IDC 3rd Annual Research Conference 2012 22nd May, University of Bath

The Implementation of Innovative and Sustainable Materials Ellen Grist (EngD Research Engineer)

INTRODUCTION TO THE RESEARCH

Research Engineer: Ellen Grist (MEng Civil and Architectural Engineering, University of Bath) Industry sponsor: Ramboll UK Research Council: EPSRC

Academic supervisors: Dr. Andrew Heath Dr. Kevin Paine Industrial supervisor: Henry Pinder

The Implementation of Innovative and Sustainable Materials Ellen Grist (EngD Research Engineer)

OUTLINE

• Purpose and context of the research • Research narrative • Research methodology • Case studies • Example insights • Impact on industry • Contribution to knowledge

PURPOSE

Research objective: To develop a process for de-risking the introduction of sustainable materials in construction.

Academia Industry ‘Valley of death’

Movement of novel sustainable technologies

Sustainability lies not in the solutions that we imagine but in those we realise.

CONTEXT

Ramboll have a reputation for innovation. ‘Innovation happens because there are new design challenges to be met.’

STAKEHOLDER NEEDS

Novel idea e.g. Structural limecrete

Architect

Engineer

QS

User

Developer

Contractor

Supplier

To design with it

Insurer

To ‘engineer’ it

Planning authority

To permit it

Marketing consultant

To promote/sell it

To build with it

To make & transport it

To insure against possible failure

To appreciate/use and maintain it

To value it To cost it

Legislator

To allow it

Manufacturer

To process it

RESEARCH NARRATIVE

‘this hard to grasp middle ground where technology, and the social environment, which adopts it, simultaneously shape

each other’ (Akrich, 2002).

PROJECT CASE STUDY 1:

RALPH ALLEN SCHOOL

PROJECT CASE

STUDY 2: WICKFIELD LANE

HOUSE

Exploration Implementation Exploitation

PRODUCT CASE STUDY:

HYDRAULIC LIME

CONCRETE

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

Longitudinal study - ethnographic in style

PROJECT CASE STUDY 1:

RALPH ALLEN SCHOOL

PRODUCT CASE STUDY:

HYDRAULIC LIME

CONCRETE

Traditional scientific lab based research

(product)

Practitioner research (process)

Decision not to use limecrete

PHASE 1: PHASE 2:

PROJECT CASE STUDY 1: RALPH ALLEN SCHOOL

‘An innovative and sustainable solution that would demonstrate what could be achieved with the resources available on the site.’ Stage C Report

Frost shattered limestone (a resource available on the site)

Polished lime-concrete floor slab: (an innovative and

sustainable solution)

PROJECT CASE STUDY 2: WICKFIELD LANE HOUSE

Requirements of PP7: ‘a truly outstanding and groundbreaking design’ (ODPM, 2004)

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

Longitudinal study - ethnographic in style

PROJECT CASE STUDY 1:

RALPH ALLEN SCHOOL

PRODUCT CASE STUDY:

HYDRAULIC LIME

CONCRETE

Practitioner research (process)

Decision not to use limecrete

PHASE 1: PHASE 2:

PRACTITIONER RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 2 case studies for studying the implementation process: Example approach for Ralph Allen School

CASE STUDY 1

Description Data Analysis

PHASE 1

Real-world project based case study of the implementation process, up until the decision not to use

lime concrete

Real-time process data, collected with stakeholder

permission: transcribed design team

meetings, memos, emails, reports

Grounded theory based on a descriptive narrative

account of events and analysis of the design-development process using de Bono’s six

thinking hats

PHASE 2:

Real-world project based case study of the implementation process, following the decision not to use lime concrete

Retrospective evaluation of the process with

stakeholder input: semi-structured interviews

Thematic analysis of qualitative interview data,

using NVivo

PRACTITIONER RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

Facts and figures, objective information, checked and proven facts, facts you believe to be true

Feelings, emotions, hunches, impressions, intuitions, suspicions

Criticism, concerns, dangers, risk, negatives, obstacles, weaknesses

Benefits, values, speculative-positive, proffered optimism, positive judgement, constructive thinking, hope

creativity, possibilities, new ideas, developments, new approaches, synergy, change

structure, thinking about thinking, overview, process, facilitating social processes

Edward de Bono - Six thinking hats (1985)

RISK

Academic writers subscribing to the Social Construction of Technology (SCOT) in the early 90’s, argued that innovation processes are ‘human-shaped’. Based on my research experience I would argue it is also ‘human shaping’

‘It was a feeling of personal failure for me as much as anything else...’ ‘All the frustrations that we had with the project would be kind of embodied in this story really.’ ‘You have to have enormous amounts of resilience working as you do in that kind of area...’

Sustainable design is about not only protecting the outcome but also about protecting those involved in the process. Particularly individual’s attention, optimism, personal agency and threshold of action.

CONTRIBUTION TO KNOWLEDGE

1) Starting this project it was believed that lime-concretes could attain 28-day strengths of around 15MPa. This research has demonstrated that it is possible to attain 28-day strengths of 50MPa. This is a step change for research in this area. 2) Unique opportunity to collect ethnographic research looking at this specific problem in industry. 3) Analysis of a social process using de Bono’s six thinking hats has also not been done before.

IMPACT ON INDUSTRY

Failure of design processes in construction, are recognised to have led to... •damaged reputations •adversarial relationships •high legal expenses •poor profitability •lack of trust •low job satisfaction •lack of engagement •and slow innovation Egan (1998)

‘Designers must become... •enablers •catalysts •activists •facilitators •connectors •arbitrators •storytellers •visualizers and •scenario setters

Faud‐Luke (2007)

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Thank you, any questions?