaches to consensus building, option refinement and consultation—providing a benchmark for future infrastructure projects.
Channel Tunnel Rail Link: the hybrid Bill process
Authors: Gambrill Bernard
Published: December 2009

This paper describes the hybrid Bill process by which £5·2 billion Channel Tunnel Rail Link received its necessary enabling legislation in the form of an Act of Parliament. Even though the select committee became the longest-running ever to consider such a Bill, enactment took just two years. Petitioners achieved several minor changes to the project as well as 645 undertakings and assurances.
Channel Tunnel Rail Link: community relations during implementation
Authors: Gambrill Bernard
Published: December 2009

This paper summarises the community relations and public affairs activities on the £5·2 billion Channel Tunnel Rail Link project since its implementation in May 1996. The fact that there have been no public protests or demonstrations since this vast project started on site in October 1998 is a testament to the success of the consultative process. Experiences on the project have now been embodied in a construction industry code of conduct.
Channel Tunnel Rail Link: the property challenge
Authors: Bowman Stephen
Published: December 2009

The 109 km Channel Tunnel Rail Link required a vast amount of property to be compulsorily purchased, legally leased to the project and the surplus resold—and all done as fairly and as quickly as possible. This paper reports on the series of innovative strategies and processes adopted by Union Rail Property to ensure the scheme got the land it needed on time and without fuss.
Channel Tunnel Rail Link: a contract partnership
Authors: Cathcart Alasdair
Published: December 2009

The £5·2 billion Channel Tunnel Rail Link is the largest project to date to adopt the popular partnering-based NEC Engineering & Construction Contract. This paper describes the strategy behind adopting a partnering approach and the detailed processes and behaviours that were necessary for successful implementation. It also reports on how the approach was taken a radical step further on contract 430 at Ashford, with the creation of a completely seamless team.
Channel Tunnel Rail Link section 1: diversion of utilities
Authors: Clemmitt Ian
Published: December 2009

A total of 423 utility diversions were required for the first 74 km section of the £5·2 billion Channel Tunnel Rail Link. The project was unprecedented in that the developer Union Railways had the power to design and build the diversions directly in order to avoid delays—though the utilities proved they could actually do the work quicker. This paper reports on the complex access and financial issues relating to diversions and highlights solutions adopted for maintaining overhead power cables and pumping sewage over a tunnel.
Channel Tunnel Rail Link section 1: ground engineering
Authors: O'Riordan Nick
Published: December 2009

Some of the most innovative engineering design on the first section of the £5·2 billion Channel Tunnel Rail Link related to groundworks—ranging from dynamic analysis of trackbeds and pile slabs to dry soil mixing techniques and 3D groundwater modelling. This paper provides a brief overview of the geotechnical engineering work on section 1 and explains how the need to reduce design risk to a minimum resulted in valuable new industry guidance.
Channel Tunnel Rail Link section 1—an overview
Authors: Glover Mike
Published: December 2009

British prime minister Tony Blair opened the first 74 km section of the new £5·2 billion high-speed rail link between the Channel Tunnel and London in September 2003. It has cut 20 minutes from the Eurostar service to Europe and brings Paris to just over 2·5 hours from London. This paper provides an overview of the design and construction of the first section, which has set new records for infrastructure as well as a wide range of new operational, safety and environmental standards for future high-speed rail projects in the UK.
Channel Tunnel Rail Link section 1: landscape design
Authors: Armour Tom
Published: December 2009

Landscape design and planting the first 74 km section of the Channel Tunnel Rail Link was a vast and sensitive undertaking. It involved placing and shaping 10 million m3 of fill around the track to help it blend into the landscape and then planting 1·2 million trees and shrubs and 245 ha of grass and wildflower seed. This paper reports on the many innovative techniques that were used in addition to the great care used in plant and seed choice.
Integer Hong Kong Pavilion: showcasing sustainable construction
Authors: Slade Ron
Published: December 2009

Last month a new sustainable energy centre opened in Beijing. It was formerly the Integer Hong Kong Pavilion, a unique British-inspired industry showcase for sustainable high-rise construction that attracted over 100 000 visitors during 2001 and 2002.The pavilion combines a multi-media exhibition and two demonstration apartments known as ‘flats of the future’. It also demonstrates many examples of sustainable, low-waste construction techniques in its own design and construction — not least its re-usability.
Briefing: Europe: an open if uneven field for civil engineers
Authors: Grimsmo Oivind
Published: December 2009

British civil engineers can live and work anywhere in the EU but, despite a raft of Directives aimed at creating a level playing field, their professional qualifications are not automatically recognised. ICE European affairs manager Oivind Grimsmo reports.
Briefing: Compliance versus judgement
Authors: Taylor Bill
Published: December 2009

