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High Speed Two Limited (HS2 Ltd) has identified that there is a strong alignment between the High Speed Two strategic goals and potential circular economy benefits and has therefore adopted a holistic approach to realising these benefits in the delivery of the UK's new high-speed rail network. This paper describes the work undertaken to date, including establishing, embedding and communicating circular economy principles, coordinating the realisation of opportunities and reporting outcomes, as well as providing lessons learnt for other infrastructure projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article announces that Ian Townend and José Luis Díaz Rato and Mario de Miguel Riestra have received the Halcrow Prize and the David Hislop Award, respectively, from the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) for their papers published in Great Britain in 2008.

Cites the response of the Young Generation Network to the British Department of Trade and Industry's publication of the Energy White Paper, a definitive document on energy policy. Reduction of green house gases; Compensation for the decline of Great Britain's indigenous energy supplies; Energy infrastractures in Great Britain.

Reports on the criticisms of the science and technology committee of the House of Commons on the released Energy White Paper regarding the replacement of capacity lost from the closure of nuclear power plants by renewable energy sources. Targets for renewable power generation by 2010; Proposed introduction of a taxation structure.

Comments on the British government's white paper on its energy strategy, 'Our Energy Future--Creating a Low Carbon Economy.' Reductions in carbon dioxide emissions; Electric generation from renewable resources; Improvement of energy deficiency sales to the domestic market.

Cement and concrete are essential for global development. However, cement manufacture is responsible for around 7–8% of global greenhouse gas emissions, with significant growth anticipated. Beyond efficiencies in cement manufacturing, other strategies for using less cement in construction through applying the principles of efficient design, circular economy and reuse also have the potential to reduce emissions. A further option is to move towards cements with different compositions and inherently lower embodied carbon dioxide. This paper focuses on these materials and the challenges to their widespread adoption, drawing mainly on applied research, trials and standardisation activities conducted in the UK and the EU. In addition to modification of standards, basic technical and practical information such as strength development curves, durability, site considerations and a shared broad body of evidence are key for specifiers to consider when using any new cement. The paper describes the role of standards and specifications and the underpinning information (applied research, published case studies and experience) essential in getting any new cement adopted. It also shows how a range of evidence from research and application can feed into a simple conceptual model and evidence base. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides upper- and lower-bound limits of stiffness improvement observed from the treatment of infilled solution features in chalk as part of the Central 1 contract being delivered by the Align JV, which is part of the UK's High Speed 2 Phase 1 rail link. Infilled solution features were treated using rapid impact compaction (RIC) to achieve a sufficiently stiff subgrade beneath a wide range of temporary foundations and reduce the risk of collapse settlement. Improvement by RIC treatment was sufficient to ensure subsequent foundation performance or reduce the extent of compaction grouting subsequently required beneath the most heavily loaded foundations. The depth of improvement observed was up to 10 m and the improvement in elastic modulus observed was up to five times the pre-treatment value. Over 40 cone penetration tests were conducted before and after RIC. Typical lower- and upper-bound improvement curves are presented based on the observed minimum and maximum post-treatment stiffness. The degree of stiffness improvement was observed to generally reduce at greater than 5 m depth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes research into the poorly understood axial behaviour of piles driven in chalk. Comprehensive dynamic and monotonic axial testing on 27, mostly instrumented, piles undertaken for the ALPACA joint industry projects is reported and interpreted covering: diameters between 139 mm and 1·8 m; lengths from 3 to 18 m; different pile material types; tip and groundwater conditions; and ages after driving. The experiments show the factors that influence resistance most strongly are: (a) pile end conditions; (b) slenderness ratio and flexibility; (c) shaft material; (d) age after driving; (e) relative water table depth; and (f) whether loading is compressive or tensile. Varying the factors systematically identified a remarkable average long-term shaft resistance range from below 11 kPa to more than 200 kPa for piles driven at the same low- to medium-density chalk test site in Kent (UK). Dynamic and static analyses demonstrate that soil resistances to driving were generally well predicted by the Chalk ICP-18 short-term formulation. Considering the piles' long-term behaviour, the Chalk ICP-18 approach over-predicted capacity, while the widely used CIRIA approach proved over-conservative for most cases. The research enabled the development of a revised 'ALPACA-SNW' long-term capacity assessment method that matches the test outcomes far more faithfully. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change and the need for weather-resilient infrastructure is introducing new safety, performance and financial challenges and opportunities to regulators and those that are regulated. As the safety and economic regulator for railways in Great Britain, the Office of Rail and Road is required to protect the interests of rail users and funders by improving the safety, value and performance of railways, today and in the future. The approach to and understanding of climate change and weather resilience is developing; however, there is an expectation of infrastructure managers to make their asset types more resilient to climate change. This paper explores potential gaps in industry knowledge, what is 'good' practice, how to assess safety and efficiency and how to measure value. Understanding these questions will inform an approach. Regulatory experience suggests that a spectrum of practice exists, from more resilient business as usual to technology adoption. Regional variation has implications for funding, accountability and stakeholders. In this paper, the authors have collected examples across the spectrum; these have been grouped into four themes and an accessible model created to optimise decision making. The authors conclude that proactive value-driven approaches to weather resilience are possible but will require organisational adaptability and recognition that there is no 'one-size-fits-all' approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article announces awards from the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) given to papers published in the journal "Ground Improvement" such as the 2012 Telford Premium Prize to Mohd Bin Ahmad and colleagues and the 2012 Bill Curtin Medal to Nuno Cristelo and colleagues, presented by ICE president Richard Coackley on October 12.

