2009 I&R Award Winners

Every year, submissions for the International Innovation and Research Awards get better and better, enhancing the reputation and demonstrating the breadth of work in this field.

Alan Crane, Chair of the International Innovation and Research Awards Judging Panel commented on the 2008/09 awards;

“In any economic circumstances, innovation is the life blood of an industry going forward and even more so of course in the current global environment. Throughout its 175 years history, the Chartered Institute of Building has been pushing the innovation imperative and are proud to still be the only professional body specifically recognising and awarding research and innovation from both academia and industry.”

Details of the award winners for the 2008/9 International Innovation and Research Awards are as follows.

Undergraduate Dissertation Award

WINNER: Andrew Hart – The University of Northumbria

‘A paired comparison test between plain and finned concrete slabs using Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) and partial OPC replacement Ground Granulated Blast furnace Slag (GGBS) with regard to heat absorption and release’

"It is really heartening to see at a time like this the significant number and quality of entries in this category. The significant improvement in the quality of entries made the judging very difficult. However one of the judging panel asked of Andrew’s work, ‘Are we sure that this is an undergraduate entry? It is close to being a PhD thesis.’”
International Innovation and Research Awards Judging Panel

Andrew's thesis investigated the impact that global warming has upon the built environment and ways of controlling the temperature of the internal environment without resorting to air-conditioning.

Areas examined were thermal comfort legislation, thermal mass design and the use of cementious material, derived in part from re-usable waste materials. This creates a concrete composite material that has a low embodied energy and therefore has the potential to reduce the CO2 levels associated with cement and concrete processing.

Biomimetics were used to enhance the construction practices. The finned back of the stegosaurus, an adaption to control body heat, was mimicked by a fin design. The purpose was to absorb and release heat in an enhanced manner when compared to conventional construction methods.

A paired comparison test between flat concrete slabs and finned concrete slabs was investigated, using GGBS also known as CEMIII cementious materials and Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) also known as CEMI. The experiments studied the convection and radiation heat transfer on horizontal slabs. The dimensions of each slab was 0.6 m² with a constant 0.036m3 volume per slab and was assessed over a twenty four hour period. A heatsource of 3kW was used to impose a constant heat source onto the underside of each slab.

Thermal images were used to investigate temperature consistency and movement throughout the slab as were thermocouples at predetermined depths. The density of each concrete slab type OPC and GGBS was also examined to see if density affected heat transfer.

It was found that finned slabs of each cementious material (OPC and GGBS)
absorbed and released heat at a greater rate than flat slabs of the same cementious material. Overall CEM III was more efficient in controlling the heat absorption and release.

HIGHLY COMMENDED: Patrick Tait – The University of New South Wales

‘An investigation of the Corporate Governance characteristics of Australian listed construction companies.’

“What could be more topical in todays current economic climate? Patrick’s work is a very well structured and thought out dissertation in an area that needs considerably more attention.”
International Innovation and Research Awards Judging Panel

In light of numerous scandals over the past few years Corporate Governance has become somewhat of a ‘hot-topic’ in research literature around the world. Despite this attention, little has been written about corporate governance within the construction industry and even less about the corporate governance of construction companies in Australia so this dissertation set about bridging this gap somewhat.
The dissertation examined the corporate governance practices of Australian Listed construction companies and compared the results to the top 20 companies listed on the Australian Securities Exchange (the ASX) based on market capitalisation – considered to be best practice. Listed companies were used due to the availability of company information.

The dissertation compared the two groups by analysing their compliance with the ASX Corporate Governance Council’s Principles and Recommendations – a list of 10 principles considered to be best practice corporate governance – this was quantified by giving a score of 1 for compliance and 0 for non-compliance.

As well as this the dissertation examined the board characteristics between the two groups – paying particular attention to board independence.

The dissertation found the listed construction companies to be less compliant overall particularly with regards to board structure (principle 2) and; have lower levels of independence both in terms of CEO/Chairperson duality, the ratio of executive to non-executive independent directors and independent membership of nomination, remuneration and audit committees. These conclusions are important because sound corporate governance has been associated with higher levels of organisational resilience derived from the reputational and financial benefits of greater transparency, market value, investor attractiveness and organisational performance.