Outgoing Cameron Taylor Bedford chairman Bill Taylor warns that slavish compliance to codes and rules is leading to a culture of engineering mediocrity. He calls for a back-to-basics approach, in which designs are inspired by engineering judgement and codes are more intelligently used.
Professional engineers' needs for managerial skills and expertise
Authors: Wearne Stephen
Published: December 2009

This paper reviews the results of a questionnaire sent to a sample of chartered engineers resident in the UK in 2002 to survey what ‘managerial’ skills and expertise they need in their jobs. The data obtained show that most engineers' careers demand a variety of managerial skills and expertise, particularly in two groups of topics: leadership; and the management of projects. These demands vary with age and level of responsibility but some of these managerial skills and knowledge are required early in engineers' careers.
Briefing: Rammed earth: a natural option for walling
Authors: Walker Peter , Maniatidis Vasilios
Published: December 2009

Over two billion people live in earth buildings including quite a few in Britain. Peter Walker and Vasilios Maniatidis of Bath University report on a UK Government-backed project to encourage greater use of this long-established and highly sustainable construction method.
Briefing: Controlling holes in the highway
Authors: Stanley Ian
Published: December 2009

The Queen's announcement last November that a new Traffic Management Bill will give local authorities more control over utilities is a promise that engineers and motorists would dearly like fulfilled. Ian Stanley of the Campaign Against Road Disruption reports.
Briefing: New road-salt additive cuts winter maintenance costs
Authors: Atkinson Ken
Published: December 2009

A low-cost additive for road deicing salt has been shown to reduce its corrosive effect by over 80%. Ken Atkinson, former head of highway maintenance at the GLC and now consultant to Safecote, reports.
Briefing: Cement: reducing pressure on the green belt
Authors: Bromage Alan
Published: December 2009

The UK Government's target to build over two million new homes on brownfield land by 2016 looks ambitious given the amount of contamination. Alan Bromage, head of civil engineering at The Concrete Centre, says greater use of cement could be the answer to saving the green belt.
Briefing: New transport noise barrier developed in France
Authors: Jolly Philip
Published: December 2009

A new transport noise barrier developed in France is claimed to be up to 50% more effective than anything else on the market. Philip Jolly of the French Technology Press Bureau reports on the award-winning design.
Boston's massive jacked tunnels set new benchmark
Authors: Powderham Alan , Howe Chris , Caserta Anthony , Allenby Douglas , Ropkins John
Published: December 2009

British tunnel-jacking expertise contributed to savings of over US$300 million on the vast project to build Boston's new subterranean highway network. The change from traditional cut-and-cover construction to tunnel jacking in frozen ground enabled three full-size interstate highway tunnels—totalling over 240 m in length—to be built in heavily obstructed ground under the approaches to a busy railway station with no disruption to service. The scale of the work was unprecedented, being several times larger than any tunnel-jacking project previously undertaken. It has set a new benchmark for the technique and further raised its profile as an effective and sustainable solution for creating new urban infrastructure.
Observational method looks set to cut city building costs
Authors: Chapman Tim , Green George
Published: December 2009

Construction of a new 20 m deep commercial building basement in the centre of London involved what is believed to be the first true application of the ‘observational method’ on a major building project. Use of the ground movement monitoring technique, previously confined to civil engineering projects, allowed the top-down construction sequence on this confined urban site to miss a floor. This made it easier to remove the large concrete base of an existing basement and cut 20 weeks off the construction programme. All observed ground movements were within preset limits, so contingency measures were not needed, resulting in a highly cost-effective solution that could have wide application in the building sector.
British civil engineering biography, part 2: 1790–1830
Authors: Chrimes Mike
Published: December 2009

This paper is the second of two papers based on research undertaken for the ICE Archive Panel book Biographical Dictionary of Civil Engineers in Great Britain and Ireland 1500–1830, which traces the development of the British civil engineering profession from the Middle Ages. It covers the era from the dawn of a mature profession in 1790 through the founding of the Institution of Civil Engineers in 1820 to the opening of the world's first railway in 1830. In addition to identifying some of the leading practitioners and their works, the paper also looks in particular at their earnings and what those figures would equate to now.
Briefing: A private view of PFI
Authors: Freer Robert
Published: December 2009

Shortly before he died in July this year, columnist Paul Foot wrote a special report for the satirical Private Eye magazine on the shortcomings of the UK Government's private finance initiative. Robert Freer recommends it as required reading for civil engineers.
Briefing: Consultants face indemnity insurance crisis
Authors: Ogunshakin Nelson
Published: December 2009

Civil engineering consultants are struggling to afford professional indemnity insurance – but neither can they afford to be without it. Nelson Ogunshakin of the Association of Consulting Engineers says changing UK liability laws is the answer.
Briefing: Flood risk: don't lose sight of Foresight
Authors: Ward Chris
Published: December 2009

