EUREKA PROJECT > 5431 EUREKABUILD2
- SUMMARY
- OUTLINE
- PARTICIPANTS
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THE NETHERLANDS
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SPAIN
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SPAINTechnologies for a Sustainable and Competitive Construction Sector
The strategic aim of the EurekaBuild2 Umbrella is to support the competitiveness of the sector through promotion and support of the generation of "market-driven" co-operative Research and Technological Development (RTD) projects.
Status > ANNOUNCED - 24-Jun-2010 Technological Area Market Area Start Date > 01-Jan-2010 Duration > 36 Months Participating countries > SPAIN, SLOVENIA, SWEDEN, NORWAY, THE NETHERLANDS, CZECH REPUBLIC, LITHUANIA | Main contactOBRASCON HUARTE LAIN S.A. (OHL)
Civ. Eng. Manuel Villen > Director Organisation type > Large company |
Project Description
SUMMARY: The strategic aim of the EUREKABUILD2 Umbrella is to support the competitiveness of the sector through promotion and support of the generation of "market-driven" co-operative Research and Technological Development (RTD) projects. For the construction sector, the two mains challenges are (i) to become sustainable by reducing resource consumption, managing transport and utilities networks in a sustainable way, reducing environmental and man-made impacts, improving safety and security and protecting cultural heritage; (ii) to become a demand driven sector by including more knowledge in the products but also all along the whole value chain. DESCRIPTION: Europe is facing serious challenges, which are evident in the built environment. Damage has been caused by unexpected weather patterns resulting from climate change. Higher sea levels threaten underground rail systems in northern cities. The infrastructure in Eastern Europe is in disrepair. Water supply and wastewater systems throughout the EU are increasingly dilapidated and ill managed. Construction workers die in site accidents due to lax safety. Traffic congestion and pollution discourage development and erode the cultural heritage of collective memory. Unguided city design encroaches on the natural environment. Natural resources (particularly fossil fuel resources) are depleted through their indiscriminate use. Finally, Europe's built environment does not reflect the growing diversity and steady ageing of its population. These challenges are opportunities for the construction sector. Research has a vital role to play in the process of transformation. Therefore "Challenging and Changing Europe's Built Environment" is the vision that the Construction sector is pointing towards in order to reach a sustainable and competitive sector by 2030. Through the European Construction Technology Platform, the Construction sector has committed itself to the following goal: "In the year 2030, Europe's built environment is designed, built and maintained by a successful knowledge- and demand-driven sector, well known for its ability to satisfy all the needs of its clients and society, providing a high quality of life and demonstrating its long-term responsibility to mankind's environment. Diversity in age, ability and culture is embraced. Equalisation of opportunities for all is an overarching principle; construction has a good reputation as an attractive sector to work in, is deeply involved in research and development, and whose companies are well known for their competitiveness on the local and regional as well as global levels." Regarding the EUREKA initiative the purpose is to create a well functioning EUREKABUILD2 Umbrella that assists companies and knowledge institutes in finding the right partners, in building successful projects and in finding funding for these projects in case parties are not able to fully fund the projects themselves, a EUREKA network that is recognised and highly appreciated in the construction sector because of its added value in the realisation of new innovative processes, products and services. Keywords: Construction, innovation, sustainability, market-driven.
