This issue emphasises the importance of international collaboration. There are papers from China, Syria, Sri Lanka, Netherlands and the US on a variety of topics. There are four papers from China that emanate from the Nottingham University in Ningbo, from which one see the advantages of such cross-country formalised linkages. We enrich our knowledge by sharing experiences in research and practice from two very different countries in terms of culture, history and development. We see the things that are different but also those things that are the same and this is part of a learning process that can help us to deal with climate change, health and well-being and these are the challenges we all have in common. In the medical field, there is a highly active staff mobility programme so medical skills and knowledge are shared and adopted, especially in places of greatest need. Other fields do have some mobility programmes but these are less formalised and often more dependent on individual initiatives. Climate change and well-being issues are so important that there is a need for more intense mobility programmes so that all companies and educational establishments in public and private sectors have to have active mobility programmes. Sharing gives us a proper sense of perspective on priorities and ways of solving problems besides levelling up various stages of knowledge development.
These are some of the topics in this issue:
Data-driven programmes help us to understand window opening patterns so important for healthy buildings when we are asleep or awake.
The need for personal daylight control using simple measures like adjustable blinds but there are also subtle issues in relation to the alignment of the blinds, which make them more, or less, effective.
The social permeability of high-rise tower blocks affects crime rates and social equality.
Approaches to decreasing energy consumption and waste.
Improving the supply chain by in-depth selection of contractors based on high-quality track record.
How is sustainability viewed across sectors? The financial markets are taking a heightened interest in the environment, social and governance (ESG) debate, although it is acknowledged there is a lot of general misunderstanding as to what ESG means. At COP 26 in Glasgow, 2021, financial leaders pledged to create a new set of accounting standards to measure sustainability in environmental and social terms. There is now an International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB). Perhaps the most important aspect about this is that ESG is being valued across sectors and this will mean it will be given a priority in building developments. A similar appreciation is being realised in respect of health and well-being. Healthy people are generally happier and more productive, which is good for the individual, the organisation, and indirectly, the national health services. Healthier nations are also in a better position to think creatively about how to solve the challenges described here. Developers with built assets which have environmental and social value credits will see their business flourish.
If anyone is in doubt about changing the ways we do things in the construction industry, then just read the article in The Week 18 June 2022 pages 48–49 entitled Grenfell, five year on: untangling the web of blunders and deceit. It is a tragic story of sheer incompetence at all levels of technical ability, ethics and moral values at every part of the supply chain.
“… there is a need for a radical rethink of the whole system and how it works. This is most definitely not just a question of the specification of cladding systems, but of an industry that has not reflected and learned for itself, nor looked to other sectors.” —Dame Judith Hackett Grenfell Report May 2018
Can AI be the coordinator of the data management system with the use of robotics and drones as data collectors and blockchain technology registers to ensure reliability, better connectivity, and more anticipatory help to guide more informed and consistent decision-making? Some have suggested we should use the term augmented, rather than artificial, intelligence to acknowledge the partnership between the human being and the machine. Gillian Tett in FT.com/magazine 18–19 June 2022 offers the term Anthropological Intelligence which respects the evolution of the human mind but maybe just using the vowel sounds AI is enough.
The June Issue 2022 of New Civil Engineer reviews prospects for civil engineering. These are some of the issues reported on:
Modern Methods of Construction off-site methods save carbon emissions, reduce on-site dust and noise pollution, give quicker build times, reduce waste and save manpower.
Blue–Green solutions give added value and, to this note, the international drive towards Nature-Based Solutions.
Materials embedded with graphene and fibre reinforcements exist already but will be commonplace; embedded sensors will monitor performance.
More timber construction is taking place in several countries.
Voice and thought control computer commands.
Developments in virtual reality and digital twins will continue.
Traditional regulations need to be more regularly updated and show interfaces with other related regulations.
These and many other technologies will emerge, which will enable a cleaner, healthier, and more sustainable world to be achieved. Solar cells are emerging with efficiencies in the range 30% and more. Bioengineering architecture can pave the way towards making buildings behave in a similar way to Nature but that needs to be accompanied by understanding human behaviour too.
The processes of planning, design, construction, and facilities management have to all work with the highest level of skills and for that our education programmes at all levels need reviewing. With such rapid change in an interconnected world where people live longer, one qualification in one sector will not be enough for work life. A greater mix of disciplines in courses will empower more understanding of the interfaces between various fields of knowledge.