A new campaign to promote civil engineering was launched in southern England on Monday 25th March 2013
The campaign, called ‘This is Civil Engineering’ and developed by the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE), was launched in association with the Environment Agency at both Haydon Wick and Newbury Flood Alleviation Schemes on the same day.
‘This is Civil Engineering’ is designed to demonstrate examples of civil engineering to the general public through the display of vinyl banners and signboards at sites both during construction and immediately following completion of works. The banners and signboards feature a QR code linked to a dedicated page on the ICE website that explains what civil engineering is and what civil engineers do. The page also contains links to more detailed civil engineering information and navigation to the rest of the ICE website for those interested in becoming civil engineers.
ICE Senior Vice President, Geoff French, who lives in Newbury, was invited along to launch the campaign at the sites. He commented: “‘This is Civil Engineering’ promotes the contribution of civil engineering to society and we are proud to be launching the campaign in southern England. We also have a number of other sites hosting banners/signage across the UK, which will help us to highlight the variety and importance of civil engineering to the general public.
“I am delighted that we have been able to work closely with the Environment Agency on the launch, which took place at two Flood Alleviation Scheme sites. Many communities remain exposed to flood risk and ICE recognises that support must be available to them to help them build resilience. These sites are therefore extremely relevant, and the ‘This is Civil Engineering’ campaign is an excellent opportunity for us to show the involvement of civil engineers in these schemes.”
The launch sites represent a type of civil engineering that is currently very prominent, following recent spells of heavy rain and flooding.
Work underway on the Newbury FAS will reduce fluvial flooding to more than 380 residential and almost 70 commercial properties. It will also help protect the A339 and A4 London Road, five listed buildings and two Scheduled Monuments, two nursery schools and two residential homes for the elderly.
The Haydon Wick Flood Alleviation Scheme (FAS) in Swindon aims to reduce flooding from the Haydon Wick Brook, which has previously affected properties, roads and infrastructure. The works involve construction of new raised defences from Elstree Way (upstream) to Queen Elizabeth Drive (downstream) and will involve steel sheet piling, embankment raising and installation of new footbridges.
Julia Simpson, Area Manager at the Environment Agency, said: “This is an excellent opportunity to promote the work of flood and coastal management and the importance of the civil engineering profession in supporting that work. Both the Haydon Wick and Newbury flood alleviation schemes will provide vital protection against flooding and we are pleased to be working with the Institution of Civil Engineers in highlighting the importance of these engineering projects.”
ICE South East England has more than 11,000 members living and working in the region. More information can be found at www.ice.org.uk/see. You can follow ICE South East England on Twitter: @ICE_SEEngland
Pictured: ICE Senior Vice President, Geoff French, VolkerStevin Site Agent, Duncan Nash and ICE South East England Director John Laverty check out river levels at the Newbury flood alleviation scheme.