Implementing
innovation and delivering new technologies were the topics of focus at a
Chartered Institute of Building’s (CIOB) scholarship presentation.
George
Holder from Costain and Alex Stephens from Bouygues UK were awarded the Sir Ian
Dixon Scholarship (SID) to produce and present findings to benefit the
construction industry, themselves and their company.
The
scholarship, delivered by the CIOB in partnership with the Worshipful Company
of Constructors, is a £3,000 one-year research fund focusing on any area of
construction management with support from a company mentor.
George
Holder, Costain, focused his project on innovation management, a relatively new
and yet vital concept to the construction industry.
The
research examined the current use of innovation management standards and the
role that these standards could play in improving how projects are delivered.
The findings showed that standards are critical when creating an environment to
support innovation and organisations benefit from implementing them.
Innovation has led to the use of new technologies in the
construction industry, an area that Alex Stephens chose to research for the
year. His project looked at the use of additive manufacturing technologies
(technologies which build 3D objects by adding layer-upon-layer of material) in
construction through literature review and case studies.
More demanding
construction programmes are driving the industry to seek alternative methods to
build and his findings show that these new technologies can produce complex
geometries at a relatively low cost compared to conventional processes.
“These
research projects reflect the changing landscape of construction as we learn to
imagine, invent and implement new ways of working and building,” said Bob
Heathfield, Past President of the CIOB and chair of the SID Scholarship Panel.
“We need
to continue, as an industry, to be forward thinking. We need to make space for
new ideas and innovations to streamline our processes and improve the quality
of the built environment.”