Technological Development Envisaged
For the construction sector, the two mains challenges are: BECOMING SUSTAINABLE Our built environment is intimately linked with nature and its natural resources, and should make the most of our interface with the natural environment. The impact of our built environment on nature is considerable through the resources it consumes, through the land it occupies and transforms, and through the nuisances it imposes. It is therefore vital to strive for a sustainable built environment through reducing resource consumption (especially energy), managing transport and utilities networks in a sustainable way, reducing environmental and man-made impacts, improving safety and security and protecting cultural heritage. Energy consumption of urban areas and of buildings must be dramatically reduced. This must be done for existing and new buildings. The problems look similar, but difficulties and solutions are not always the same (energy efficient buildings). Natural resources (water, materials) must also be saved. As much as 50% of all materials extracted from the earth's crust are transformed into construction materials and products. Moreover, when these same materials enter the waste stream, they account for some 22% of all final waste. Reductions must be sought both in the amounts of raw material used and in the energy content of construction materials (energy and environmentally friendly construction materials). To manage the assets constituted by transport and utilities networks it is necessary to maintain and upgrade them at a minimum cost and to extend the life-span through a better understanding of degradation and ageing processes (for example through modelling the performance of infrastructures). Construction activities have a very high relationship with the environment (especially land and water), the users and the communities. The Sector must develop specific concepts for the construction of surface and underground structures to face and mitigate these threats. Operation of buildings and public works may also generate impacts that have to be reduced. For example it is necessary to address the impact of infrastructure networks on the environment, understanding the effect of pollution, vibration, noise, etc. Mitigation of natural and man-made hazards (earthquake, flooding, fire, storm, landslide, blast, etc.) should be reached by the development of integrated assessment, management and prevention methods, new materials and technologies. Safety and security of all infrastructure must be ensured. At last, there is a need to develop a knowledge-based and interdisciplinary approach for the sustainable protection of cultural heritage and innovative materials that mitigate the effects of natural hazards and environmental stresses. TRANSFORMING THE CONSTRUCTION SECTOR New materials, innovative technologies and services are necessary to reach the objectives of Becoming Sustainable. But, to reach the market and bring about a radical change, this research must be underpinned by a much more fundamental and necessary evolution of the construction process itself: it is necessary to include all users in the construction project, to include more knowledge in the products, to diffuse this knowledge on the whole value chain - from end-users to rank-and-file site workers. This evolution includes looking for a new client-driven knowledge-based construction process, developing uses of ICT and automation, producing high added-value construction materials and proposing attractive workplaces. A new client-driven and knowledge-based construction process will need improvement on topics such as knowledge-based construction processes and products, tools for the assessment of overall life-cycle costs, and tools for the analysis of customer requirements, comparison and evaluation of requirements with a mutual impact. Despite the development of object-model data standards such as IFC, current use of ICT in the construction industry is based mainly on domain and application specific data. The main reasons for the slow adoption of integrated models are industry practices, inadequate software support for existing data standards and fundamental problems related to the use of file-based data exchange; these do not enable true interoperability. The paradigm shift from fragmented domain-specific processes to integrated life-cycle models requires the development and deployment of new business contracts and industry standards together with the development of technologies such as sensor technologies and micro-mechanics, new visualisation, virtual reality, communication tools, 3D modelling, 3D computing for construction design, etc. New "high value" construction materials, manufacturing technologies and processes for new materials that have new multi-functional properties should be developed that are easy to install and are optimised for industrial pre-fabrication. At last, the sector must acknowledge and respond to society's '3D' perception of the industry - that it is dirty, difficult and dangerous -, which results from poor ergonomics and a high level of hazards from accidents at work and occupational diseases. Efforts are absolutely necessary to transform the working conditions and skills base of the workforce and to develop appropriate construction technologies to propose attractive workplaces.
Main contactRIJKSWATERSTAAT, Center for Infrastructure IR. BENNO KOEHORST > PROJECT MANAGER Organisation type > Governm./Nat. Admin. |
Contribution to project
Umbrella Public Representative (NUP) General support and publication of EUREKA in the construction sector.
Expertise
- European funding schemes; - Setting up European projects; - Project management; - Stimulate innovation in the construction sector.
Main contactFerrovial Agroman S.A. Ind. Eng. Damaso M. Alegre Marrades > Head of RDI Unit Organisation type > Large company |
Contribution to project
Umbrella Sectora Representative (NUS)
Expertise
FERROVIAL is one of the world's leading infrastructure companies, with an average of 106,597 employees during 2008 and operations in 48 countries in a range of sectors including construction, airport, toll road, and car park management and maintenance, and municipal services.
Main contactSINTEF BUILDING AND INFRASTRUCTURE SR. ING. SVEIN WILLY DANIELSEN > PROJECT DIRECTOR Organisation type > Research Institute |
Contribution to project
Umbrella Sectoral Representative (NUS) SINTEF will represent the Norwegian building and infrastructure sector, and will coordinate and launch project initiatives together with industrial participants and other stakeholders. This will be handled as a part of the activities in the Norwegian Technology Platform - as a part of ECTP, where SINTEF also holds the National secretariat function.
