Civil Engineering
Volume 175 Issue 3 August 2022
https://doi.org/10.1680/jcien.2022.175.3.98
EDITORIAL  August 2022
Editorial
Claudia Currie CEng, TPP, FICE, FCIHT, FCILT, PIEMA
Associate Transport Planner, Mott MacDonald, Cardiff, UK
Welcome to the August edition of Civil Engineering. We start
with briefing articles on using systems thinking to improve
the delivery of infrastructure projects, a new global working
group of young engineers focused on climate change, the
competencies required by the new UK Building Safety Act
2022 and an assessment of environmental research priorities.
As well as details of new civil engineering books and
journals, we then have refereed papers that showcase
innovative solutions to infrastructure challenges in China,
Italy and the UK, plus a final paper on the importance of
community engagement within civil engineering.
The first paper (Zhou et al., 2022) describes the design and
construction of Xiong’an railway station near Beijing, currently
the largest in the world. Taking just 2 years to build, the
£1 billion project demonstrates the use of innovative materials
and smart construction techniques, including an expanding
roof and fair-faced concrete pillars and beams. How this
major transport hub has been successfully integrated into
the surrounding city is fascinating to see. Its circular, multi-
level design minimises the distances between rail platforms
and onward road and pedestrian transport, and its cleverly
integrated rooftop photovoltaic panels generate 30% of the
station’s energy demand.
The next paper reports the design and construction of
one of the world’s longest stress-ribbon bridges, in this case
between the villages of Barbiano and Saubach in the southern
Tyrol region of Italy (Lorenzi and Moser, 2022). The authors
show how complex non-linear design was used for the 118 m
structure, which elegantly straddles a 60 m deep river valley to
allow hikers to avoid mixing with traffic on a busy mountain
road and to support active travel for the local residents. Key to
the design was that the bridge should be visually unintrusive.
The paper summaries the research and economics that were
used to settle on the stress-ribbon solution, which satisfied the
balance of environmental, landscape, rigidity and user comfort
requirements. The bridge design uses a system of load-bearing
cables and a post-tensioned concrete deck.
We then move on to a renewable energy scheme in
Coventry, UK (Shinh et al., 2022). Technology and the UK
government’s Renewable Heat Incentive (HMG, 2020) have
made plants that upgrade biomethane from sewage treatment
works for injection into the gas grid more commercially viable.
The client, Severn Trent, commissioned the design and build of
a gas-to-grid plant at Finham wastewater treatment works in
August 2019 and was up against a tight funding deadline to
ensure connection and supply to the grid by March 2021. This
was achieved despite the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The paper shows how options were weighed up, summarises
98
Editorial
Currie
ICE Publishing: All rights reserved
the tender process and outcome, and explains how the design
evolved using three-dimensional modelling – in particular the
integration between new and existing assets on site. Another
unusual challenge was the need to source static-free personal
protective equipment.
The final paper (Bell et al., 2022) explains how the
Institution of Civil Engineers established a statement of
principles for community engagement within civil engineering.
The paper shares key features of best practice for stakeholder
participation which then led to the ten key principles for
community engagement. It concludes that better stakeholder
engagement is key to civil engineers’ understanding of the
growing emphasis on the need for collaborative engagement
to solve problems rather than falling back on the traditional
historic solutions to build our way out of a problem. The paper
will challenge your thinking and I hope will lead to a thirst for
seeking further ongoing continuing professional development
as we all learn to improve the way we do things.
Enjoy your reading.
References
Bell S, Boyle E, Canton J et al. (2022) Establishing a statement of principles
for community engagement with civil engineering. Proceedings of the
Institution of Civil Engineers – Civil Engineering 175(3): 133–140, https://
doi.org/10.1680/jcien.22.00007.
Building Safety Act 2022. Chapter 30. The Stationery Office Ltd, London, UK.
HMG (Her Majesty’s Government) (2020) Non-domestic Renewable Heat
Incentive (RHI). Ofgem, London, UK. See https://www.gov.uk/non-
domestic-renewable-heat-incentive (accessed 20/04/2022).
Lorenzi A and Moser S (2022) Design and construction of a new stress-
ribbon pedestrian bridge in the Italian Alps. Proceedings of the Institution
of Civil Engineers – Civil Engineering 175(3): 119–124, https://doi.
org/10.1680/jcien.21.00213.
Shinh S, Ball S, Anilcumar B, Wells H and Corbett B (2022) Finham gas-to-
grid plant, UK: delivering a multi-disciplinary renewable energy scheme.
Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers – Civil Engineering 175(3):
127–132, https://doi.org/10.1680/jcien.22.00028.
Zhou M, Zhuang H, Li C and Su X (2022) Xiong’an station, China – how
the largest station in Asia was built in just 2 years. Proceedings of the
Institution of Civil Engineers – Civil Engineering 175(3): 113–118, https://
doi.org/10.1680/jcien.21.00172.
CALL FOR PAPERS: Civil Engineering relies entirely on material contributed by
civil engineers and related professionals. Illustrated articles of 600 words and
papers of 2000 to 3500 words are welcome on any relevant civil engineering
topic that meets the journal’s aims of providing a source of reference material,
promoting best practice and broadening civil engineers’ knowledge, Please
contact the editor for further information