The article announces that David Prandle, Robert Kirby, and Christian Retière have received the Halcrow Prize and the Telford Premium award, respectively, from the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) for their papers published in Great Britain in 2009.

The article announces the recipients of the awards for published papers in the journal from the Institution of Civil Engineers including Baker Medal to Seckin G, Haktanir T., and Knight D.W., and Robert Alfred Carr Prize to Fenner R.A. McFarland G., and Thome O.

The article presents the award-winning papers published in the periodical "Municipal Engineer," in 2005. The Manby Prize was awarded to P. Welsh's "Managing a city's transportation network: A case study." The James Hill Prize was awarded to G.M. Davis and K. Cole for their "Community involvement in coast protection at Lyme Regis, UK."

In this paper, a case study is examined in which a bridge structure with fatigue critical details was successfully managed and remediated without extensive traffic closures. Severe theoretical fatigue life shortfalls have been identified at the transverse stiffener frames of the box girder due to distortional effects in the steel box. Gade valley viaduct was the final link in the M25 London orbital motorway, constructed in 1986 at Kings Langley, UK. It is a composite box girder viaduct 440 m long with typical spans of 42 m and carries 180 000 vehicles daily. A series of cracks and original sub-standard weld quality issues were discovered in the transverse stiffener frames of the box girder. The fatigue shortfall that was a significant contributor to the identified fatigue cracking was confirmed by assessment and strain-gauge monitoring. A fatigue enhancement bracing system was deployed at all spans and boxes to provide a full 120 year fatigue life. The use of off-structure testing in a mock-up girder before the application on the live structure was a key feature of this project, where several lessons were learned from weld trials. This case study illustrates how heavily used structures with theoretical fatigue life shortfalls can be successfully rehabilitated to ensure safety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Saleyard Bridge carries the A465 Heads of the Valleys Road over the River Clydach near Gilwern, Monmouthshire, UK. It comprises a 67 m single-span steel–concrete composite multi-girder superstructure made integral with the abutments. A full-depth precast deck was chosen to tackle site constraints and improve constructability. The alternative precast panel connection detail developed used straight laps to overcome the problems that can arise from using typical U-bar loop type connections between precast deck panels. The successful use of the precast panels proved that a deck design with straight laps was a practical alternative. The ability to increase the multi-beam centres and avoid cantilever edge formwork created a more economical solution with savings estimated at £500 000. The paper examines the detailed design and construction planning needed to realise the savings and speed up construction as well as improving site safety. The lessons learnt are also applicable to the wider use of precast panels as an alternative to in situ concreting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the UK, decision makers use hydraulic model outputs to inform funding, connection consent, adoption of new drainage networks and planning application decisions. Current practice requires the application of design storms to calculate sewer catchment performance metrics such as flood volume, discharge rate and flood count. With flooding incidents occurring more frequently than their designs specify, hydraulic modelling outputs required by practice are questionable. The main focus of this paper is the peakedness factor (ratio of maximum to average rainfall intensity) of design storms, adjudging that this is a key contributor to model bias. Hydraulic models of two UK sewer catchments were simulated under historical storms, design storms and design storms with modified peakedness to test bias in modelling outputs and the effectiveness of peakedness modification in reducing bias. Sustainable drainage systems (SuDS) were implemented at catchment scale and the betterment achieved in the modelling outputs was tested. The proposed design storm modification reduced the bias that occurs when driving hydraulic models using design storms in comparison with historical storms. It is concluded that SuDS benefits are underestimated when using design rainfall because the synthetic rainfall shape prevents infiltration. Thus, SuDS interventions cannot accurately be evaluated by design storms, modified or otherwise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article announces that Christian LeBlanc Thilsted and Byron Byrne has received the T K Hsieh Award presented by the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE).