The UK Government plants to publish a new 20-year flood-risk strategy in 2005. Chris Ward of T A Millard says this should not detract civil engineers and society from implementing the recommendations of the Foresight Future Flooding report, published in April this year.
Infrastructure targeting—the role of the military engineer
Authors: Quinn Laurence
Published: December 2009

The unprecedented accuracy of modern weapons means that enemy assets can be compromised only as much as is necessary to ensure military advantage. The main benefits of such ‘effects-based’ targeting are a significant reduction in ‘collateral damage’ to people and infrastructure, and as a result, a faster return to normality post-conflict. This paper explains the increasing role being played by military engineers during the planning stages of modern military campaigns, helping to select which infrastructure assets to attack and in what way, in order to achieve the desired effect with minimum damage.
The Staff Corps: a civilian resource for the military
Authors: Stancombe Mike
Published: December 2009

The Engineer and Logistic Staff Corps of the Royal Engineers (Volunteers) is a ‘think tank’ of around 60 senior civilian engineers and logisticians that provides a wide variety of specialist advice and skills to the British armed forces. It was the brainchild of the secretary of the ICE back in 1865 and, though still little known, it has recently provided support to operations and reconstruction of utilities in the Balkans, Afghanistan and Iraq.This paper explains how the unit operates and the tremendous value it has provided to mission planning and post-conflict reconstruction over the campaigns of the past two decades.
Reconstruction of the railway system in Kosovo
Authors: Brown Richard H.
Published: December 2009

The 1999 conflict in Kosovo left the rail system extensively damaged and disorganised. It was strategically vital for movement of military supplies, essential freight and humanitarian aid so NATO forces took control and set about repairing the track and systems. But just as important in peacekeeping terms was the introduction of multi-ethnic passenger services, particularly those that served minority towns and villages. This paper reports on the intricate and sensitive year-long operation to transfer the railway back to civilian operation and to ensure it offered equitable treatment to all ethnic groups in a territory rife with ethnic hatred.
Restoring destroyed public utilities
Authors: Boyd Steven , Taylor John
Published: December 2009

This paper reports on recent lessons learned by the military in restoring destroyed public utilities in Iraq. The lessons could apply equally to other theatres of conflict or large-scale natural disasters. Based on the various bodies engaged in utilities restoration and the critical importance of time, it proposes a three-stage concurrent approach to restoration effort. The paper includes a case study from southern Iraq in which the frantic race to get sufficient power to the local waterworks illustrates both the need for a systems approach and for wide coordination.
Reinstatement of water supplies post-conflict
Authors: Pelton John , Hunter Chris
Published: December 2009

The Corps of Royal Engineers has been supplying water to the British Army for 150 years. During the Cold War the civilian infrastructure was more developed and the need for front-line water supply projects has diminished. Nevertheless, since the 1990s campaign in the Balkans, with its emphasis on restoration of civilian infrastructure, British military engineers have substantially enhanced their water-development expertise. This paper reviews the Army's capabilities and how they were delivered during the post-conflict reinstatement of water supplies in Kosovo and Iraq.
Supplying volunteer consultancy expertise to developing countries
Authors: Field Nicky
Published: December 2009

Not all volunteer engineering services are provided purely for community-related projects. Developing economies also need a flourishing private sector, yet many of their businesses lack the skills to overcome technical and managerial challenges and are unable to buy in the necessary advice. This paper describes the wide-ranging volunteer consultancy services provided by British Executive Services Overseas to organisations in both the public and private sectors worldwide. The assignments also provide a valuable opportunity for volunteers and their sponsors to get involved at the earliest stages of major development projects.
Emergency water for a refugee camp: a volunteer's perspective
Authors: Lorenz Richard
Published: December 2009

This paper is a personal account by a volunteer engineer supplied to Oxfam by RedR—Engineers for Disaster Relief, to provide emergency water supplies within a refugee camp in Macedonia. Originally planned for 5000 people, the camp grew to over 50 000 people within just a few weeks, requiring a rapid escalation in supply infrastructure despite limited availability of materials and expertise. In addition to being able to design a technically simple yet effective and flexible infrastructure system, the paper highlights the fundamental importance of interpersonal skills when working in crisis situations.
How community volunteers can help make disaster response sustainable
Authors: Ross-Jordan Janet
Published: December 2009

Technology-based disaster response projects are only appropriate if they are built within the social, economic and institutional capacities of a disaster-hit community. Mobilising, training and monitoring community volunteers is the key, helping to ensure that aid-funded projects such as water wells and latrines do not fall into disrepair and disuse. Using case studies of water and sanitation projects carried out by UK charity Tearfund in post-civil war Sierra Leone, this paper shows how quick fixes can be converted into sustainable, long-term solutions when they are conceived, built and maintained by local volunteers.
Voluntary engineering— charity begins at home
Authors: Doughty Martin
Published: December 2009

