Keeping young people safe at work was top of the agenda at the latest Industry Skills Forum hosted by Develop Training Limited (DTL). The event attracted senior apprenticeship and HR managers from major construction, infrastructure and utilities companies. Safeguarding to prevent abuse and harm is a hot topic, as large
An innovative scheme designed to attract new talent into the built environment industry has secured the backing of three high-profile firms that have won work across the globe. Black & White Engineering (B&W), s h e d and James Christopher Consulting are the latest companies to become sponsors of PlanBEE
Coming back from the summer break with recharged batteries and a suitcase full of souvenirs and good intentions, September always seems to do its best to challenge this with a tsunami of shows. For myself and my colleagues at Quarterre, a transport and product design studio based in London, this
Is google your go-to source for construction industry knowledge, or do you find the answers you need on your company’s in-house knowledge management system? Are you frustrated by documents that are too long to read, or baffled by complex technical language? Do you give up when you’re faced with a
Excitement is mounting as the highest performing Considerate Constructors Scheme registered construction companies and suppliers get ready for the 2018 National Company and Supplier Awards. The Awards will take place on 15-16 November at the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) prestigious landmark headquarters in central London. Every company and
Following the acquisition of Lagan Group by Breedon Group earlier this year, Lagan’s brick, tile and bagged cement products have been rebranded as Breedon. The company manufactures a comprehensive range of concrete roof tiles, clay facing bricks and bagged cement which it supplies to builders’ merchants across the UK and
TODD Architects is delighted to announce a posse of internal team promotions, creating seven new Associates with specialisms across a range of sectors, including office, residential, healthcare, education, retail and aviation. Says MD Paul Crowe: “These well-deserved promotions are part of our continued succession and business development plan, rewarding talent and experience
Losing your hair is quite a common thing for many people as they get older. In the past there has been very little that could be done about it, and in the more recent past it was only the rich and famous that could afford to have it done. But
Stephen George + Partners, one of the UK’s leading architectural practices, has celebrated moving into its new 8,000 sqft purpose-built office at Grove Park, Enderby with a spectacular launch party attended by over 180 guests. Designed and developed by the practice, Waterfront House embodies the practice’s business values and vision
The Institution joins a prestigious group of engineering projects that includes San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge, the Forth Bridge in Scotland and the Statue of Liberty in New York. The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) has designated the Institution of Civil Engineers as a Historic Civil Engineering Landmark, in the Institution’s 200th anniversary
Keeping young people safe at work was top of the agenda at the latest Industry Skills Forum hosted by Develop Training Limited (DTL). The event attracted senior apprenticeship and HR managers from major construction, infrastructure and utilities companies. Safeguarding to prevent abuse and harm is a hot topic, as large firms look to take on more young apprentices under the government’s levy scheme. The round table event also highlighted Prevent, the government’s initiative to avoid radicalisation of young people. Tanya Parkin, DTL’s HR Manager and safeguarding lead, outlined how the company is tackling the safeguarding issue as an approved apprenticeship provider. The presentation, co-hosted by Andy Holmes, DTL’s Head of Audit and Quality, raised key discussion points around the shared responsibilities of the training provider and its corporate customers. Describing DTL’s journey since becoming an approved apprenticeship provider under the levy, Tanya said: “We have implemented a safeguarding and prevent strategy in the business. Our board of directors is really engaged with the subject, which has allowed us to roll out the strategy in our processes and training documentation.” “Safeguarding in the workplace is focused on under 18s but not confined to that age group,” she explained. DTL relies on the government’s document Safeguarding: Keeping Children Safe in Education for its policies on keeping apprentices safe. The guidelines outline processes for recruitment and training of teaching staff and others working with young people, as well as the duties of designated responsible persons. A second presentation by an expert in extremism outlined the risks posed by radicalisation and how the Prevent initiative operates to combat the threat. Providers such as DTL have a duty to refer young people who appear to be at risk of radicalisation to a specialist panel as well as to incorporate British values into the learning process. To find out more about DTL and to download a range of useful resources visit www.developtraining.co.uk/safeguarding www.developtraining.co.uk
