The Civil Engineer Blog

Civil engineers and other industry professionals talk about the real world challenges, issues and technical developments they have to deal with.

Our civil engineer blog contributors give their perspective on what's happening today - across all the civil engineering disciplines.

All posts (260):

Hong Kong launches Construction 2.0
- Author: Lam Sai-hung
- Date: 21 January, 2019
The Hong Kong government is upgrading its £30 billion a year construction industry. Lam Sai-hung of the Development Bureau says Construction 2.0 will focus on innovation, professionalisation and revitalisation.
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GEC action plan for Sustainable Development Goals
- Author: Nathan Baker
- Date: 17 January, 2019
Nathan Baker says the Global Engineering Congress led to a coordinated plan of action for achieving the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals.
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Planning for a more bio-resourceful future
- Author: Jeff Cooper
- Date: 14 January, 2019
Renewable energy consultant Jeff Cooper says that society needs to reduce food and other bio-resource waste as well as ensure greater re-use of what’s left over.
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Do our water quality standards demonstrate to the public that their water supply is clean?
- Author: Martin Kimber, Christopher Binnie, and Hugh Thomas
- Date: 10 January, 2019
Martin Kimber, Christopher Binnie and Hugh Thomas discuss the importance of water quality management to ensure that what’s supplied to consumers is of a consistent standard.
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What we need for the journey to net-zero carbon emissions
- Author: ICE Energy Panel
- Date: 07 January, 2019
Net-zero carbon dioxide emissions must be achieved to ensure that climate change is kept within tolerable levels. ICE's Energy Panel discusses the 'net-zero' concept and the innovations needed to move from rhetoric to…
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Learning from the Genoa bridge collapse
- Author: Steve Jones
- Date: 03 January, 2019
The tragic collapse of Genoa’s Morandi Bridge is a stark reminder of the risks of time-related deterioration and increased loading. Steve Jones, from the University of Liverpool, discusses the lessons learned.
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Designing for zero energy waste
- Author: Yazen Saleh
- Date: 21 December, 2018
In the United Arab Emirates (UAE), a resident will typically consume 45,162 GWh (DEWA-Annual Statistics 2017) annually. Yazen Saleh discusses the implementation of green building and sustainability concepts, principles and techniques in…
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Blockchain technology: could it revolutionise construction?
- Author: Adam Kirkup
- Date: 17 December, 2018
Balint Penzes, Consultant Engineer at COWI, discusses the latest ICE report ‘Blockchain technology in construction’ offering insights into how blockchain could disrupt the entire industry.
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Disasters: how civil engineers can help, and not just afterwards
- Author: Carlos Molina Hutt, Mark Scorer and Josh Macabuag
- Date: 10 December, 2018
Civil engineers are well placed to help communities recover from disasters as well as protecting them before they occur. Carlos Molina Hutt of the University of British Columbia and Mark Scorer and Josh Macabuag of charity Saraid explain…
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Plug and play skyscrapers: can it be done?
- Author: Wei Pan, Ray Su, Yancheng Cai and Ben Young
- Date: 06 December, 2018
Off-site manufacture of ‘plug and play’ modules is fast gaining ground in the housing and plant sectors. What are the engineering challenges for using it for high-rise buildings?
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