Professional engineers are often asked to provide free advice but it is less easy to say no when the client is a charity or community group with little or no funding. There is also much evidence to suggest that providing pro bono advice to local communities is actually good for business in terms of networking opportunities with other volunteer professionals, increased employee satisfaction and improved public perception. This papers describes the work of ProHelp, an initiative by the Business in the Community charity to help engineers and other professionals provide coordinated and effective support to local community projects in the UK.
Restoring Wilts and Berks Canal: a model for voluntary engineering
Authors: Van der Cruyssen David
Published: December 2009

The abandoned 200-year-old, 85 km long Wilts and Berks Canal between Bath and Oxford in southern England is currently being restored by a voluntary trust that includes many volunteer engineers. The inter-relation between design techniques and construction methods is discussed and examples of recent design and construction projects are given, together with comments on some of the more unusual design issues relating to voluntary restoration projects. The challenging extent of work remaining is outlined and the potential for training and research is also discussed.
Wales Millennium Centre: a new stage for the art of engineers
Authors: Jofeh Chris
Published: December 2009

The Wales Millennium Centre is a substantial new multipurpose cultural centre built over reclaimed land on the shores of Cardiff's new freshwater lake, formerly a tidal bay. Featuring a state-of-the-art 1852 seater auditorium and a diverse range of other smaller venues, the £106 million building opened to the public in November 2004 following a fast-track design-and-construction programme of less than three years. This paper tells the story of the building's continually evolving structural design, and how innovative solutions and value engineering helped keep the project within budget despite many unknown ground, noise and servicing issues.
Briefing: ConstructionSkills council gives ICE a chance to lead
Authors: Larcombe Richard
Published: December 2009

UK Government funding for all post-16 training in civil engineering and construction is now the responsibility of new body called ConstructionSkills. ICE training consultant Richard Larcombe says it is a golden opportunity for civil engineers to reclaim their lead role.
Falsework verticality: leaning towards danger?
Authors: Burrow Michael , Clark Les , Pallett Peter , Ward Ray , Thomas David
Published: December 2009

Falsework collapses are no longer common in the UK following publication of national falsework standard BS 5975 in 1982. However, this seems more due to under-loading of modern falsework systems than the industry's ability to erect them properly. A survey three years ago of 11 UK construction sites revealed lack of verticality of uprights has changed little since a previous survey 12 years earlier. However, though two sites failed the British standard, all passed the new European standard, EN 12812. This paper summarises the findings of the survey and highlights the risk of imposing a full ‘safe working load’ on falsework given current industry practice and the recent introduction of more relaxed rules.
Briefing: Combating flooding with blue belts
Authors: Reeves Nick
Published: December 2009

Severe fluvial flooding is set to become more commonplace in Britain thanks to climate change. Nick Reeves, executive director of the Chartered Institution for Water and Environmental Management (CIWEM), puts the case for ‘blue belts’ as a means of restricting development on floodplains.
Briefing: Make sure you know the party wall rules
Authors: Ridley Tony
Published: December 2009

Nearly half of all complaints against ICE members relate to misapplication of the Party Wall etc. Act 1996. Tony Ridley, chairman of the Institution's Professional Conduct Panel, warns that members taking on engagements where the Act applies must make sure they understand this significant piece of legislation.
Briefing: UK warms to nuclear power
Authors: Freer Robert
Published: December 2009

It is now 10 years since the UK built its last nuclear power station. But, as Robert Freer reports, recent research indicates the British public and their politicians are now more open-minded about future nuclear development.
Briefing: Unravelling the secrets of cement
Authors: Scrivener Karen
Published: December 2009

Concrete is one the oldest and most sustainable construction materials, yet we still don't really understand it. Karen Scrivener says a new pan-European research consortium she co-ordinates could finally unravel its secrets, enabling the development of even better and smarter materials.
Why wind power works for Denmark
Authors: Sharman Hugh
Published: December 2009

Denmark generates more wind power per head of population than any other country in the world. Its 5500 wind turbines, including the world's two largest offshore wind farms, generate 16% of national demand. With increasing concerns over fossil fuels, the country is now being closely monitored by energy planners and funders worldwide. However, as this paper reveals, Denmark is exporting most of its wildly fluctuating wind power to larger neighbours while finding other solutions for supply and demand at home. As an ‘island’ grid based on slow-reacting thermal power stations, Britain may find its comparable wind-power aspirations more difficult to achieve.
Selling earthquake engineering to young people
Authors: Daniell Wendy , Crewe Adam
Published: December 2009

