Constructionarium:Constructionarium:dreams, teams and dreams, teams and

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What is Constructionarium?

It’s like an aquarium but fullfull of Construction

Ravenspurn Oil Rig

East Reef Pier

Naples Airport

Underground stationMillau 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

Construction Contractor Consulting Engineer

Students

Site

Suppliers

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 SolutionsSkills Shortage Hands on Experience

Safety and Nuclear Stringent H&S trainingAwareness

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

National Construction College East National Construction College East

CITB Construction Skills, Bircham Newton, CITB Construction Skills, Bircham Newton, NorfolkNorfolk

Where is it held?

•14 acres land14 acres land•fully residential collegefully residential college•Construction training facilities Construction training facilities •on former RAF baseon former RAF base•Terraformed siteTerraformed 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 Dunne Engineering Woolgar Hunter

Strathclyde Dunne Engineering Woolgar Hunter

UCL Laing O’Rourke Waterman

Greenwich Byrne Bros W S Atkins

London South Bank Byrne Bros W S Atkins

Southampton Laing O’Rourke Aecom

Salford Costain Jacobs

East London Mitchellson Formwork W S Atkins

Loughborough Laing O’Rourke Waterman

Nottingham Sir Robert McAlpine Walsh Group

Westminster Byrne Bros W S Atkins

Who else is interested

• 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 Nuclear Awareness

• New Nuclear Designed Package

For more information visit our website

www.constructionarium.co.uk