The documents for structural assessment of highway bridges, bridge substructures, retaining structures and buried structures in the UK's Design Manual for Roads and Bridges have been rewritten and updated. In bringing the documents up to date, there have been several technical changes introduced. These include efficiencies in the traffic loading model for bridges, new content on masonry arch assessment and new approaches to the assessment of substructures, retaining structures and buried structures using a Eurocode-aligned basis of assessment. This paper outlines the technical background to the key changes and highlights some of the efficiencies that can be delivered using the new documents. In addition, the paper outlines how the documents connect with related documents, including those on structural review, assessment of abnormal traffic loads, assessment of impact on bridge piers and the management of substandard structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

From first principles, criteria for the EN 12390-10 outside protected test have been developed and compared with existing practice. These criteria align well with the UK recommendations but are more conservative than the current French and Spanish requirements. The EN 12390-10 outside protected test is unsuitable for classification as this would require anybody using the procedure with identical concrete to get the same result. Unfortunately, current tests that are suitable for classification, whilst safe, do not reflect the real performance of slowly reacting cements. Improving the test for classification purposes will take time and meantime the use of the EN 12390-10 outside protected test and the criteria given in this paper provides a procedure by which both sustainability and durability may be achieved. The downside of this test is its slowness and, therefore, it is only suitable for type testing or the determination of limiting values and other criteria to be used in specifications or production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the inherent inaccuracy in the estimation of various extreme response variables (RVs) for different sea defence structures using joint exceedance curve approaches in common use around the UK. Utilising stochastically generated nearshore datasets that include extreme wave and sea-level conditions determined at regular intervals around the English coastline as part of a previous study, and asset information from the Environment Agency's Asset Information Management System database, this paper assesses 592 sea defence structures and their associated extreme response using different joint exceedance curve approaches when compared against the RV approach. This paper highlights that extreme RVs are often underestimated when using a joint exceedance curve approach, which in many cases can be significant. This suggests that the performance of many sea defence structures are incorrectly estimated. As a consequence, joint exceedance curve approaches may under-design sea defence structures to a greater level than previously indicated, or significantly underestimate extreme RVs when assessing the performance of existing structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is currently great interest in the creation of sustainable and liveable cities, both in the UK and globally. While it can be argued that good progress is being made in thinking about the needs of future cities, meeting these needs and aspirations in practice poses major challenges of understanding and measurement (what is meant by these terms and how can progress towards their achievement be measured?), complexity (cities are complex systems of systems with many interacting parts) and resilience (will interventions made today be relevant and effective in the future?). The Liveable Cities research programme created a systematic decision-making method for improving urban sustainability and liveability: the Liveable Cities Method (LCM). The LCM prioritises four criteria – individual and societal well-being, resource security, resource efficiency and carbon dioxide emissions as a proxy for environmental harm – in an interconnected framework and assesses the need for, and the resilience of, interventions designed to move cities towards improved sustainability and liveability. This paper illustrates the LCM through an example intervention made to the city of Birmingham, UK, and highlights how addressing sustainability and liveability in this way offers unique opportunities for the UK civil engineering profession to lead thinking among urban professionals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate projections suggest that the UK will be increasingly affected by climate-induced hazards in the future, exacerbating the potential for multihazard events to occur. This paper explores the extent to which climate resilience is being embedded in current and future rail transport infrastructure projects in London through use of a multihazard approach. It concludes that a multihazard approach is a relatively new concept and is therefore not currently being considered widely. However, opportunities for decision makers to explore its value to mitigate climate risks through collaborative working and further research exist – this paper recommends that two main stages are required to achieve this. Route 1 requires climate/hazard experts to identify and characterise the different hazard interactions that could occur, including their impact on the UK/London. Following this, route 2 involves the creation of multidisciplinary workshops to identify any multihazard vulnerabilities associated with different rail assets – potentially highlighting areas where further research is required. The paper concludes that although a London rail context has been adopted in order to understand the relevance of a multihazard approach, there is opportunity for it to be considered across many different sectors in the UK and the wider civil engineering industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The UK government's Future Flooding Inquiry called for more integrative methods to respond to flood risk management challenges. The 25-year plan for the environment, A Green Future (published by the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in 2018), has reiterated the requirement for integrated catchment management. There is growing acceptance that natural flood management (NFM) can complement traditional urban flood defence schemes. This paper examines the outcomes of a knowledge transfer partnership (KTP) between Waterco Consultants and the University of Liverpool which explores some of the challenges of implementing what appear to be relative simple NFM measures. Through a multidisciplinary partnership, the KTP project explored multiple delivery challenges. Using case study evidence from north-west England, the paper demonstrates the need for combining partnership working with more traditional hydraulic modelling approaches that can predict the potential flood risk reduction benefits of multiple NFM features, combined with the need to design structurally resilient interventions, so that appropriate permits can be approved. One of the key findings is that while NFM can contribute to flood risk alleviation, with multiple socio-environmental benefits, NFM can only be part of a more holistic approach. Primary evidence for hard and soft engineering measures, combined with use of automated attenuation management, could provide opportunities for more significant integrated flood risk benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With more intense rainfall and sea level rises predicted, an increasing number of people across the UK are vulnerable to flood events. The government has pledged more funding for flood infrastructure planning, design and management. However, schemes tend to focus on technical solutions, with the social impact, including needs and concerns of the local community, seen as secondary. Based on a detailed examination of three case studies in England, this paper identifies the mechanisms through which current processes restrict industry professionals from considering and incorporating the social perspective, often despite seemingly effective community engagement. The paper argues for an approach that incorporates social concerns alongside technical ones. Rather than 'community engagement', it is argued that 'co-production', in which lay communities work alongside technical experts in the design of flood risk alleviation schemes, would enable a final outcome that is both more socially acceptable and more technically successful. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Information about several papers discussed at Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers in Great Britain is presented. Topics include network and project management of New York City bridges, application of sustainability indicators in decision-making processes for urban regeneration projects, creating a transport policy for the West Midlands, and improving and optimising road pricing proposals for Copenhagen. The proceeding features several people including D.R. Lombardi, B. Yanev, and D.V. Hunt.

