Constructionarium: dreams, teams and learning

What is Constructionarium?

It’s like an aquarium but full of Construction East Reef Pier Ravenspurn Oil Rig Naples Airport Underground station Millau Viaduct

Brief History Ove Arup Foundation supported Chris Wise to teach at Imperial College. Chris frustrated at the theoretical teaching. Stef Stefanou (John Doyle) offered money to Chris to find a solution. Industry bodies soon gave support: Concrete Centre, Construct, Concrete Bridge Development Group, Ove Arup Foundation, CITB/NCCE.

Constructionarium teaching team? Triangular partnerships (innovative) University Students Site Suppliers Construction Contractor Consulting Engineer

What constitutes the Constructionarium? Residential field trip (usually 6 days) Hands-on site experience for students Work experience?.....No, role experience Students’ roles range from CEng to general operatives Innovative link of industry-academic as equals on neutral ground

Why do it? Long-term solution…………………. ……………….to longstanding problems

Problems Solutions Skills Shortage Hands on Experience Safety and Nuclear Stringent H&S training Awareness Recruitment by Industry Exposes students to site life and easy to Head Hunt Theoretical Approach Pragmatism rules due to tight time deadline and budget See the Big Picture Applied management training Gender Imbalance Up to 40% female participants Staff CPD Training Learn by teaching

Where is it held? National Construction College East CITB Construction Skills, Bircham Newton, Norfolk 14 acres land fully residential college Construction training facilities on former RAF base Terraformed site

Scale - Flexible To start “keep it small” then grow e.g. small bridge (6m) to large bridge (21m Millau Bridge) Choose projects within area of partners’ expertise and use their network of contacts for supplies Infinity Bridge Millau Bridge

What do contractors do? Bring logistics and site know-how, experienced staff, materials, plant, equipment, operational and safety management, ‘quick fix’ experience, supervision experience, foresight Fund materials, plant & equipment, own staff and accommodation Act as “Client”, negotiating contracts and variations

Others’ costs University: £150/student; staff time; accommodation (£55/day) and travel for students and staff; admin and preparation. Consulting engineers: staff time, design preparation, scaling, modelling, student pack development, residential costs, travel etc.

Who is taking it up? Imperial John Doyle Construction Expedition Engineering Leeds Shepherds Buro Happold Northumbria G B Solutions Space Liverpool A J Morrisroe Mott MacDonald Cambridge Stephensons Ramboll UK Stow College, Glasgow Dunne Engineering Woolgar Hunter West of Scotland Strathclyde UCL Laing O’Rourke Waterman Greenwich Byrne Bros W S Atkins London South Bank Southampton Aecom Salford Costain Jacobs East London Mitchellson Formwork Loughborough Nottingham Sir Robert McAlpine Walsh Group Westminster

Who else is interested Rostov on Don University Russia Other Interested Universities : Aston, Birmingham, Cardiff, Central Lancashire, Kingston, Manchester, Nottingham Trent, Portsmouth, Reading, Warwick, West of England Rostov on Don University Russia Bari University Italy Shanghai University China 6 Universities U.S.A.

Who recognises its value? 2004 CONSTRUCT Award for Innovation CITB NCC donated 5 acres of land 2005 Ingenia (R A Eng magazine) article led to visit by Prince Philip as Senior Fellow of Royal Academy of Engineering in 2006 2006/8 East of England Development Agency (upgrade the outdoor classroom and project portfolio) 2008 CITB NCC donated further 9 acres Structural Steel Design Awards Finalist BIS, JBM, Construction Skills Council, HEFCE, Professional Bodies, The Concrete Society, Cogent and National Tunnelling Academy 2010 SQA Star Awards Highly Commended Continuing positive educational / technical press

Nuclear Island Project Participating Training Experience NOT a Nuclear Site Safety Awareness è Nuclear Awareness New Nuclear Designed Package

For more information visit our website www.constructionarium.co.uk