Last year's Indian Ocean tsunami was a tragic reminder of the destructive power of earthquakes and of the continuing need for scientists, engineers and technologists to help protect society from their effects. This paper reports on the development of a UK-designed challenge project aimed at raising awareness among young people worldwide of the global importance of earthquake engineering skills. Since the project's launch in 2000, over 1400 school and university students have taken part—including hundreds in Japan and Taiwan—and take-up continues to rise. The project is a valuable promotional tool for the engineering profession and serves as a model for any engineers planning extra-curricular projects for local schools and colleges.
Information: the key to more intelligent use of transport infrastructure
Authors: Nielsen Simon , Speroni Peter
Published: December 2009

The provision of quality travel information to the travelling public and transport network managers is a key component in managing and ultimately reducing traffic congestion. It requires real-time information to be effective, but this is only the beginning as journeys take place over time and space—and conditions in a particular part of the network can change rapidly. To inform the travelling public and network managers more fully, real-time traffic models with self-learning capabilities able to provide short-term forecasts need to be developed. This paper discusses recent developments in real-time travel information and identifies ways in which it can be taken to new levels, resulting in more intelligent and effective use of existing transport infrastructure.
Improving traffic behaviour and safety through urban design
Authors: Hamilton-Baillie Ben , Jones Phil
Published: December 2009

Recent experiments in mainland Europe and more recently the UK have found that removing the traditional separation between traffic and people in urban areas can make streets safer and less congested. Removing standard kerbs, barriers, highway signs and road markings forces motorists to use eye contact with other road users and pedestrians, for which they need to be travelling at less than around 30 km/h. As this paper reports, the result is slower, more careful traffic, increased safety for cyclists and pedestrians and a more attractive urban environment overall—in which local architecture and culture prevails over standard traffic infrastructure.
Economic growth in a historic city—the transport challenge
Authors: Hughes Graham
Published: December 2009

The university city of Cambridge in eastern England has long been a popular place to live—even more so now it has become the UK's equivalent of Silicon Valley. But as with many other historic cities in Europe enjoying an economic boom, balancing increased transport demands with the need to maintain an attractive urban environment is a continual problem.This paper reports on the pioneering yet practical initiatives undertaken in and around Cambridge with varying degrees of success over the past 35 years, culminating in virtual daytime closure of the city centre to car traffic. It involves an innovative scheme of rising bollards for buses and taxis and one of the most advanced park-and-ride schemes in the world.
Getting freight off the road and onto rail
Authors: Berkeley Tony
Published: December 2009

Britain's railways currently carry 11·5% of the country's road and rail freight. This is over a third more than it did ten years ago and growth is set to continue as an increasing number of supply chains realise the benefits of reduced costs and greater reliability over road transport, with its congested network and shortage of drivers. However, for rail to compete with road on a simple comparison of price and quality of service, this paper says the UK Government needs to enable the rail freight industry to look at infrastructure in the same way as road freight looks at roads, with minimal bureaucracy and maximum flexibility. As ever, there are lessons to learned from North America.
Experience of risk management
Authors: Thompson Peter , Thompson Neil
Published: December 2009

The authors believe that the incidence of uncertainty in factors affecting construction performance will continue to increase in all types of engineering projects during the current century and that this will demand rigorous application of risk management. Many organisations currently fail to derive full benefit from the risk management process. This paper examines the reasons for this shortfall and uses a selection of assignments undertaken during the past 25 years to illustrate the problems, opportunities and realities of risk management.
A partnership approach to managing flood risk
Authors: Crossman Matt , Richardson David , Milne Jane
Published: December 2009

Flood risk poses a significant threat to many communities and, whereas measures can be taken to reduce the likelihood and impact of flooding, the risk can never be eliminated altogether. Insurance provides a useful means of spreading the residual risk and this paper provides a description of the UK partnership that enables insurance, backed by private-sector capital, to be made available on the basis of Government commitment to manage risks. It describes the benefits of this approach compared with that taken in other parts of Europe and makes the case for further broadening and deepening of partnership as climate change and socio-economic development give rise to increasing risks.
Heathrow Terminal 5: health and safety leadership
Authors: Evans Mike
Published: December 2009

Heathrow airport's Terminal 5 project has gained widespread recognition for a safety performance some four times better than industry norms and for setting new benchmarks for occupational health and safety. The sheer size of the £4·3 billion project, its structural and managerial complexities and the 60 000 people that have worked on site have presented significant challenges. As this paper describes, safety leadership—as distinct from safety management—coupled with real engagement of, and respect for, all concerned has led to cultural change. This has not only reduced the number and severity of injuries but has also resulted in improved worker health, satisfaction, morale and performance.
Heathrow Terminal 5: twin rivers diversion
Authors: Palmer David , Wilbraham Phil
Published: December 2009