INNOVATION RESEARCH PAPER

‘The Big Ideas’

“Good quality entries for this new award category. It was a very close contest in the end. The winner was a collaboration effort between three universities, the Universities of Loughborough, Reading and Salford, The Big Ideas Project. It has provided the industry with a set of tools which can fundamentally improve their competitiveness but more importantly illustrated what can be achieved by collaborative approaches by academia for a change, setting the pace for industry.”
International Innovation and Research Awards Judging Panel

The ‘Big Ideas’ was a three-year research project funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC). The research comprised a unique collaboration between the universities of Reading, Loughborough and Salford and involved extensive collaboration with industry. The project was predicated on the observation that the post-Egan industry improvement agenda was becoming increasingly disconnected from the day-to-day challenges faced by firms in the construction sector.

The Big Ideas differs from previous initiatives in the way in which it is orientated towards helping the sector re-configure its existing capabilities to enable innovative responses to emerging alternative futures.

It has achieved this by developing tools which can support the move towards an innovation-based model of competitiveness. Of key importance is the recognition that the sector’s capabilities are not rooted within individual firms, but are embedded within complex networks of relational ties that transcend organisational boundaries

The project has moved beyond a set of outputs and has served to promote an alternative conversation about industry improvement. And it is a bottom-up conversation grounded on a recognition of how the very best firms in the construction sector operate, rather than seeking to copy generic improvement recipes from other sectors. Above all else, the project set out to challenge existing thinking, offer new approaches and stimulate debate. The onset of the current recession makes the underlying messages even more important than they were when the market was buoyant.

For further information, see http://www.thebigideas.org.uk/

HIGHLY COMMENDED: Dr Setya Winarno, Professor Alan Griffith and Professor Paul Stephenson – The Islamic Institution of Indonesia and Sheffield Hallam University

‘Reducing earthquake risk to non-engineered buildings in Indonesia – improving: awareness; understanding and; building practices’

“The highly commended paper dealt with the issue of reducing the earthquake risk to non-engineered buildings in Indonesia and brought forward some refreshingly new solutions to the barriers to what is a real issue, not just in the UK, but in other areas where CIOB members are active.”
International Innovation and Research Awards Judging Panel

The paper reports on a PhD research study undertaken by the Centre for Earthquake Engineering, Dynamic Effect and Disaster Studies (CEEDEDS) at the Islamic University of Indonesia in collaboration with Sheffield Hallam University, UK.  The study examined the technical and social elements significant to reducing earthquake risk to non-engineered buildings.

The aim was to investigate the potential for reducing risk within the context of regulatory, design and construction practices in Indonesia. 

'Non-engineered' buildings are, in simple terms, arbitrarily designed, inadequately regulated and poorly built.  They are chiefly although not exclusively domestic dwellings which are particularly susceptible to earthquake and are indigenous to and widespread within Indonesia.  A greater awareness for and better understanding of both the technical and human elements which impact on the regulation, design and construction of non-engineered buildings will enable more effective earthquake risk reduction measures to be implemented within building practices in Indonesia.  Moreover, knowledge and capabilities developed there are highly relevant to earthquake-vulnerable zones within the wider Asia-Pacific region. 

The research outcomes focused on identifying actions for change and improvement to construction practices in Indonesia and also practical and effective methods of disseminating the significant messages from the study.  The application of the research findings is unquestionably significant and valuable to Indonesia as any measures which can reduce earthquake risk have: (1) the potential to improve the quality and sustainability of buildings; (2) the ability to enhance the protection of property; (3) the real capability to save lives.

INNOVATION ACHIEVERS

WINNER: Professor Albert Chan – The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

‘Development of a Rapid Demountable Platform (RDP) for undertaking building repair and maintenance works at height in Hong Kong’

“The panel was attracted by this innovative paper which provides the solution to the safety problems associated with maintenance work in Hong Kong in providing temporary platforms. Albert deserves to be congratulated and encouraged to develop his work further.”
International Innovation and Research Awards Judging Panel

When you have to do maintenance work on a building in Hong Kong, you normally erect a temporary bamboo platform. This is simple and relatively cheap, but leaves a lot to be desired in terms of safety. It can be tricky to assemble on the outside of buildings, and even after it is ready, it's not easy to tell just how safe the structure is.

Here's an alternative. Prof Albert Chan and Prof Francis Wong and their research team in The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) have been working on a safe, secure platform which can be installed simply from inside buildings. It is firm and steady. It can be assembled in just around 10 minutes.

Jointly developed by the PolyU and the Construction Industry Institute Hong Kong (CII-HK), it is a robust and solidly built device with steel frames, aluminium alloy panels, and stainless steel railings.  This modular-based platform can flexibly suit workers’ needs in carrying out various maintenance activities, including external wall inspection, the changing of air-conditioning units, the maintenance of plumbing systems, exterior wall painting and so on.
 
