Laing O’Rourke Centre Shares New Research in 2020-2023 Review

THE LAING O’ROURKE Centre for Construction Engineering and Technology has launched its 2020-2023 Review today, 2 July.

The review aims to generate the evidence and tools required to challenge the status quo and pave the way for a new era in the construction industry.

2020-2023 Centre Review

Promoting a constructive engagement between academia, industry and policymakers, the Centre impacts the industry through educating and upskilling current and future construction leaders, undertaking applied research in close partnership with stakeholders, and generating the evidence base and thought leadership to underpin and support the implementation of new policies, processes and methods in the construction sector.

The Centre’s research strategy is centred around three desired outcomes:

• Sustainable infrastructure, including net zero carbon and biodiversity
• Improving productivity
• Increasing the social value delivered by construction projects in the built environment

These outcomes will be enabled by the greater adoption of digital engineering, modern methods of construction (MMC), a focus on whole-life performance, new procurement models, and workforce upskilling.

New Strands of Research

Over the last three years, the Centre’s work has focused on some new strands of research which are detailed in the review.

One example is a new focus on productivity, which demonstrates the importance of having an evidence base to determine what is actually happening onsite and how productivity improvements can be made.

The Centre has worked with several companies that are now part of the data gathering and analysis activities required to generate performance metrics for the industry. It says the findings so far offer insights to planners and project managers, empowering them to make informed interventions and drive improvements in onsite productivity.

“We are committed to shaping the future of construction through research, education and thought leadership,” said Professor Campbell Middleton, Director of the Laing O’Rourke Centre.

“We start by sharing a vision of what a construction project might look like in 2030.”

The Laing O’Rourke Centre 2020-2023 Review is available to download here.

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