An innovative scheme designed to attract new talent into the built environment industry has secured the backing of three high-profile firms that have won work across the globe. Black & White Engineering (B&W), s h e d and James Christopher Consulting are the latest companies to become sponsors of PlanBEE (Built Environment Education), a unique, flexible training programme designed to attract and retain the brightest new talent in the region, plug skills gaps and create a more flexible workforce capable of working across various construction disciplines. The scheme was launched in 2016 when Gateshead College and Ryder Architecture formed a powerful alliance with a network of architects, designers, contractors and engineering specialists. Rather than follow a traditional training model where students complete their qualifications while working in one company, PlanBEE gives trainees the chance to work across several companies and therefore gain a more rounded understanding of the built environment industry. Students will now benefit from a wider range of expertise with B&W, Shed and James Christopher Consulting on board. Launched in the United Arab Emirates in 2007, B&W is a pioneering mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) design consultancy with offices in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Baku, Manila, London and Newcastle. The company offers design and consultancy services to the construction industry worldwide and has worked on numerous large-scale iconic projects including high-rise towers, data centres, hotels, shopping malls and airports. Steven Horn, director, in B&W’s Newcastle office said: “We need to see more young people coming into our industry with knowledge of different areas of the built environment. The way PlanBEE is structured allows us to achieve this. The programme is ideal preparation for how we want to develop our staff, which is to give them opportunities to experience different ways of working on various projects around the world.” Newcastle-based s h e d is a structural and civil engineering design consultancy that specialises in complex engineering design and Building Information Modelling (BIM), an approach that helps firms risk-assess projects at an early stage by generating intelligent 3D models of buildings before construction takes place. Marc Horn of s h e d said: “Our expertise in BIM requires us to recruit staff with a rounded understanding of the built environment sector. PlanBEE enables us to achieve this because it moves away from traditional off-the-shelf training schemes that shoehorn professionals into narrowly defined roles in a single company.” James Christopher Consulting, an established engineering practice in Gateshead, offers design services to the built environment sector and works on a wide range of projects, from small-scale specialist structures to large-scale commercial developments including land reclamation and drainage works. Technical director Craig Higgins said: “We were delighted to get involved with PlanBEE and were impressed with this novel approach to recruiting, training and developing staff. There’s a strong emphasis on the application of digital technologies to different types of construction projects and we want our workforce to be at the forefront of this revolution.” Working with Gateshead College, the PlanBEE group has created a bespoke higher-level skills programme that provides budding professionals with study and off-the-job training at the college’s construction facility on Team Valley, along with a job working with some of the region’s leading companies. It has been tailored specifically for and by the North East construction sector, providing students with a starting salary of £10,700 per year, a professional qualification and a guaranteed job opportunity on graduation. Established by Ryder Architecture, the scheme has already attracted some high-profile names, including Brims Construction, NBS, Desco (Design & Consultancy), BIM Academy, Sir Robert McAlpine, Xsite Architecture, Robertson, 3e Consulting, Cundall, Arup, FaulknerBrowns, Sadler Brown Architecture and Tolent. Chris Toon, deputy principal at Gateshead College, said: “It’s great to have three additional sponsors on board. The industry has called for employees to be skilled in a greater range of disciplines, such as surveying, landscaping, architecture and planning, and PlanBEE addresses this fundamental need. “We proud to be at the forefront of an industry-led initiative that’s becoming a national exemplar for the recruitment and development of construction employees.” Mark Thompson, managing partner at Ryder Architecture, added: It’s fantastic to see the positive impact the programme is making on the students and sponsoring businesses, and we’re delighted to be welcoming the new sponsors to our third cohort.” For more information about the programme, or to get involved, visit http://www.gateshead.ac.uk/planbee/ or contact Helen Craddock at Ryder on 0191 269 5454.
