UN75: sustainable engineering in action
This well-presented and easy-to-read book is a wonderful and informative collection of stories from around the world. It showcases the engineering highlights of interesting and varied global projects, and illustrates how civil engineers can be more sustainable.
Marking the 75th anniversary of the United Nations, a short and interesting history overviews what has been achieved so far. The background of how and why the sustainability development goals were chosen puts into perspective world issues and the climate crisis. The Institution of Civil Engineers highlights the challenges faced and provides a map of how civil engineers can make meaningful contributions.
Each section contains a wealth of exciting schemes and initiatives which link to the goals through real-life examples. This international series of remarkable work clearly demonstrates not only the breadth of civil engineers globally but their potential to have a positive impact on the planet’s future. The topics covered include economic development, innovation, health, water, food, education, rights, equality, environment, energy and urban growth.
There is something for everyone in this book, whether you are a civil engineer or not. The book and its stories are beautifully presented. It was initially described to me as a coffee-table book which you can pick up when you feel like it, but I could not put it down.
It can act as the catalyst for ideas and inspiration for readers’ own personal journeys through the successes, lessons and insights of others. It should be a must buy for all civil engineers and anyone interested in understanding how everyone can work towards a more sustainable world.
Integrating sustainability into major projects: best practices and tools for project teams
What I particularly liked in this book was the approach of incorporating sustainability into projects by using existing project processes rather than doing additional offline processes. This approach is far more likely to be successful than leaving sustainability to specialists – it should be everyone’s business. This is similar to the way safety has now been successfully embedded into project management.
The approaches to the projects cited are entirely suitable to the UK, and the context of international standards is a useful reminder that this is a global issue. Case studies throughout the book added a practical perspective to ground assertions. Overall, there was a useful balance of academic techniques, legal and regulatory requirements, practical application and case studies.
This book is for all construction professionals. It will broaden their understanding and help them consider how better to ensure their projects successfully achieve sustainable outcomes.
Wind turbines theory and practice
The author takes the reader through the fundamentals of wind turbine engineering in a clear, concise and engaging way. The subject of harnessing wind energy for human progress is relevant to modern public discourse on climate change and, as the author discusses, has its roots in human civilisation as early as 5000 BCE.
He starts by building the context for modern wind turbine technology development by outlining the economic and social drivers for the industry, such as the energy crisis of the 1970s. He then introduces some of the fundamental engineering challenges, such as fatigue and noise, that hampered early designs, as well as key insights that enabled greater energy production efficiency, such as advances in aerodynamic theory, control theory and materials science.
Clear and easy-to-understand explanations are given for the complex drivers of wind, as well as common models used for its characterisation. This enables the reader to understand the context for high-level decision making, such as where to site wind turbines and how to estimate available wind energy. Detailed explanation is given for the various dimensionless factors used to inform those decisions.
For the technically minded, there are regular deep dives into the theories used by each of the collaborating disciplines on successful wind turbine design: aerodynamics, structures, electrical, materials and control. Overall, this book provides an excellent handbook for anyone who seeks to build their understanding of wind turbine design, both engineers and non-engineers alike.
Civil engineering procedure (8th ed.)
First published in 1963 this book has been through several updates since that time, culminating with this 8th edition. It was with some nostalgia that I opened this book to read, having had my own 5th edition copy at university some years ago. I was pleasantly surprised at the number of topics covered, from project feasibility to completion, in brief concise elements, touching on all aspects.
The book has been brought up to date with references to building information modelling, NEC4 contracts and the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015. There are brief case studies of recent projects, illustrated with very useful photographs and diagrams.
Primarily aimed at undergraduates entering the civil engineering industry, this remains a useful reference and source of information for students and more experienced alumni as they progress their careers.
The professional skills handbook for engineers and technical professionals
The author has done a great job in this book of capturing a lifetime of experience of working as a professional engineer. The book has ‘handbook’ in the title, and it lives up to this in content. This is not an academic text, just plain good advice based on experience. It is an accessible book that all engineers would benefit from dipping into from time to time.
The book starts with some general advice on how to conduct oneself and interact with others, with lessons such as ‘don’t be afraid to ask for help’ and how to behave to gain respect. The chapter on how to get the best out of a team is excellent, but the following chapter on virtual teams unfortunately feels a little outdated after the events of 2020.
The author continues with guidance on developing and delivering presentations and then how to navigate creativity and innovation. The author’s background in manufacturing comes through strongly in the final two chapters on Lean and cost estimation, which engineers in other sectors may find less relevant.
Preparing construction claims
This book is a good basis from which to understand the causes of construction claims. It is a practical book with a sound foundation in theory and experience, and I found the arguments well expressed.
While there is a trend towards more partnering contracts in construction, disputes and claims are still likely due to the stresses placed on the parties by the conditions or circumstances. Ideally, these issues should be resolved immediately but many parties decide to defer them to a later date. This procrastination can be a deliberate policy, and this is certainly not helpful to the successful outcome of a contract.
The author’s breakdown of claims into six fundamental questions is helpful. This applies no matter which conditions of contract are used. He then describes the highly effective techniques that can be used to make convincing arguments before a matter comes to dispute. Clear, evidenced-based and logical arguments are important to resolving commercial tensions quickly, enabling the parties to focus on the more positive aspects of delivery.
I would recommend this book to anyone in the construction industry who has a commercial responsibility, whether they prepare or defend claims. For experienced practitioners, it provides a helpful reminder of good practice, while for those less experienced and needing to acquire good habits, this book will be of assistance.
