TSBE Engineering Doctorate Conference 2011
The annual TSBE Engineering Doctorate Conference was held on Tuesday 5 July 2011, in the Henley Business School.
Construction sector must lead on environmental challenges
The construction industry must take the lead in tackling the challenges of climate change, providing answers to sustainable building for the generations to come.
This was stressed by the keynote speaker, Alan Crane, at a conference organised by the University of Reading's Technologies for Sustainable Built Environments (TSBE) Centre.
This second event by TSBE explained to delegates the research work that its postgraduates were engaged with to provide solutions to the problems ahead.
Mr Crane, Vice- President of the Chartered Institute of Building, which sponsored the conference, told the audience of researchers and industry representatives: "We, built environment professionals and construction managers, working in a fully integrated environment, can and will make a difference.
"Yes we should look at what other stakeholders, such as Government, are doing. Green Banks and other initiatives are and will be important but as construction managers it is time to stop looking for direction from others - or the excuses. We can and we must take action."
The TBSE is committed to working with leading players in the UK construction and energy sectors. It aids the development of an industrial knowledge-base capable of responding to the challenges of sustainability and climate change issues by reducing the environmental impact of construction and its carbon footprint.
The Centre trains research engineers in sustainable built environments and building energy management, leading to an Engineering Doctorate (EngD). Students spend 75% of their time with their sponsoring company and 25% at the University over four years.
Each student outlined their area of work during the day, ranging from how small and medium-sized companies can meet the carbon targets to changing building occupier behaviour to prevent energy loss.