Coming back from the summer break with recharged batteries and a suitcase full of souvenirs and good intentions, September always seems to do its best to challenge this with a tsunami of shows. For myself and my colleagues at Quarterre, a transport and product design studio based in London, this has centred around two things this year: The London Design Festival, when the world and its soft furnishings comes to our doorstep and the Paris Motor Show, a veritable Grande Dame of the automotive industry whose glory days might be behind her now but who still knows how to put on a class act. These two great events, much like their host cities, are, at first glance, quite different. However, in a reflection of the times we live in perhaps, these superficial differences mask important themes and knowledge that, when shared, can benefit all. The London Design Festival often seems to contain a bustling multitude of ideas both laudable and laughable and this year was no different. Amidst the colours, curves and visual puns were thought-provoking investigations into positive uses of personal data in urban planning (Zaha Hadid), sustainable structures from responsibly sourced materials (MultiPly by Waugh Thistleton Architects) and the innovative use of waste materials in product design (Ilse Crawford, as part of the Viaduct Common Senses show), proof that creativity will be key in solving these recurring questions of cities, sustainability and circular economics. At the end of the month, the Paris motor show, was a noticeably sparser affair than in previous years, a sign that motor shows in metal sheds are rapidly losing their attraction. The two stars of the show – the Renault EZ-Ultimo and Peugeot e-Legend illustrate the quandary the automotive industry faces, step into an uneasy new world where driving pleasure is an irrelevance and even luxury cars are something to be shared and not owned, or embrace the comforting glow of nostalgia? Despite this, what wasn’t up for discussion, was the future of the internal combustion engine. Even the – really rather attractive – retro Peugeot was an electric car. Ironically, as car companies themselves fight for relevance, the technology that they have at their disposal looks increasingly useful for many fields of design and manufacture. For instance, prefab buildings look to be one of the best ways to solve housing shortages and techniques that were last seriously investigated by Richard Rogers and Norman Foster in their youth, are being investigated again by a new generation of architects and developers. Boxes made in factories that are safe, comfortable and full of technology. So, who do we know that might be able to help with that? A year or so ago, Renault showed the Symbioz, a concept that integrated a car into a house – the former giving up the unused charge in its battery when it returned home to power services in the house – a ‘D to X’ configuration in the parlance of providers of charging points. This is an intelligent use of resources and something that is, pleasingly, already on the horizon as a feature of many houses in the near future. Beyond this though, the Renault house and car shared only a broad-brush aesthetic relationship. A shame, as a fully-integrated house and car from the company that brought you the first European mpv – the Espace in 1984 – could have been quite a statement. Other car companies have opted to simply lend their names to new buildings. Aston Martin has dipped its toes in the world of property development – at the top end, naturally – designing a luxury flat complex in Florida. Porsche Design – Ferdinand Porsche’s independent industrial design studio, set up when he withdrew from the car company in the 70s and subsequently re-absorbed into the group just over a decade ago – has also thrown its hat into the ring with a neighbouring tower in Miami and a planned building in Frankfurt. These properties function more as general expressions of modern luxury residential architecture than as the concrete-and-steel embodiment of a car brand. The commercial realities behind their creation mean that their aesthetic has been tempered to attract a more mainstream audience. But they do at least show an awareness on the part of Porsche Design and Aston Martin of the type of lifestyle that their products are a part of. As more car brands look to offer mobility as a service and seek to present themselves as clubs to be joined just as much as manufacturers of automotive hardware, this trend for embodying the automotive in architecture will surely continue. Travelling in the other direction, there is a notable tradition of architects trying their hand at car design. Amongst others, Le Corbusier and Zaha Hadid both created designs for vehicles, although Hadid’s Z-Car showed that a feeling for sculptural form in one field does not necessarily translate seamlessly to another. Le Corbusier’s car – the Voiture Minimum – was as geometrically brutal as much of his architecture, his eschewing of the architecture and ‘technical sculpture’ typical of mainstream car styling leading to a utilitarian and functional design that has aged remarkably well. Le Corbusier of course, was famed for describing a house as a ‘machine for living in’. Surely car companies are ideally placed to expand upon this concept? From lightweight, modular structures to integrated sensors and smart energy saving, there are many examples of intelligent engineering and convenient, enabling technology that could usefully cross-fertilise with architecture and house building. Come to that, when cars become completely autonomous, where will they end and our houses begin? Will we begin the commute to work whilst still in bed and step from breakfast in the kitchen straight into the office? Mobile architecture is uncharted territory at the moment and as smart homes and shared mobility evolve, it could quite easily become the next frontier for innovative thinkers. http://www.quarterre.com