An encyclopaedia of British bridges
Bridges are and have been central to the development of transport infrastructure in the UK since historic times: from packhorse bridges, through the turnpike, canal, railway and motorway eras, and into the future with high-speed rail. Bridges are of interest to civil engineers but have also caught the imagination of the public at large, who use them and live with them in their local settings.
The main body of this book contains over 1600 entries, comprising descriptions of over 2200 separate structures, dating from the twelfth century to the present day. The bridges are arranged alphabetically by name and many are illustrated with colour photographs.
The second section, entitled ‘Bridge miscellany’, presents a wide range of technical, architectural, historical and social topics related to bridges, with extensive cross-referencing to the main listing. There is also a geographical index of all the bridges described, which includes an Ordnance Survey grid reference for each. Finally, there are lists of record-breaking bridges, a bibliography of books on bridges and a comprehensive general index.
The book will be enjoyed by bridge enthusiasts of all types. It is much more than just a catalogue of structures: it will give inspiration and information for all those interested in the study of bridges to find out more and to visit them, to see these great works – both large and small – at first hand.
NEW 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).
| 100% renewable energy transition: pathways and implementation | C Kemfert et al. (eds) | £69.40 |
| 3rd international conference on the application of superabsorbent polymers and other new admixtures towards smart concrete* | W Boshoff et al. (eds) | £149.99 |
| A handbook for the sustainable use of timber in construction* | J Coulson and I Thew | £69.95 |
| Advanced construction project management: the complexity of megaprojects* | C Brockmann | £79.95 |
| BIM for project managers: digital construction management | P Barnes | £50.00 |
| Brick and block masonry – from historical to sustainable masonry | L Bednarz et al. (eds) | £245.00 |
| Cathedrals of steam: how London’s great stations were built – and how they transformed the city | C Wolmar | £25.00 |
| Composite architecture: building and design with carbon fiber and FRPs | Q Truong | £54.50 |
| Concrete durability and service life planning: proceedings of ConcreteLife’20* | K Kovler et al. (eds) | £149.99 |
| Designing and constructing prestressed bridges | J Strasky and R Necas | £80.00 |
| Designing timber structures: an introduction | J Norman and A Thomson | £48.00 |
| Diagnosis and prognosis of AAR affected structures* | V Saouma (ed.) | £119.50 |
| Drone technology in architecture, engineering and construction* | D Tal and J Altschuld | £50.00 |
| Experimental vibration analysis for civil structures: testing, sensing, monitoring, and control* | J Zhang et al. (eds) | £130.00 |
| External sulphate attack – field aspects and lab tests* | E Menendez and V Baroghel-Bouny (eds) | £109.99 |
| Fire safety design for tall buildings* | F Fu | £89.99 |
| Fish swimming in turbulent waters* | H Chanson and X Leng | £74.99 |
| Food–energy–water nexus resilience and sustainable development* | S Asadi and B Mohammadi-Ivatloo (eds) | £109.99 |
| Fundamentals of building performance simulation* | I Beausoleil-Morrison | £120.00 |
| Fundamentals of sustainable urban design* | A Friedman | £109.99 |
| Geotechnics design and applications manual | M Pritchard | £34.99 |
| Green planning for cities and communities: novel incisive approaches to sustainability* | G Dall’O’ (ed.) | £109.99 |
| Grouted anchors and soil nails: inspection, condition assessment and remediation, C794 | Ciria | £110.00 |
| Internet of everything and big data: major challenges in smart cities | S Krit et al. (eds) | £130.00 |
| Introduction to AutoCAD 2021 for civil engineering applications | N Yasmin | £55.00 |
| Modeling in geotechnical engineering* | V Makarov et al. (eds) | £170.00 |
| Nature of the city: green infrastructure from the ground up* | T Armour and A Tempany | £35.00 |
| New horizons in piling: development and application of press-in piling* | M Bolton et al. | £74.99 |
| Pavement, roadway, and bridge life cycle assessment 2020 | J Harvey et al. (eds) | £180.00 |
| Paving our ways: a history of the world’s roads and pavements | M Lay et al. | £34.99 |
| Rethink design guide: architecture for a post-pandemic world | N Gillen et al. (eds) | £27.50 |
| Riba health and safety guide | Riba | £25.00 |
| Rock mechanics and engineering: prediction and control of landslides and geological disasters* | H Fu et al. | £134.00 |
| Routledge handbook of planning and management of global strategic infrastructure projects* | E Ochieng et al. (eds) | £140.00 |
| Smart energy management for smart grids | K Ouahada and O Longe (eds) | £69.40 |
| Structural stability theory and practice: buckling of columns, beams, plates, and shells* | S Jerah | £100.00 |
| Sustainable aviation: greening the flight path* | T Walker et al. (eds) | £54.99 |
| Sustainable energy transitions: socio-ecological dimensions of decarbonization | D Mulvaney | £39.99 |
| Synergistic design of sustainable built environments* | C Kabre | £100.00 |
| The future we choose: surviving the climate crisis | C Figueres and T Rivett-Carnac | £12.99 |
| The motivation code: discover the hidden forces that drive your best work* | H Todd et al. | £22.99 |
| The Routledge handbook of the philosophy of engineering | D Michelfelder and N Doorn | £190.00 |
| Understanding Fidic: the rainbow suite* | K Hughes | £49.99 |
| We need to change to solve the water crisis* | C Buisman | £15.00 |
| World wide waste: how digital is killing our planet and what we can do about it | G McGovern | £16.64 |
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 at 1 Great George Street, London, SW1P 3AA – Monday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. (subject to Covid-19 restrictions), Library@ice.org.uk.
Recent ICE Publishing titles can also be purchased from the ICE Members’ Resource Hub or ordered online https://www.icebookshop.com/.