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The article presents information about William Edwards Bridge in Pontypridd, Great Britain. There is considerable history and heritage relating to this bridge and it has been the subject of significant academic publications on the structural analysis of masonry arches. The load assessment of this structure is of particular significance for a number of reasons. The structure is of particular significance for a number of reasons. The structure is of an unusual geometry with the top surface forming something of a hill with steep gradients on either side.

This article presents abstracts of various research papers published by the Institution of Civil Engineers. According to the paper "Design and Construction of Tongwamen Bridge, China," Tongwamen bridge is a half-through, concrete-filled steel tubular X-type arch bridge with deck width to span ratio of 1/23:8. According to the paper "Whole Life Cost Analysis in Concrete Bridge Tender Evaluation," in Great Britain large sums of money are spent annually on the repair and maintenance of structures. To avoid this problem in future construction, many government and private agencies responsible for asset management have recommended that designers should develop schemes that seek to minimize whole life costs, namely construction plus maintenance costs, rather than just initial construction costs.

This article presents summaries of papers on engineering sustainability. One of the summary was Green municipal engineering for sustainable communities by P.M. Condon and K. Isaac. This paper details the design and function of the East Clayton green infrastructure plan, focusing on stormwater management, pedestrian and bicycle movement and lowered infrastructure costs, and illustrates the vital and expanding role of the engineer in the move towards liveable, affordable and ecologically sound communities. Another summary was "A review of the UK cycle network," by R.J. Blackwell. This paper explores some of the reasons for this decline in use and reviews the role the National Cycle Network in trying to reverse the trend.

