ARCC enews for December 2017
Season’s greetings to all from the ARCC network!
It has been a wonderful year of working with researchers and stakeholders across the built environment and infrastructure sectors in bringing research to the policy and practice communities. The ARCC network is proud to have delivered the future materials and processes research feature at Ecobuild, awarding of the GI as a Building Service challenge with CIBSE to landscape designers from Amey plc, and to have coordinated the Research Zone @ The International Refurbishment Symposium.
The role of the built environment in our health and wellbeing was a big theme for us this year, with the Breathe easy – air quality solutions event held in Birmingham with CIBSE and The IET, and we also recommend that you read our event report Better homes, better air, better health from the ARCC network and partners the Royal College of Physicians, the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, and BRE.
We have continued to develop and deliver programmes for the emerging research leaders of the future with our early-career researcher training sessions, particularly around stakeholder engagement and showcasing research (pdf, 2.4 MB).
Many research projects aim to provide models, visualisation tool or data for stakeholder use as part of their final outputs. To enhance the impacts of these, the ARCC network launched guidance for policymakers and industry to facilitate the uptake and use of built environment models.
Working with the Infrastructure Operators’ Adaptation Forum, ARCC network has drawn on research results to explore the utility of a practical matrix tool that can be used to identify map and further explore infrastructure interdependencies where the aim is to making assets and services more resilient to today’s natural hazards and prepared for future climate. And we also worked with infrastructure operators to prepared a report on the value of the reports submitted under the second round of the Adaptation Reporting Power (Climate Change Act 2008).
As our climate changes, dealing with the effects of damp and moisture in heritage buildings are becoming increasingly important. The results of discussions with heritage building managers and researchers will shed some light on recent developments and challenges.
There are two big issues facing our cities; the global population in cities is booming, and more people are living longer. Both of these impact greatly on our cities and cannot be ignored if we are to ensure a sustainable urban environment – the ARCC network was pleased to have worked with researchers to deliver a synthesis document; ageing and mobility in the built environment.
And just a tip on having a Christmas Day without the waste!
A final promotion on ongoing ARCC initiatives …
Flooding and business… what does research tell us?
The ARCC network is coordinating a compendium of research relevant to flooding and business, and we want your help to ensure we capture all the relevant Research-Council funded projects. Following a workshop in Leeds in October 2017, Flooding & business – what does research tell us?, we ask you to please make sure you contribute to this mapping work by completing our short form.
We want your research for ecobuild – from the natural to the neural network
Would you like the opportunity to showcase your research at ecobuild between 6-8 March 2018? In partnership with ecobuild, we are delivering a research feature showcasing the latest in robotics as it is applied to the built environment, and also those projects inspired by nature. If you are funded by a UK Research Council, then please complete our short online form to indicate your interest.
Call for Entries: Green infrastructure design challenge
Closing: 19 February 2018
The ARCC network and CIBSE are delighted to officially launch the third annual GI Challenge! Supported by ecobuild, this challenge provides an opportunity to showcase what constitutes a healthy, productive and sustainable urban environment both now and into the future in the context of a changing climate. Check out our website for all the entry details, and please contact Tanya Wilkins if you would like to find a team.
Urban heat vulnerability mapping
This report looks at housing, the urban heat island and population age on heat-related mortality. Based on work undertaken with Hounslow London Borough Council this report quantified heat-related risk for individuals and identified options for mitigating that risk.
Don’t forget the ARCC Bag of Tricks …
These are our lessons in communication and knowledge-sharing as a means of influencing adaptation action.
Events and opportunities
Solutions for Strategic Adaptation Planning in European Cities
01 Feb 2018, Manchester
This event will bring together city practitioners, critical infrastructure providers and experts on climate change adaptation and resilience in cities for a one-day event to make connections, exchange knowledge and plan for future collaboration on urban climate change adaptation.
Cabinet Office High Level KE Fellow, webinar
17 January 2018
NERC, in partnership with the Civil Contingencies Secretariat (CCS) of the Cabinet Office, is inviting applications for a Knowledge Exchange (KE) Fellowship, which will address how policymakers in the resilience and national security fields can draw on NERC science to protect the people of the UK.
Research Chairs and Senior Research Fellowships
6 March 2018
The Royal Academy of Engineering is looking to strengthen the links between industry and academia by supporting exceptional academic in UK universities to undertake user-inspired research that meets the needs of industrial partners.