Moving two rivers from the middle of the Terminal 5 project site at London's Heathrow airport to a new alignment around the western airport perimeter was a critical and highly environmentally sensitive sub-project of the T5 programme. The rivers diversion had to be completed before the original river structures could be demolished to enable continuation of the main terminal development. As described in this paper, the £45 million diversion project included the creation of two 3 km long river channels, phased realignment of 3 km of highway and landscape works to the western boundary of Heathrow.
Heathrow Terminal 5: building substructures and pavements
Authors: Dawson Tim , Lingham Kathiresapillai , Yenn Roger , Beveridge Jim , Moore Richard , Prentice Matthew
Published: December 2009

This paper describes the design and construction of the vast piled basement structures for the three terminal buildings at London Heathrow's £4·3 billion Terminal 5 project, together with 1 million m2 of associated aircraft pavements. The basements are up to 20 m deep and involved the excavation and reuse of 6·5 million m3 of gravel and clay. The aircraft pavement involved a number of innovations including development of a new high-strength concrete, which delivered a thinner construction and resulted in programme and environmental benefits.
Heathrow Terminal 5: gaining permission
Authors: Pellman Roger
Published: December 2009

When Terminal 5 at London's Heathrow airport opened on 27 March 2008, it was almost 23 years since the publication of the 1985 Airports Policy White Paper that had encouraged its development. This paper explains the challenges inherent in trying to deliver a major infrastructure project through the UK planning system, and describes how the absence of clear and updated government policy contributed to the record 525 days spent at the planning enquiry before consent for the £4·3 billion airport expansion could be granted. It also recognises that the project involved issues of national importance that affected many thousands of people, particularly those living under the flight paths.
Heathrow Terminal 5: energy centre
Authors: Adams George
Published: December 2009

Heating and cooling the vast new terminal buildings at London Heathrow airport's £4·3 billion Terminal 5 development is undertaken by a dedicated energy centre, which provides continuous supplies of hot and chilled water for heating and air-conditioning respectively. The hot water is provided by a combination of a local combined-heat-and-power source and natural gas boilers, which can also run on fuel oil, and the chillers are powered by high-voltage electricity. This paper describes the design and construction of the highly efficient centre, which also made extensive use of off-site testing and manufacturing.
Briefing: Women reach the top in civil and structural engineering
Authors: Buck Sarah
Published: December 2009

There is no reason why women cannot now reach the highest levels in Brtain's construction industry, says Sarah Buck, who recently became the first female president of the Institution of Structural Engineers.
Client best practice guide: 200 ways to be a better client
Authors: Heward-Mills Leon
Published: December 2009

ICE has produced a definitive best-practice guide for construction clients with an online self-assessment tool. Sue Kershaw of the Olympic Delivery Authority and David Hutchison of Parsons Brinckerhoff report on one of the first fruits of ICE's new learned society structure.
New low-cost wastewater treatment system pioneered in Ireland
Authors: Zhao Yaqian
Published: December 2009

A pilot scheme in Ireland is treating agricultural wastewater using waste alum sludge from water-treatment works. Akin Babatunde and Yaqian Zhao from University College Dublin report on what could become the world's low-cost wastewater-treatment system of choice, particularly in remote areas.
Civil engineering research at British universities assessed as ‘world leading’
Authors: Long Adrian
Published: December 2009

Civil engineering research at British universities is better than ever, with 20% rated as ‘world leading’ in the government's latest research assessment exercise. Adrian Long of Queen's University Belfast, who chaired the civil engineering review panel, reports.
What should we teach in structural engineering design?
Authors: May Ian M
Published: December 2009

This paper reviews some recent discussion on the role of universities in the education and training of civil engineers and considers the guidelines offered by the UK Joint Board of Moderators on design in civil engineering degree programmes. Some discussion of other issues affecting the education of civil engineers is given. It is argued that emphasis should be given to the education of engineers at university and how this might be achieved in design is considered.
Engineering in the Barzaman formation, coastal Dubai, UAE
Authors: Macklin Steve , Gaba Asim
Published: December 2009

This paper describes a geological model for the ‘conglomeratic carbonate siltstone’, otherwise known as the Barzaman formation, which comprises the principal founding stratum for deep structures in coastal Dubai, UAE. It identifies and highlights some important considerations for future engineering works in this stratum. A brief review of the geology and geotechnical characteristics of the stratum is provided, followed by a discussion of recent work on those aspects of the mineralogy and geotechnical properties that indicate potential constraints to future development.
Foundation design for the Pentominium tower in Dubai, UAE
Authors: Ibrahim Kamiran , Bunce Grahame , Murrells Catherine
Published: December 2009