Once the job is done, the platform can be removed, also in just around 10 minutes, and can be re-used almost indefinitely if properly maintained.

The PolyU research team gratefully acknowledges the financial support from the PolyU and CII-HK for the financial support of this research endeavour.  The research team also thanks the CII-HK Research Task Force for their guidance and advice in pursuing this study.

HIGHLY COMMENDED: Simon Rawlinson and David Holmes – Davis Langdon LLP

’Carbon Model - A market leader’

“This solution provides a carbon calculator for buildings, helping to increase product innovation and improve the efficiency of design and construction resources. It shows a thorough understanding of the sustainability agenda.”
International Innovation and Research Awards Judging Panel

Davis Langdon has developed an embodied carbon calculator and carbon benchmarks that are used in the design and cost planning process to inform design decisions aimed at mitigating a development’s overall carbon footprint.

Embodied carbon will become increasing significant as a major component of a building’s carbon footprint as operational carbon emissions are reduced.

Information on the embodied carbon content of many construction materials and processes is not readily available in a format which can be used during the design process. In developing this tool, Davis Langdon has taken a major step in enabling truly low carbon development.

Davis Langdon are concerned that a focus on operational energy means that opportunities to make significant reductions in Year 0 embodied carbon emissions are presently being overlooked. On the principle of ‘to measure is to manage’ we have undertaken to develop a simple tool that will enable clients and their project teams to assess the embodied carbon of design proposals, benchmark the results and consider mitigation opportunities.

Work to date has confirmed the scope of the potential for embodied carbon reduction and the importance of good quality, readily applicable data.

Embodied Carbon is set to become a major driver for product innovation and resource efficient design and construction. With the Carbon Ready Reckoner, Davis Langdon is ready to play our part in delivering to an ever evolving sustainability agenda.

The work addresses an increasingly important aspect of the sustainability agenda and exemplifies the way in which Davis Langdon can contribute creatively and collaboratively to the delivery of outstanding projects for their clients.

ARCHITECTURE AND SURVEYING INNOVATION AWARD 

WINNER: Steve Coombs – The  Welsh School of Architecture

‘Sustainable Sitka spruce housing system: Ty Unnos - 'A house in one night'

“A wide range of subject areas covered in the entries for this category with really clear examples of innovation in technologies, products and management processes.The winner could make a real contribution to sustainable domestic housing and we really look forward to seeing how full use can be found for the spruce raw material on which this is based.”
International Innovation and Research Awards Judging Panel

The sustainable Sitka spruce housing system (Ty Unnos - house in one night) is an ongoing collaborative research and development project, between the Design Research Unit Wales, at the Welsh School of Architecture, and Coed Cymru. The project is to employ the use of homegrown Sitka spruce in the design and construction of affordable, sustainable rural housing in Wales.

Sitka spruce accounts for approximately 70% of the Forestry Commission crop. Planted following clear felling over 50 years ago, the species has very limited use as structural or joinery timber in construction, instead used predominantly in the manufacture of pallets, fencing, paper and low grade carcassing timber. The system is achieved through an innovative re-engineering of a material with poor performance capabilities, low value, readily available and locally sourced into a high value, low carbon building system.

The Ty Unnos system is based on a series of modular rooms varying in sizes from 1.2m x 3m to 4.8m x 3m, or from entrance lobby to small bedroom to kitchen to living room. These are created from prefabricated box beams, using readily available lengths of Sitka Spruce, which stabilises the timber and prevents twisting. These beams form portal frames, which are infilled for floor, walls and roof using either SIPS panels or panels made up of Sitka Spruce ladder beams infilled with locally sourced sheep’s wool or hemp insulation.

Ty Unnos will enable the UK to match some of the developments, notably in Alpine and Scandinavian regions, in the sensible modification and engineering of indigenous crops for high end use in sustainable offsite construction.

HIGHLY COMMENDED: Ada Fung  –  The Hong Kong Housing Authority

‘Micro-climate Studies for Sustainable Public Housing Development in Hong Kong’

“Highly topical study from Hong Kong recognizing the growing importance of micro climate effects when forward thinking is developed about public housing. The methodology is applicable globally.”
International Innovation and Research Awards Judging Panel

The Hong Kong Housing Authority (HKHA) provides subsidized public rental housing to low income families, charged with building 15,000 subsidized flats per year, managing and maintaining a stock of about 680,000 public rental housing flats for about 30% of Hong Kong’s population.