Is google your go-to source for construction industry knowledge, or do you find the answers you need on your company’s in-house knowledge management system? Are you frustrated by documents that are too long to read, or baffled by complex technical language? Do you give up when you’re faced with a sign-up form? The Construction Knowledge Task Group (CKTG) wants to know what you think about the state of industry knowledge, and is asking people from across the industry to fill in a quick online survey which will generate invaluable insights and help guide the knowledge of the future. Construction knowledge is a vital industry asset that helps spread best practice, promote research and innovation and prevent mistakes. But a recent poll suggested three quarters of practitioners don’t have easy access to the knowledge they need to do their job. This may be because they are unaware of what is available, it is inaccessible, it is in an unhelpful format, or it is difficult to understand and apply. As a result, knowledge has less impact on the ground than it should, the industry does not perform as well as it could, and avoidable mistakes are made. 93% of practitioners believe that improving knowledge is very important or extremely important for the industry. The Construction Knowledge Task Group is calling for your input so it can take the right steps to make knowledge better. This important survey will build a picture of the knowledge practitioners need, where they go to find it, and what stands in their way. Architect, Dr Gregor Harvie, convenor of the task group said; “A lot of knowledge is still produced as if we’re in the 19th century and it’s destined to sit on a shelf. We need to modernise our knowledge in the same way that BIM has modernised data and information. The feedback we get from this survey will help us take the first steps in the right direction.” Please take a little time out of your day to make the industry better, and complete the survey at https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/constructionknowledge The survey will close on Friday 30 November. Notes The Construction Knowledge Task Group (CKTG) was established in 2018 to make it as easy as possible for practitioners and other industry stakeholders to find, access and apply the right knowledge at the right time. It was convened following research carried out in 2017 that suggested there was a significant difference between the knowledge practitioners need and the knowledge the industry produces. Its members include representatives from; the Construction Leadership Council, CIOB, ICE, RIBA, RICS, i3P, BSRIA, CIAT, CIBSE, UKGBC, BRE, Arup, Rider Levett Bucknall, University of Dundee, Polypipe, The Get It Right Initiative, Cundall and Storma. You can find out more about the Construction Knowledge Task Group at https://www.designingbuildings.co.uk/wiki/Construction_knowledge_task_group Or you can email Dr Gregor Harvie at gregor.harvie@designingbuildings.co.uk.
Excitement is mounting as the highest performing Considerate Constructors Scheme registered construction companies and suppliers get ready for the 2018 National Company and Supplier Awards. The Awards will take place on 15-16 November at the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) prestigious landmark headquarters in central London. Every company and supplier registered with the Scheme had their performance against the Scheme’s Code of Considerate Practice assessed between 1 August 2017 and 31 July 2018. Only the very highest performing have now been selected to be eligible to win this year’s prestigious awards. Industry leaders, Brian Berry (Chief Executive at the Federation of Master Builders) and Shaun McCarthy OBE (Chair of the Supply Chain Sustainability School) will be announcing whether each winning company or supplier has received a Bronze, Silver or Gold Award for their achievements. Runners-up and the winners of the highly acclaimed ‘Most Considerate Company’ and ‘Most Considerate Supplier’ Awards will also be announced at the ceremonies. Considerate Constructors Scheme Chief Executive Edward Hardy comments: “Scheme-registered companies and suppliers play a crucial role in promoting a positive image of our industry, with the standards of best practice and general consideration shown within these organisations increasing significantly year on year. “The commitment and a sustained effort to continuously improve by top performing companies and suppliers are truly incredible. “On behalf of the Scheme, I would like to offer my congratulations to every registered company and supplier winning an award, as competition gets tougher each year with more organisations registering and performing to ever higher standards. “We look forward to recognising and celebrating the success of every 2018 award-winning company and supplier at our National Company and Supplier Awards in November.” All the latest on the awards will be available via Twitter @CCScheme #ccsawards #loveconstruction. Photo caption: 2017 National Company and Supplier Award winners.
