Innovative Thinking

Newton Waterproofing created a bespoke solution for an east London basement.

Fed up with renting in London, design engineer Joe Stuart and service designer Lina Nilsson decided to build their own home on a tiny, 38m2 plot in east London. With a budget of just under £200k, they set about delivering…

Getting the right connections between steel and concrete elements is a critical part of many major projects. But designing and specifying the correct anchor can be a time consuming process.

Hilti’s PROFIS software is designed to ensure the most efficient anchors are specified and installed quickly and with minimal difficulty. Bury-based steel…

Concrete Canvas (CC) is an innovative construction product that can be described as “concrete on a roll”.

Essentially, it is a flexible concrete impregnated fabric that hardens on hydration, to form a thin, durable, waterproof and fibre reinforced concrete layer. Manufactured in Pontypridd, South Wales, volume production of CC began in…

The stunning cable stayed multi-span bridge at the centre of the Mersey Gateway scheme is a real show-stopper.

But the elegant design of 2.13km long bridge with its 1km span over the River Mersey is not the only reason the project was named by KPMG as one of the top 100…

Building information modelling (BIM) has been an unlit fuse for years – and product manufacturers may soon be handed a match.

BIM workflows have been on the cusp of revolutionising the construction industry since pre-iPad days – yet while Apple’s tablet has become ubiquitous, BIM’s overall impact has been muted. More…

Imagine a piece of software that could help you choose the route of a new metro crossing a city as complex and constrained as London.

One that would tell you exactly which route to select to weigh the competing constraints, and find anoptimum balance of construction and in-service operational efficiency. Consider…

Brexit may be a divisive issue, but Hilti head of engineering Kirsty Walton believes a forthcoming change to EU documentation should be welcomed across the construction industry.

Walton says the adaption of Eurocode 2 to include a standard on concrete fastenings will help the sector’s own journey towards safer, more reliable and…

The profession is changing. Civils teams are now made up of a vibrant mix of disciplines – a far cry from the traditional teams of engineers, designers and quantity surveyors of the past. 

Recognising this, the ICE is embarking on a historic ballot, urging its members to vote to “open its…

While Atkins has a reputation for technical excellence, the industry’s growing skills shortage is a concern.

With more than 18,000 employees worldwide and annual revenue of £1.76bn, one might think Atkins is well prepared, but it always needs to recruit more engineers.  Chief engineer Richard Leighton says: “there is a shortage”.…

Kirkthorpe Hydropower will be the largest hydro scheme in Yorkshire, and, once commissioned in November the £5.3M facility will have a 500kW capacity – producing around 2.3M.kWh per annum. This is enough renewable electricity to take around 800 homes off the grid.

The scheme comprises a 500kW axial turbine and is…