Expertise
SINTEF is one of the major multi sectoral research institutes in Europe, and SINTEF Building and Infrastructures has a long record in National as well as European research projects within the construction sector. The institute was involved as Norwegian NUS in EUREKABUILD (1), and was also part of the umbrella management. SINTEF is represented in the High level group and the Operational group of ECTP.
Main contactVILNIUS GEDIMINAS TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY (VGTU) DR. ASSOC. PROF VINCENTAS STRAGYS > HEAD OF DEPARTMENT Organisation type > University |
Contribution to project
Umbrella sectoral representative. Partner search and more.
Expertise
Sectoral.
Main contactBIC - SWEDISH CONSTRUCTION SECTOR INNOVATION CENTRE DR. AKE SKARENDAHL > MANAGING DIRECTOR Organisation type > Other |
Contribution to project
Umbrella Sectoral Representative (NUS) Exploring possibilities for Swedish stakeholders to work in EURAKABUILD projects. BIC is active in running research and innovation programs in cooperation with Swedish public research councils and Authorities. BIC is an association of major actors within the construction sector (clients, designers, contractors, suppliers, research groups).
Expertise
BIC is coordinating activities within research and innovation and also actively carrying out administration of national programs. BIC is working within a broad international network.
Main contactOBRASCON HUARTE LAIN S.A. (OHL)
Civ. Eng. Manuel Villen > Director Organisation type > Large company |
Contribution to project
UMBRELLA CHAIR Duration of term: Start: 01-JAN-2010 End date: 31-DEC-2012 The Spanish Construction Technology Platform, represented by the Spanish construction company OHL, will take over the Chair of the Umbrella. The Chairperson would be Mr. Manuel Villen Naranjo, Head of OHL's Innovation and Development Unit. OHL will contribute to create a well functioning EUREKABUILD2 Umbrella that assists companies and knowledge institutes in finding the right partners, in building successful projects and in finding funding for these projects.
Expertise
OHL is a leading international construction, concessions, environment, developments and industrial group. Spain's sixth-largest construction firm, it ranks among the world's top ten concessions operators and as the twenty-eighth-largest international contractor and is the global leader in hospital construction. Manuel is Civil Engineer & Master in Economics and Management. Participates in the Standing Committee of the Spanish Technological Construction Platform and chairs the R & D Commission of SEOPAN (Spanish Employers Association of Large Construction Companies). At European level is active in various forums like the European Construction Technology Platform (ECTP), the Energy Efficient Buildings Joint Technology Initiative (E2B JTI) and the European Network of Construction Companies for Research and Development (ENCORD), being part of the respective High Level Groups.
Main contactACCIONA INFRAESTRUCTURAS S.A. Mr. Miguel Angel Paris Torres > Head of R&D Financial Dept. http://www.acciona-infraestructuras.es Organisation type > Large company |
Contribution to project
Umbrella sectoral representative (NUS)
Expertise
ACCIONA INFRASTRUCTURE was formed in 1997 to become a solid national and international benchmark. In its sector of construction and engineering it is a consistent contributor of new and innovative techniques in the planning and execution of works. ACCIONA INFRASTRUCTURES covers all aspects of construction, from engineering to project execution and maintenance. This includes the management of public works awards, especially in the area of transport (roads, motorways) and building construction, among which the most significant projects have been concessions awarded for hospital services and education centres. ACCIONA INFRASTRUCTURES is well established in strategic international markets such as Poland, Mexico, Brazil, Chile and Canada. Thus, it has developed and participated in some of the most important sector projects of the last 50 years worldwide.
Main contactConstruction Cluster of Slovenia (SGG) Ms. Sc. Vladimir Gumilar > Director Organisation type > SME |
Contribution to project
Secretariat of the national representatives, performing communication and administrative tasks.
Expertise
Secretary of the Slovenian Construction Technology Platform (SICTP), secretary of the Development Fund of the SiCTP. Active participation in FP6/FP7 project, CIP and Leonardo da Vinci projects.