The case for Centres of Excellence in sustainable building design
The case for Centres of Excellence in sustainable building design
The case for Centres of Excellence in sustainable building design
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Students<br />
A Centre <strong>of</strong> <strong>Excellence</strong> cannot function without a good supply <strong>of</strong> raw material –<br />
high-quality undergraduate students.<br />
At the heart <strong>of</strong> a Centre <strong>of</strong> <strong>Excellence</strong> are the courses which will attract the best<br />
undergraduates, as these are the people who have the ability and motivation to<br />
lead <strong>in</strong>dustry. <strong>The</strong> development <strong>of</strong> programmes <strong>for</strong> a Centre <strong>of</strong> <strong>Excellence</strong> will<br />
require not only traditional lectures and laboratory work, but also <strong>in</strong>terdiscipl<strong>in</strong>ary<br />
<strong>design</strong> projects to encourage experimentation and the application <strong>of</strong> knowledge.<br />
A typical undergraduate student should have obta<strong>in</strong>ed close to three or four<br />
grade ‘A’s at A-level, <strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g Maths and Physics <strong>for</strong> the majority. <strong>The</strong> annual<br />
<strong>in</strong>take <strong>of</strong> students <strong>in</strong> subjects related to build<strong>in</strong>g <strong>design</strong> should be well <strong>in</strong> excess<br />
<strong>of</strong> 100. <strong>The</strong>se numbers are necessary to ma<strong>in</strong>ta<strong>in</strong> a critical mass <strong>of</strong> academic<br />
staff to be properly engaged <strong>in</strong> research as well as teach<strong>in</strong>g, and to warrant the<br />
<strong>in</strong>vestment <strong>in</strong> build<strong>in</strong>g physics specialists and facilities necessary to <strong>for</strong>m a fully<br />
active Centre <strong>of</strong> <strong>Excellence</strong>. <strong>The</strong> great importance <strong>of</strong> Build<strong>in</strong>g Eng<strong>in</strong>eer<strong>in</strong>g Physics<br />
to society makes the discipl<strong>in</strong>e an attractive one <strong>for</strong> students, and host<strong>in</strong>g a<br />
Centre <strong>of</strong> <strong>Excellence</strong> should lead to an <strong>in</strong>crease <strong>in</strong> student numbers, which will<br />
help to ensure the long-term viability <strong>of</strong> the <strong>Centres</strong>. A Centre should aim to<br />
deliver <strong>in</strong>to the build<strong>in</strong>g pr<strong>of</strong>essions 60 carbon-literate eng<strong>in</strong>eer<strong>in</strong>g graduates<br />
per year, who will have been drawn from build<strong>in</strong>g services or civil/structural<br />
eng<strong>in</strong>eer<strong>in</strong>g cohorts. As an <strong>in</strong>cidental consequence <strong>of</strong> the methods <strong>of</strong> teach<strong>in</strong>g<br />
it is expected that <strong>Centres</strong> will also deliver <strong>of</strong> the order <strong>of</strong> 70 carbon-aware<br />
graduates <strong>in</strong> architecture and other closely related discipl<strong>in</strong>es.<br />
It is necessary to consider whether the result<strong>in</strong>g numbers <strong>of</strong> graduates from the<br />
<strong>Centres</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Excellence</strong> would be sufficient to make a difference to the overall cohort<br />
<strong>of</strong> graduates enter<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>dustry. <strong>The</strong> total numbers <strong>of</strong> students <strong>in</strong> different fields are<br />
published by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA). Table 1 <strong>in</strong>dicates that<br />
the <strong>Centres</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Excellence</strong> could deliver approximately 25% <strong>of</strong> graduate eng<strong>in</strong>eers<br />
enter<strong>in</strong>g the build<strong>in</strong>g <strong>design</strong> field and about 10% <strong>of</strong> other pr<strong>of</strong>essionals.<br />
Table 1: Graduate numbers from all UK universities <strong>in</strong> 2010 [HESA, 2011] and<br />
projected graduate numbers from <strong>Centres</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Excellence</strong>.<br />
Graduate Estimated F<strong>in</strong>al<br />
numbers proportion number<br />
engaged <strong>in</strong><br />
build<strong>in</strong>g<br />
<strong>design</strong><br />
All UK universities (HESA Figures):<br />
Civil eng<strong>in</strong>eer<strong>in</strong>g 3,715 0.25* 929<br />
Architecture, plann<strong>in</strong>g and others 3,420 0.7 2,394<br />
Total 7,135 3,323<br />
From one Centre <strong>of</strong> <strong>Excellence</strong> (Prediction):<br />
Carbon-literate eng<strong>in</strong>eers 100 0.6# 60<br />
Carbon-aware architects, planners and others 100 0.7 70<br />
From four <strong>Centres</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Excellence</strong>:<br />
Carbon-literate eng<strong>in</strong>eers 400 0.6 240<br />
Carbon-aware architects, planners and others 400 0.7 280<br />
* It is estimated that the majority <strong>of</strong> civil eng<strong>in</strong>eer<strong>in</strong>g graduates <strong>in</strong> the UK will enter the <strong>in</strong>dustry either<br />
<strong>in</strong> contract<strong>in</strong>g organisations, where it is difficult to identify <strong>design</strong> as a separate process, or will enter<br />
the <strong>in</strong>frastructure sector, rather than the build<strong>in</strong>g sector.<br />
# <strong>The</strong> <strong>Centres</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Excellence</strong> will focus on <strong>design</strong> education relat<strong>in</strong>g to build<strong>in</strong>gs and there<strong>for</strong>e it<br />
is estimated that graduates from the <strong>Centres</strong> will enter the build<strong>in</strong>g construction sector <strong>in</strong> higher<br />
proportions than the <strong>in</strong>dustry average.<br />
44 <strong>The</strong> Royal Academy <strong>of</strong> Eng<strong>in</strong>eer<strong>in</strong>g