Working with nature to enhance hard infrastructure assets
This event is currently FULLY BOOKEDThis event will examine a range of enhancements that could be applied to hard infrastructure assets to promote habitat creation and biodiversity in coastal, river and terrestrial settings (both retrofit and new-build).
Ticket information
This event is free to attend for CIRIA Core, Associate and Network members
This event costs £75 to attend for non-members
When?
12 May 2015, 14:00 - 19:00 (Registration from 13.30)
Background
'Grey infrastructure' (hard engineering structures, buildings and roads) covers a high proportion of the surface area of cities and urban areas. Recently, policy-makers have sought to achieve a balance that enhances urban biodiversity, water management and ecosystem services, without loss of primary design function of ‘grey infrastructure’.
The opportunities lie where primary function is retained whilst offering a range of additional biodiversity enhancements. While there are examples of citywide green infrastructure transformations (ie green spaces and places), many future enhancements will need to be undertaken within the constraints of existing infrastructure.
Considerable examples already exist on the potential to achieve biodiversity benefits through the use of green roofs and living walls, whilst similarly replicable techniques for enhancing or replacing 'hard' engineered assets also present themselves in urban and rural settings but have not warranted large scale investment thus far.
This seminar will showcase recent, world-leading academic research and applications of ‘working with nature’ concepts by engineers, ecologists and geomorphologists. There will be a focus on the opportunities to replicate the results from academic studies into both new build and retrofit infrastructures and to consider the range of benefits that may occur in achieving biodiversity targets nationally and locally. These examples will provide practitioners and asset owners with fresh ideas on how to improve the ecosystem services and multi-functionality of engineered structures.
The presentations will focus on examples of where this research has been applied to an existing project and the process and development of this work from research into practice. It will examine the replicability of using enhancements either as bespoke site based solutions or in the design and manufacture of construction products.
The event will describe a number of biodiversity enhancements and show how, by ‘working with nature’:
- hard infrastructure assets can be part of an integrated green infrastructure scheme
- hard infrastructure assets can have improved multi-functionality and service-life
- asset owners, developers and designers can deliver multi-policy benefits
- research discoveries could be taken up through product design and construction details on-site, using often minor alterations to standard products and detailing.
The event will:
- Introduce a range of ‘working with nature’ enhancement tools
- Share existing best practice from Global case studies, providing examples for practitioners to use in future bids
- Discuss potential future applications of these ideas to new projects
- Identify constraints and opportunities for more widespread application of these techniques
- Understand how a range of minor adjustments to surface or other details can have a major impact especially if replicated on large scale infrastructure (kilometres and sq hectares).
CPD
This course has a value of 3.5 hours towards your CPD. Certificates will be sent to delegates following completion.
Programme
14.00 Opening address – strategic overview to benefits of green infrastructure
Tom Armour, Arup
14.20 Greening opportunities and challenges in the conservation of historic buildings and ruins
Dr Martin Coombes, University of Oxford
14.40 The challenges of enhancing urban river infrastructure
Dr Robert Francis, King’s College London
15.00 Enhancement concepts for coastal infrastructure assets
Ally Evans Aberystwyth University & Dr Louise Firth, Univeristy of Plymouth
15.20 Tea / Coffee
15.40 Policy and legislative drivers for enhancing hard assets
Dr Larissa Naylor, University of Glasgow
16.00 Case study – Shaldon Scheme and the Estuary Edges Project
Dr Deborah Dunsford, Environment Agency
16.20 Case study - Hartlepool Headlands Scheme
Stephanie Hampshire, Mott MacDonald
16.40 Case study – The Crown Estate London Ecology Masterplan.
Approaches to embed green infrastructure into the city through retrofit and new development opportunities
Tom Gray, Arup
17.00 Questions and Discussion
17.45 Networking drinks reception
Event supporters
Where?
CIRIA, Griffin Court, 5 Long Lane EC1A 9PN
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Booking
If you are unable to book online, please contact Patrick Williams on 0207 549 3308
0207 549 3308 or return the booking form by post or fax.