Great adaptions: in the shadow of a climate crisis
After reading this book I felt ashamed I had not adapted my life more to address climate change. I am privileged enough to be in the western world where we have the means and ability to do so, yet farmers in Nepal and even animals are adapting right now.
The book explores the climate crisis and how it will affect us, showcasing daily impacts that will come with a 2°C increase and beyond. It is a reality check on how we take things for granted, continuing in the knowledge of climate change yet not radically changing the way we live to be ready. The reality is that climate change is already fully in motion, and humans must adapt now or be adapted to.
The concept of maladaptation was new to me and resonated with efforts seen by some to date. As civil engineers we need to digest this reality and act now, bringing climate change to the top of our agendas.
Cities for driverless vehicles: planning the future built environment with shared mobility
This is a collection of 14 papers on the future of urban vehicles. Together they form an informative textbook for anyone involved in urban planning. It is a must read for planners, designers and behavioural-change specialists.
The book starts with a history lesson of vehicle design, which is now not just driven by mobility but also by the need to reduce traffic congestion, fuel consumption and pollution. After discussing personal well-being, it introduces mobility as a service and autonomous vehicles, explaining the planning challenges and benefits for future cities.
The legal and insurance implications of having driverless cars on public roads are examined, along with how the public and private sectors need to collaborate to enable autonomous vehicles to become more common on existing and future highway networks.
Humanitarian civil engineering: practical solutions for an interdisciplinary approach
This book is an excellent introduction for civil engineers involved in mitigating, managing or funding relief projects associated with man-made and natural disasters. Using real case studies and project scenarios, it highlights some of the core humanitarian competencies that civil engineers need.
The book highlights the critical involvement of civil engineers in delivering safe working and living environments, especially when the constraints may be evolving or unforeseeable at the early stages of a project.
National emergency management organisations could improve the outcome of humanitarian aid initiatives by reading this book by helping them understand the perspectives of civil engineering volunteers.
NEC4: defined cost and compensation events
This book provides a comprehensive review of the defined cost and compensation events clauses in the main and secondary options of the NEC4 Engineering and Construction Contract. It adopts a conversational tone to connect management of compensation events to successful project outcome.
The author generously shares his experience and views concerning each of the relevant clauses and the related risk allocation between key stakeholders. He advises readers to foster process compliance as stated in the contract by effective communication and timely financial assessment of compensation events.
Illustrations are included to show the pathways for successfully managing compensation events that may arise during a project and in the event of termination. The author also explains the central issues that the NEC compensation event clauses were intended to resolve.
The book is a perfect blend of a contract administrator’s guide and a multi-disciplinary practitioner’s companion.
Books
The ICE Library maintains one of the most comprehensive collections of civil engineering books in the world, including all titles from ICE Publishing (shown in bold below). New books acquired in the past 3 months include the following (* indicates e-book only).
All books can be borrowed through the library’s online catalogue at www.ice.org.uk/knowledge-and-resources/ice-library or from the ICE Members’ Resource Hub on the second floor of 1 Great George Street, London, SW1P 3AA from 9.15 a.m. to 5.30 p.m., Monday to Friday (subject to Covid-19 restrictions https://www.ice.org.uk/ice-covid-19-policy).
Recent ICE Publishing titles can be ordered by calling +44 1235 465 577, emailing orders@icepublishing.com or by visiting www.icevirtuallibrary.com/content/books.