Understanding the resilience of transport networks is critical for efficient asset management. This paper takes an innovative approach to studying the operability of the Queensferry Crossing (QFC), UK, including cost–benefit aspects. A key driver for the QFC was to increase the resilience of the A90/M90 link by reducing weather-related closures. The first weather-related closure of the QFC was in February 2020, when ice formed on the superstructure cables and fell on the carriageway and vehicles, creating a safety risk for bridge users. The bridge was closed for 41 h and, in this paper, the estimated monetary losses are compared with those of past Forth Road Bridge (FRB) closures. The costs of potential mitigation measures are then assessed in the context of closure costs, thus improving the resilience of the QFC. Although the QFC has only been open for 3 years, it is already apparent that it is significantly more resilient than the largely replaced FRB, whether this is considered as the number, duration or costs of closures and that this will be substantially improved by the planned use of the FRB during future closures of the QFC. Investment in mitigation measures is a potentially cost-effective solution although the form of any suitable ice prevention or removal system is, as yet, far from clear. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The UK Design Manual for Roads and Bridges (DMRB) document CS 455 for the assessment of concrete highway bridges and structures has been rewritten and updated as part of the project to update the DMRB suite of documents. The key technical changes introduced in the document are outlined in this paper, including: methods for estimating worst credible strength; simplification and improvement in shear resistance near a support where there is a short anchorage length; incorporation of strut-and-tie modelling; serviceability limit state assessment requirements for prestressed concrete; shear resistance of prestressed concrete; and new rules for the effect of cover on bond. The technical background to the key changes is briefly outlined and some of the efficiencies that can be delivered using the new document are highlighted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The UK's design documents for assessment of steel and composite highway bridges and structures have been updated in line with Highways England's overall plan for modernising the Design Manual for Roads and Bridges. This paper describes the key changes that have been made to the document and their impact on users, providing reassurance that, despite the new format, the methods and requirements are largely unchanged, or changed to facilitate future assessments by allowing more general approaches to be adopted. For steel bridges the key changes are described that affect robustness assessment, notch toughness, bearing stiffeners, cross-girders, stiffened panel buckling and inspection criteria for existing welds. For composite bridges, the changes relate mainly to the serviceability limit state verifications, to fatigue and to the shear connection, as well as the general improvements to remove outdated content and simplify the document. The changes for both documents include greater references to the Eurocodes in general, which will facilitate an easier transition to Eurocode assessment standards when these are published in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Open caisson shafts are a widely adopted solution for a range of geotechnical applications. An external 'cutting shoe' is a common construction feature used to reduce the soil frictional resistance acting on the caisson during sinking. This forms an annular void encircling the caisson which is filled with a support fluid to maintain excavation stability. The primary aim of this paper is to explore the influence of the cutting shoe geometry on the resulting vertical bearing resistance in sand. Finite-element limit analysis is adopted for this purpose. Additional parameters considered in the modelling include the roughness of the caisson cutting face and cutting shoe, and the caisson radius and embedment depth. The results show that the influence of the cutting shoe is highly dependent on the caisson cutting face roughness and the soil friction angle, illustrated using detailed soil failure mechanisms. The roughness of the cutting shoe is also shown to cause a significant increase in the vertical soil reaction for large caisson embedment depths. By way of example, a recent case study in the UK, involving the construction of a 32 m dia. caisson, is used to highlight the potential influence of the cutting shoe on the bearing resistance during caisson sinking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Considerate Constructors Scheme (CCS) was introduced in 1997 to improve the image of the UK construction industry and has grown dramatically, with over 6000 construction and infrastructure projects registered valued at £43 billion. While evidence exists that the industry's image is improving, there is little research into the CCS perceptions of those tasked with scheme delivery. It is not clear if contractors engage with CCS willingly as proactive participants or succumb to the requirements of clients to win work simply. The aim of this paper is to gain an insight into contractor perceptions of CCS to aid clients and contractors ultimately in their delivery of the scheme and ensure that the CCS delivers the maximum benefit for stakeholders. A case study of a single infrastructure project registered with the CCS is utilised. All CCS documents were critically analysed, and interviews were conducted with clients, the contractor and residents. The findings contribute to an unexplored area of research and reveal the motivations behind why a contractor engages with the CCS, the advantages and drawbacks in the scheme's current enactment and key lessons on how the CCS could be administered and delivered more effectively for the benefit of all stakeholders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstracts of papers published in the Institute of Civil Engineers (ICE) Proceedings for 2006 in Great Britain are presented. This include the paper "UK Reserviors Face Drought of Safety Engineers," written by I Hope from the November issue. Another is the "Cheong Gye Cheon Restoration in Seoul, Korea," by J.-H. Shin and I.-K. Lee from the November issue. And the "Ethics: Making it the Heart of Water Supply," by M. Sohail and S. Cavill from the May issue.

Malpas Viaduct is a 860m long reinforced concrete structure, located near Newport, Wales carrying the M4 motorway. The structure forms a vital regional link together with the adjacent Brynglas tunnel and River Usk Bridge. A particular feature of the structure is the inclusion of half-joints which are hidden critical elements. The structure was suffering from early signs of structural deterioration as a result of chloride contamination. This paper offers an overall review of the rehabilitation programme, from condition inspection, to structural assessment and finally concrete repairs and corrosion protection. The structural assessment utilised non-linear finite element methods and aimed at firstly assessing the current load carrying capacity of the viaduct and secondly develop a detailed concrete repair sequence which negated the requirement of extensive temporary supports while maintaining full traffic and load carrying capacity on the M4. The rehabilitation strategy incorporated the design and installation of an innovative hybrid corrosion protection electrochemical system to extend the service life of the hidden critical elements by 30 years. The system is the first of its kind in half-joints and offers targeted corrosion protection that passivates the reinforcement from residual chloride contamination and the simplicity and low maintenance of galvanic anodes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]