Following the acquisition of Lagan Group by Breedon Group earlier this year, Lagan’s brick, tile and bagged cement products have been rebranded as Breedon. The company manufactures a comprehensive range of concrete roof tiles, clay facing bricks and bagged cement which it supplies to builders’ merchants across the UK and Ireland. This newly-branded range has enhanced the portfolio of specialist building products available through Breedon’s distributor network which also includes a variety of decorative aggregates, concrete products and its famous Welsh Slate. James Cousins, regional director responsible for Breedon’s specialist building products, said: “It’s a very exciting time to be part of Breedon. We’ve spent the last few months getting to know our new colleagues, as well as the products and plants within the group, and the rebranding from Lagan to Breedon demonstrates our commitment to the market to move forward as a single brand, leveraging the strength of the enlarged group to offer our customers high-quality products and the highest level of customer service. “It’s early days but one thing’s for sure: we’ll be continuing to grow and invest in our business in the coming years, with a continuing focus on our customers throughout the UK and Ireland.”
TODD Architects is delighted to announce a posse of internal team promotions, creating seven new Associates with specialisms across a range of sectors, including office, residential, healthcare, education, retail and aviation. Says MD Paul Crowe: “These well-deserved promotions are part of our continued succession and business development plan, rewarding talent and experience and creating career opportunities to keep those skills within the practice. These promotions will help us deliver our collective aim to empower future leadership by investing in our team.” Michael Burns has over 20 years’ experience and has completed some of TODD’s most acclaimed buildings, including INI Belfast HQ and Queens University’s library tower. He is currently leading the delivery of major office developments in Belfast and Brighton. Working at TODD’s since 2015, Martin Wylie has extensive experience in the design and construction of offices, apartments, educational, and healthcare buildings. He is currently engaged in a number of high profile schemes including the Gate, a 20 storey student residential development in Sheffield. John Palmer is based at TODD’s Dublin office, and is responsible for all aspects of project delivery spanning a range of sectors including residential, healthcare, education and commercial and custodial. John has a specialist interest in Passivhaus standards, energy conservation and green building technologies. Brona Marshall has over 20 years’ experience working on projects in sectors including commercial, aviation, media, sports and particularly education. Brona has recently been involved in a master planning development project for Bristol Airport that will facilitate the anticipated capacity increase in passenger numbers initially to 12 million passengers per annum. With over 13 years’ experience across multiple sectors including healthcare, education, commercial and residential, Jonathan Thompson has a wide experience working with clients, contractors, sub-contractors and regulating authorities across the UK, Ireland and the Middle East. Jonathon is leading the design of Queens University’s prestigious new School of Management building. Having joined TODD’s in 2012, Bobby Moore has become an integral part of the practice’s education team, regularly working on feasibility studies, competitions and tender submissions. Currently Bobby is working on Holy Family Special needs school in Cootehill, County Cavan where the Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar has just cut the first sod! Heading the residential housing team, Shaun Hegarty has 17+ years of experience in the area and has completed a multiplicity of schemes for both private sector and Housing Association clients. Shaun also fronts TODD’s involvement in the RNLI framework, supporting RPS on the delivery of works to the RNLI’s coastal and inland life boat stations throughout Ireland and Scotland. Concludes Paul: “By developing and applying our united skills and efforts, we will continue to nurture our existing client relationships while also reaching out and building new networks.”
