CSEI Industry Showcase event, Infrastructure interdependencies in London

On 7^th September 2018 the Centre for Systems Engineering and Innovation (CSEI) held its second annual Industry Showcase event.

With a theme of Infrastructure interdependencies in London CSEI welcomed over 70 of our industry partners, collaborator and colleagues to explore the question - how do we overcome complexity to drive productivity and enable sustainable urban growth?

Our first keynote, Dr David Hancock, Construction Director, Infrastructure and Projects Authority addressed the need to transform infrastructure performance. David argued that while improved in recent years the way we deliver projects must change from conception; through procurement; to operation. The industry now needs to work with government to make it happen and create a more productive and innovative sector fit for the future.

Subsequent sessions covered CSEI’s three main research themes Production Systems, Infrastructure Interdependencies and Lifecycle - Innovation across Projects and Operations.

As well as presentations from CSEI PhD students and connections across college it was an opportunity for delegates to learn about the Centres small projects which were awarded in February 2018/ and have funded three research projects across the college:

Model-based systems engineering approach to understanding emergency evacuation operations management in large, complex public occupancy buildings, Georgia Bateman

Green infrastructure interrelation with water-energy-waste nexus, Dr Koen van Dam

Coupling physics, humans and machines in holistic, resilient and automated systems for building management, Dr John Craske

Our second keynote was Dame Judith Hackitt, Author of Hackitt Review: Building a Safer Future, Independent Review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety.

Following the tragic fire at Grenfell Tower in June 2017 and the subsequent discovery that other high rise residential buildings could be at risk from fire Dame Judith was asked by UK Government to conduct an independent review of fire safety and building regulations. In her far reaching review which was published in May 2018 Dame Judith highlighted numerous failures within the regulatory system and also a breakdown in the overall approach to building, maintaining and modifying high rise buildings due to a wholly disjointed approach and a failure to see multiple occupancy building as complex, integrated systems. Her presentation provided examples of systemic failure discovered and explored the report’s recommendations to provide a more robust system for the future.

To close the day our Panel Discussion on Transforming Construction was chaired by Professor Jennifer Whyte with Mark Farmer, CAST Consultancy, Jaimie Johnston, Bryden Wood, Peter Vale, Tideway and Adam Locke, Laing O'Rourke.

To get updates on our future events or to connect with our Centre please email csei@imperial.ac.uk or join our mailing list.

Video footage of our presentation can be downloaded below:

Welcome - Professor Nick Buenfeld, Head of the Department Civil and Environmental Engineering

Introduction to the Centre / Overview of the Day- Professor Jennifer Whyte, Director, Centre for Systems Engineering and Innovation

Keynote 1: Transforming Construction - Dr David Hancock, Construction Director, Infrastructure and Projects Authority  

Session 1. Production Systems and Cyber-Physical Infrastructure- Dr Robert Vollum (chair)
•   A Toolkit for Systems Engineering in Infrastructure, Mikela Chatzimichailidou, WSP and Honorary Research Associate, CSEI
•  Quality Functional Deployment and Modular Offsite Construction, Tanawan Wee, Research Postgraduate
•  Codifying Information Flow in Modular Offsite Construction, Ranjith Soman, Research Postgraduate
•   New Connections: "Securing the critical infrastructure”, Professor Chris Hankin, Co-Director of the Institute for Security Science and Technology, Director of RITICS

Session 2. Infrastructure Interdependencies- Professor David Fisk (chair)
•   CSEI funded project 2018. Green infrastructure interrelation with water-energy-waste nexus, Dr Koen van Dam
•   Systems Engineering applications for water management, Dr Ana Mijic
•  Dynamically adaptive control for resilient water supply networks, Dr Ivan Stoianov
•   New Directions: “Taking the vision forwards”, Ben Kidd

Session 3. Lifecycle: Innovation across Projects and Operations - Dr Arnab Majumdar (chair)
•   CSEI funded project 2018. Model-based systems engineering approach to understanding emergency evacuation operations management in large, complex public occupancy buildings, Georgia Bateman
•   CSEI funded project 2018. Coupling physics, humans and machines in holistic, resilient and automated systems for building management, Dr John Craske
•  New Connections: “Metal 3D printing in construction” Professor Leroy Gardner

Keynote 2: Lessons from Grenfell - Dame Judith Hackitt, Author of Hackitt Review: Building a Safer Future, Independent Review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety

Panel Discussion on Transforming Construction - Professor Jennifer Whyte (chair), Mark Farmer, CAST Consultancy, Jaimie Johnston, Bryden Wood, Peter Vale, Tideway and Adam Locke, Laing O'Rourke

Close of the Day- Professor Jennifer Whyte, Director, Centre for Systems Engineering and Innovation