ICE review

Ever since the institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) was founded in 1818, it has been a bastion of communal knowledge. However, the way we create infrastructure now has changed to an extent our founders could scarcely have contemplated.

Modern infrastructure is a complex web of different elements, requiring a mix of disciplines and expertise. Today’s buildings are designed by a combination of engineers, architects, technologists and other disciplines – many of which did not even exist two centuries ago.

If ICE is to maintain and strengthen its place at the centre of the built environment, it is vital it better reflects the needs of the professional community that delivers the built environment. ICE therefore launched revised associate membership criteria in January this year, making it easier for non-civil engineers to join. We hope the change will enable us to share our knowledge of infrastructure with a wider group of built-environment professionals.

My predecessor, Sir John Armitt, unveiled the ICE-led blueprint for the UK’s infrastructure over the next 35 years to the chief secretary to the Treasury, MPs, government officials and construction chief executive officers last October.

In his National Needs Assessment report for UK infrastructure to 2050, Sir John envisioned a country that invests efficiently, affordably and sustainably in infrastructure assets and services. These will drive economic growth, enhance Britain’s position in the global economy, support a high quality of life and realise a low-carbon dioxide future.

By 2050, the UK population will be 75 million, requiring 300 000 new houses a year, UK gross domestic product will increase to £3·7 trillion and energy demand will increase by 30%. Modelling from the Infrastructure Transitions Research Consortium led by the University of Oxford has shown that the country’s existing infrastructure is not equipped to support this rise in demand.

Sir John said investment into energy, transport and digital sectors will help industry meet the demands for future infrastructure – but housing must also form part of a strategy to boost economic growth using infrastructure. The report is available at www.ice.org.uk/NNA.

ICE’s new infrastructure learning hub opened last November with a bang, hosting a world-record-breaking bridge made from Lego plastic bricks. Delivered and funded by industry sponsors as part of ICE’s ‘Shaping the world’ initiative, the hub is home to a new bridge engineering exhibition, celebrating the civil engineers who have created some of the world’s greatest bridges. Around 3000 people visited the exhibition in the opening month.

Sitting at the heart of the newly refurbished grade II listed library at ICE’s headquarters in London, the hub is an interactive public space where the built-environment industry can tell engaging stories about how its work makes a positive difference to society. Bridge engineering is the first of a 5 year series of exhibitions, which will combine science and engineering together in a fun, informative way and inspire the next generation of civil engineers.

The centrepiece of the bridge engineering exhibition is a Lego bridge standing at over 3 m tall and spanning more than 30 m. The bridge is made up of over 200 000 individual bricks and weighs 0·75 t.