Losing your hair is quite a common thing for many people as they get older. In the past there has been very little that could be done about it, and in the more recent past it was only the rich and famous that could afford to have it done. But things are changing and more and more people are winding back the clock by bringing back the hairline of their younger selves Before you embark on your hair transplant journey it is well worth doing a little research to make sure you are well prepared for what will happen. It is a surgical procedure, but it isn’t really surgery The general principle of hair implants is simple. Hair follicles are surgically removed from the donor site, and implanted in the recipient site that has suffered hair loss. From this perspective it is surgical in nature, but it is carried out under local anaesthetic meaning the patient is awake and conscious the whole time. This carries far less risks than putting someone under general anaesthetic, yet the patient will feel nothing. The usual technique, known as Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE) is minimally invasive, almost bloodless and is considered to be ‘non-surgical’. Together with the patient the doctor will locate a donor site in agreement with the client. Prior to the transplant the hairs need to be shaved down to around 1-2 mm in length, and once the anaesthetic has taken effect they are ready to be moved. A small tool that looks a little like a punch is looped over the follicular unit and pushed into the skin just enough to allow removal with a small pair of forceps. Each unit contains 1 to 5 hours and is laid to one side to await implantation in the new location. Small incisions are the made and the units inserted one and time, and will be done thousands of times so that the new growth will be dense enough to look natural. Once healed it can have huge impact on your confidence Hair loss is fairly common in men, less common in women, but for both it can have a huge impact on your emotional well being. After the procedure has finished healing and started to grow, it can really boost your confidence and change your look completely to how you looked 10, 20 or 30 years ago. There are a number of celebrities who have undergone the procedure, and before and after photographs are easy to see across the internet. Check out the results for yourself and imagine how it would look on you. It can be expensive in Europe and the US It can be expensive, but it doesn’t need to be if you choose to go abroad for the procedure. For example, in Turkey some of the best hair transplant surgeons from around the world are flocking to Istanbul to set up hair transplant clinics with the latest modern techniques. And yet it costs so much less than in other countries. This doesn’t mean there is any loss of quality, in fact it is far from it. There is a wide list of low cost hair transplant clinics in different countries that are worth looking into. The best clinics are regulated, and the procedures carried out in brand new accredited hospitals. Yet the price of the procedure will often come in under €2,500 compared with around €12,500 in the UK, and as much as €25,000 in the US. This is mostly down to the currency exchange rate, the Turkish Lira does not perform well against the euro, dollar or sterling. Add this to the fact that salaries and running costs are cheaper in Turkey, and as the world centre of excellence is in Istanbul and the competition is fierce. The price is simply a lot more affordable for people. You can be treated to a 5 star stay as a client Not only is the price lower in Turkey, but the patient care is second to none. And all the extras are included. For example during the days you are there, you will be chauffeured to and from the airport and appointments. You’ll also stay in a 5* hotel, and allocated an interpreter to look after you and answer the questions you may have. Some people decide to turn it into an extended holiday. The transplanted hair is permanent, but it has to be the right treatment for you Hair implants is the only permanent and effective treatment for baldness. But the timing and treatment has to be right. If you notice that you are suffering from hair loss the first thing you should do is visit a dermatologist, to make sure it is clear what the cause is. Also the symptoms need to have stabilised, this is rare in the under 25’s so it may be that other treatments are more appropriate initially before progressing to implant. This way you can be sure to get the best results.