The Pentominium tower in Dubai, UAE will be the tallest residential building in the world at over 100 storeys tall when completed in 2012. This paper describes the design of the tower's piled raft foundation in the local carbonate soils and rock. Geotechnical investigations are outlined, along with how the effect of the proposed tower on neighbouring structures, single-pile response and impact of cyclic degradation were assessed. A description of the numerical analyses used to evaluate the overall piled raft response under various static and wind loading combinations is presented as well as some of the techniques used to optimise the foundation design, including preliminary pile testing.
The Middle Eastern infrastructure boom:1945–1995
Authors: Roberts Gwilym
Published: December 2009

The Middle East was transformed in the half century following the end of the Second World War by the boom in infrastructure projects made possible through the discovery and exploitation of the region's oil. Covering the whole of the infrastructure spectrum, the projects included some of the world's largest schemes and often involved state-of-the-art technology. Despite the frequent revolutions and wars that occurred in the region during this period, infrastructure development continued unabated in most countries, while in others progress was delayed or halted. In addition to brief descriptions of many of the projects built, this paper also summarises the varying political backgrounds against which they were planned and executed.
Aldar's new headquarters at Al Raha Beach, Abu Dhabi
Authors: Lumb Stephen , Gibbons Craig , Hale Robert , Clarke Stuart
Published: December 2009

Property developer Aldar's new headquarters building in Abu Dhabi sits at the heart of one of the Middle East's biggest single developments – the £13 billion Al Raha Beach project. The iconic, fully glazed structure is completely circular in elevation and curved in all other directions. It also features an external steel diagrid, recognised to be the first such structure in the United Arab Emirates. This paper describes the complex engineering design and construction of the building, which was completed in just 33 months.
Construction time and cost for post-tensioned timber buildings
Authors: Smith T. , Fragiacomo M. , Pampanin S. , Buchanan A. H.
Published: December 2009

This paper describes post-tensioned timber alternative designs for a six-storey office building in New Zealand. The building has long-span timber–concrete composite floors supported on laminated veneer lumber beams, columns and walls. Lateral loads are resisted with moment-resisting post-tensioned timber frames in one direction and post-tensioned cantilever timber walls in the other direction. This paper compares the time and cost of timber construction with the concrete building actually being constructed. Construction times of the timber and concrete buildings are found to be almost identical. The cost of the timber alternative is approximately 6% more than concrete or steel designs. This paper demonstrates the opportunity for post-tensioned timber to compete with concrete and steel for multi-storey long-span office buildings, providing a more sustainable alternative.
ICOLD – Brazil May 2009
Authors: Hughes Andy
Published: December 2009

The annual meeting (Committee Meetings and 77th Executive and Symposium) was held at the Brasilia Alvorada Hotel in Brasilia between 21 May 2009 and 24 May 2009. At the Executive Meeting Kenya was accepted as the 89th member country of ICOLD and the meeting was informed that Niger was applying to become the 90th member country.
Scottish canal reservoirs – a historical perspective. Part 2: Crinan canal
Authors: Brown David H
Published: December 2009

This paper is based on a presentation made to the Institution of Civil Engineers' Panel for Historic Engineering Works and the British Dam Society in Glasgow on 11 March 2009. An earlier part of this paper discussed the reservoirs supplying the canals of the Lowlands (Brown D. H. Scottish canal reservoirs – a historical perspective. Part 1: Lowlands. Dams and Reservoirs, 2009, 19, No. 3, 111–118). This part discusses the Crinan canal and will be followed in a future issue by a short paper on the unusual reservoirs on the Caledonian canal.
Briefing: Did the ancient Greeks know acoustics better?
Authors: Fuchs Helmut V
Published: December 2009

For tourists visiting excavated ancient Greek or Roman sites, the extraordinary speech intelligibility experienced in an (unroofed) amphitheatre – no matter how little is preserved of its original structure and outfit – is always a highlight. The article argues that the Greeks and Romans did indeed know more about acoustics without the theoretical background we have today. This knowledge has obviously been lost over the centuries, despite the powerful computer simulation tools now available to any ambitious acoustician. It is suggested that acoustic textbooks and standards be revised as far as recommended reverberation times and spectra are concerned.
The Irish coal canals
Authors: Donald P. T.
Published: December 2009

Inland navigation systems were built in Ireland in the eighteenth century with the specific intention of transporting coal to Dublin from the recently discovered coal deposits in east County Tyrone. The two interlinked canal systems were the Newry navigation and the Tyrone navigation with Lough Neagh in between. The Newry navigation comprised four elements : the 29 km long canal from Portadown to Newry, the water supply for the summit length, the shipping basin at Newry and the 5·2 km long ship canal leading to Carlingford Lough and the open sea. The Tyrone navigation comprised three elements: the 7 km length of the Coalisland Canal from the River Bann to Coalisland, the Coalisland basin and Ducart's Canal beyond Coalisland to the principal coalfield. This paper gives an outline of the background, which showed the need for the canals, their construction, the commercial outcome and their ultimate decline, the current state of repair and future prospects.
US Bureau of Reclamation dams in the American west
Authors: Wiltshire R. L. , Scott G. A.
Published: December 2009

