Temple Farm Development spreads across an 85 acre rural site in Chelmsford, England. The project comprises offices, residential and healthcare buildings, and an Energy Centre.
3D Printed Glass Team at MIT look at the potential for using 3D printing glass. The two chamber system appeared in the September edition of 3D Printing & Additive Manufacturing. Glass paint to keep metal surfaces cool Researchers at John Hopkins University have developed a silica-based paint that reflects sunlight from metal surfaces, keeping … Continue reading “Smog Vacuums, 3D printing and glass-based paint – 4 of the best technology videos on the web”
The risks associated with the current UK planning process are still believed to be one of the major barriers preventing investors from selecting construction over other opportunities. Planning was pinpointed by the government’s Construction 2025 industrial strategy as requiring reform, and it was suggested that the process needs to be streamlined. With this in mind, … Continue reading “How can open data help to develop the construction industry?”
Open and big data offers many opportunities for the built environment, however it can appear overwhelming for those working in the sector. BRE in collaboration with Constructing Excellence group Generation for Change have been investigating the potential for data in the built environment. The study looked to demonstrate the potential benefits that collecting, managing, analysing … Continue reading “Understanding the Language – Open & Big Data in Construction”
The BRE National Solar Centre (NSC) has carried out a comprehensive survey of jobs in the solar sector in 2013, detailing both staffing numbers and site installation activities. Commissioned by the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC), the resulting data will be used to quantify the economic impact of the UK’s progress on solar … Continue reading “National Solar Centre measures jobs growth”
The rate of development of information and communications technology (ICT), sensor technology and data processing systems is creating major opportunities for the development of new services and solutions in a wide range of industrial sectors. In particular it provides the opportunity to significantly improve our understanding of the condition of built environment, and in particular … Continue reading “Wireless Sensors in Conditioned Based Asset Management”
BRE recently hosted a European Network of Building Research Institutes (ENBRI) workshop on BIM, with representation from* Ireland, Poland, France, Belgium, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Slovenia and Hungary. It is no surprise that throughout Europe there is a desire to improve the productivity of the construction industry, with many nations putting in place challenging efficiency targets. … Continue reading “Government mandate on BIM puts the UK ahead of the game in Europe”
We met with Will Lloyd to discuss the work BRE is doing to discuss the research that BRE’s electronic security systems team is doing to on the relationship between building materials and structures and the performance of electronic systems in those buildings. “On the one hand we are using more and more digital devices in … Continue reading “Connected cities start with connected homes”
BRE coordinated a workshop with Innovate UK and the Institute for Manufacturing a number of key areas were identified where High Value Manufacturing can help the UK construction sector achieve its vision for 2025. BRE Innovar coordinated a workshop with the Technology Strategy Board and the Institute for Manufacturing a number of key areas were … Continue reading “Construction Sector Potential for High Value Manufacturing Technologies”
In the latest in our series of innovator interviews, we caught up with Sam Stacey, Skanska’s Head of Innovation. Skanska is emerging as one of the UK’s most innovative main contractors. Sam joined Skanska in 2011 in a new role as Head of Innovation. Sam has responsibility for developing innovation across Skanska’s UK organisation. … Continue reading “Innovation Learning from Skanska”