Stephen George + Partners, one of the UK’s leading architectural practices, has celebrated moving into its new 8,000 sqft purpose-built office at Grove Park, Enderby with a spectacular launch party attended by over 180 guests. Designed and developed by the practice, Waterfront House embodies the practice’s business values and vision for the future. It reflects the practice’s architectural skill and appetite for innovation. Waterfront House is the touchstone for Stephen George and Partners’ long-term commitment to the region and to collaborative working, embracing the knowledge-based economy and the new digital age. Explains Michael Barker, Senior Partner Stephen George + Partners: “For the past two years I’ve been wearing four hats – and it’s been an education. As architect, client, contractor and developer, I’ve worked with colleagues – all of them architects! – to create an inspirational place for our employees, clients and visitors, reflecting both our business values and our vision of the future.” The fast growing AJ100 practice, demonstrated latest developments in BIM applications and 3D printing as well as giving tours of the new building. Located in a stunning setting overlooking the lake in the landscaped south-east corner of Grove Park business park, Waterfront House features a minimalist design, with ground floor meeting rooms and a welcoming café opening on to a lakeside terrace plus a dramatic first-floor design studio, accommodating x of the businesses x total staff. James Nicholls, Managing Partner, said: “The launch was a great success and we have received tremendously positive feedback on the building from visitors. Not only does it provide a collaborative working environment for staff, it also embraces new technology – from a highly efficient heat recovery system, PV and solar thermal, to smart lighting – and provides space for us to showcase our advances in BIM and VR.”
The Institution joins a prestigious group of engineering projects that includes San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge, the Forth Bridge in Scotland and the Statue of Liberty in New York. The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) has designated the Institution of Civil Engineers as a Historic Civil Engineering Landmark, in the Institution’s 200th anniversary year. More than 200 projects worldwide have earned this title, which recognises historically significant civil engineering projects, structures and sites around the world. A physical plaque has been installed at ICE’s London headquarters to mark the award. It was unveiled today during the Global Engineering Congress. “For more than 40 years, ASCE has recognised civil engineering achievements that have played a unique role in the development of America and the world as Historic Civil Engineering Landmarks,” said Robin Kemper, President of ASCE, said at the unveiling. She said that the programme highlights the “pioneering spirit” of civil engineers. ICE as a pioneer Kemper recapped the ICE’s history, which demonstrates this trait, during the dedication. “In 1818, a small group of young engineers met in a London coffee shop and founded the Institution of Civil Engineers, the world’s first professional engineering body. “After two years of struggling to attract new members, ICE asked Thomas Telford to become its first president. “His appointment in 1820 not only gave ICE a major boost, it also played a huge part in shaping who they are today.” ICE President Professor Lord Robert Mair added: “Our Institution was set up 200 years ago a group of young engineers with grand ambitions. I want that precedent to continue. “I see a great and vibrant future for our profession. But this future requires us to transform ourselves; how we think and how we act. Above all we need to be ambitious and bold. There are huge science and technology developments to exploit. “We are so grateful that one of your hugely valued Historic Civil Engineering Landmark plaques will be permanently on display here in One Great George Street, the home of civil engineering.” Glenn Hewus, President of the Canadian Society for Civil Engineering, was also present at the unveiling. “It is my esteemed privilege to acknowledge the efforts and commitment put forth by the Institution of Civil Engineers to forge ahead with steadfast determination,” he said. “It is because of this type of commitment that civil engineering has progressed to what it is today.”H How historic landmarks are named The ASCE’s History and Heritage Committee nominates historically-significant civil engineering projects for recognition as part of an ongoing programme. It reviews nominated projects and makes a recommendation to the ASCE’s Board of Direction for which one should be named as a landmark. “Those who are actively involved with the process can tell you that this is not an easy task,” said Kemper. ASCE’s landmark programme has been running for more than 40 years. Projects that have earned the designation include the Panama Canal, the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, the Belfast Rail Link in Dublin, the Eiffel Tower in Paris, and the Granite Railway, the first commercial railway in the US. Renewed cooperation ICE and ASCE also strengthened their close ties by renewing their Agreement of Cooperation, with Lord Robert and Kemper signing the document yesterday (pictured below). The agreement contains reciprocal arrangements, allowing each institution’s members to attend select meetings and participate in the local association activities of the other. Eligible members of ASCE will also be entitled to a discount for ICE Associate Membership (AMICE). Written by Anh Nguyen.