This paper chronicles the Bureau of Reclamation's achievements and contributions in the evolution and advancement of dam engineering during the design and construction of water projects, largely in the twentieth century, to supply water and reclaim the arid lands of the western USA. These contributions and advancements had a significant affect on the rest of the world. The paper first discusses the bureau's masonry and concrete dams and briefly describes the more important dams constructed in each decade, along with how they affected the evolution of concrete dam analysis, modelling, design and construction. The bureau's embankment dams are discussed second, briefly describing the more important dams constructed in each decade, along with how they affected the evolution of embankment dam analysis, design and construction. The paper discusses the early empirical and analytical dam designs, site investigations and laboratory testing, the introduction of soil and rock mechanics and geotechnical engineering, foundation treatment, seismic considerations, as well as lessons learned from the Teton dam failure. Related topics such as the evolution of dam instrumentation and monitoring, and a brief history of the bureau's publications associated with concrete and embankment dam engineering are discussed in the paper.
Analysing water governance: a tool for sustainability?
Authors: Franks T. , Cleaver F.
Published: December 2009

Managing global water resources and providing water services to the world's people raises a continuing series of challenges, driven by increasing expectations, and a growing competition for water, which will be exacerbated by climate change. This paper explores how concepts of water governance and sustainability may help us to meet those challenges. Water governance is often equated with the role of government or management in the provision of water services. By contrast, we see governance as the system of actors, resources, mechanisms and processes, which mediate society's access to water. A broad conceptual framework is presented for the analysis of water governance, based on linkages between the resources available to society, the mechanisms that shape access to water and the outcomes of those mechanisms, both for people and the ecosystem. These linkages are mediated both by stakeholders and by management processes. It is argued that this conceptual framework offers a robust analytical tool for planning for sustainability as it is able to account for the complexities of water governance (of contexts, stakeholders, arrangements and uses). The paper concludes with observations about the ways in which the framework can be used to understand how different water governance arrangements produce variable outcomes in terms of sustainability.
Salcey treetop walk
Authors: Freedman G.
Published: December 2009

Salcey treetop walk was designed to provide sustainable, all-ability access to vantage points in the forest, to enhance ‘visitor experience’. The Royal Forest of Salcey is an excellent example of ancient woodland in the south of England, offering award-winning walking trails and opportunities to view a wide range of wildlife. The forest is a remnant of a medieval royal hunting forest, where a number of relics can still be found. There are miles of ancient wood-banks, some building remains and many ancient trees. The ‘Druids’ – or veteran oaks in Salcey – are rare wildlife habitats and some of the old oaks are believed to be more than 500 years old. The design remit for the walkway was to create all-ability access to the tree canopy, without damaging the environment – within a strict budget and short timescale. These parameters reduced many options but complete freedom was given to the designer to ensure rapid progress. The parameters given top priority were: site, materials, zigzag plan shape, no restraining guy ropes, minimal tree felling and branch cut, use of local materials and use of tried-and-tested components. Mechanical lifts were rejected at an early stage as the facility would be unmanned. Consideration had to be given to the future possibility and dangers of vandalism, while still trying to ensure that the walk would be exciting for both young and old visitors. This was particularly important for the handrail design and for the fundamental natural frequency of the structure. The structures provide 300 m of ramps at a slope of 1 : 12, winding through the forest and up through the canopy, to a platform at 15 m high and a ‘look out’ at 20 m. Steel structures were used for the high towers and long spans – however, local timber and advanced timber engineering was used wherever possible, to demonstrate sustainable forestry.
Managed Realignment at Hesketh Out Marsh West
Authors: Tovey E. L. , Pontee N. I. , Harvey R.
Published: December 2009

This paper reviews the design and construction of a managed realignment scheme that was completed at Hesketh Out Marsh West in the Ribble estuary in September 2008. The scheme was developed, on previously reclaimed land, to create additional intertidal habitat while maintaining flood defence standards. It has received a best practice award from the Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management and was a commended nomination for a merit award from the Institution of Civil Engineers' north west branch. The reasons for selection of this particular site as suitable for intertidal habitat creation are outlined, and the objectives and the designed components of the scheme are detailed. The paper also describes methods used in the design process and the design constraints, along with an outline of how the scheme was engineered to be as sustainable as possible. The paper concludes with a brief update of the changes made between design and construction and an indication of how the site is expected to develop and be used in the future.