Since 2001, we have been pioneering the extensive use of micro-climate studies in the planning and design of high rise, high density public housing developments. We adopt latest proven technologies, including computational fluid dynamics simulations, wind tunnel tests and daylight simulation tools, for enhancing wind environment, natural ventilation, pollutant dispersion, daylight, thermal comfort of the living environment and mitigating urban heat island effect etc. This enables us to optimize development potential and enhance the built environment of the neighbourhood.

By now, we have over 30 public housing projects adopting the micro-climate studies, which provide greater human comfort for residents by enhancing environmental performance of the housing estates with cleaner and greener environment for healthy communities. It also contributes towards economic sustainability by saving energy.

Collaborative efforts in enhancing environmental sustainability are instrumental in saving   the earth from global warming. Micro-climate studies are instrumental in improving the environmental performance with long-term benefits to enhancing the global environment with reduced CO2 emission. By show-casing our efforts and sharing our experience, we act as a catalyst in society as well as for the world. A small step in the right direction means a sustainable future for the earth in the long run.

“We care for our society as well as for the Earth.”

INNOVATION & TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT AWARD

WINNER: Neville Hutchinson – Shellform Ltd

‘Report of a proposed permanent, concealed Flood Defence Barrier, for the protection of utilities, communication centres and other vital structures’

“A complete reverse on last year, there were several real contenders for this years awards. In the end, the judges narrowly awarded first prize to an innovative flood barrier system which has enormous potential throughout Europe given the already evident effects of climate change.”
International Innovation and Research Awards Judging Panel

This project comprises two complementary parts; Shellcrete™, an ultra high performance  structural concrete material that needs only one quarter of the weight and thickness of concrete for a comparative performance specification. This means that a slim lightweight structure can be designed that otherwise would make this flood defence project unlikely due to size and weight of the floatation barrier and chamber using normal concrete.

The actual project itself is a series of flood barriers permanently concealed and located in a similar number of slim underground chambers. The chambers are so designed as to delay the lifting of the barrier until it is absolutely necessary. When the chambers do fill with water it causes the concealed barrier to lift and float vertically into position to provide the required protection. Due to the strength of the Shellcrete material the barrier is easily capable of withstanding the lateral and flow pressures of flood water and as the flood water subsides, gravity causes the barrier to sink back into the chamber where it remains concealed whilst the design and strength of the Shellcrete barrier allows heavy vehicles to drive safely across it.

BBA and BRE testing has shown that Shellcrete™ is highly suitable for this project. Being relatively cheap to fabricate, it will make the project highly profitable and vital for infrastructure flood protection.

HIGHLY COMMENDED: Professor Mike McEvoy – Dwell-Vent Ltd

‘Dwell-Vent’ the Natural Future for Whole House Ventilation’

“The winner was given a close run by a natural ventilation system for use in both housing and non-domestic buildings given a simple and easily maintained system for making use of nature to provide heat and cooling.”
International Innovation and Research Awards Judging Panel

Dwell-Vent is an innovative Whole-House Ventilation System that uniquely employs natural forces to achieve both healthy indoor air quality, and lower household energy consumption, as explained at www.dwell-vent.com

Dwell-Vent-winter is a low carbon ventilation system that operates without electricity by combining ‘supply air’ windows and ‘passive stacks’ (PSV).  The insulation value of a ‘supply air’ window is better than triple glazing despite using only two panes of glass separated by an air gap.  Outside air enters through an opening at the bottom of the outer pane.  It is warmed by heat escaping from the room, which causes it to rise and enter the room through a ‘flow-regulating’ vent at the top of the inner window.  The heat lost through the PSV, which provides the pressure to drive the system, is effectively balanced by the heat reclaim within the windows since the air entering the room at the top of the windows is pre-heated.  This greatly reduces the incidence of draughts and provides a healthier standard of ventilation for the whole dwelling.

We are in the process of developing a new vent design that delivers increased energy savings through better flow regulation this is a basic component of the technology and the first to be designed specifically for ‘supply air’ windows.  Its patent protection will form a principal constituent of Dwell-Vent Ltd’s intellectual property

The way will then be clear for development of the zero carbon version of Dwell-Vent, ‘Dwell-Vent-summer’ our already patented technology, which is designed to meet the Passivhaus standards that will be mandatory by 2013.