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Feature
해외작품소개
Innovation in practice thestructuralengineer.org

 direct effects on building from outside of the construction industry
performance and delivery (i.e. time, and are willing to transfer techniques and
cost, quality) materials directly into the construction sector.

 indirect effects (i.e. time, cost) resulting The use of moulded carbon-fibre beams in

from the need to gather evidence to the recent renovation of the Berkeley hotel’s
reduce uncertainty and risks of inadequate entrance in London and the adoption of a
performance. (The type of evidence spring typically used in the rail industry in
required will depend on the function to the column heads of the SNFCC canopy are
which the innovations are being put, but good examples of this cross-industry transfer

� also on the project team’s tolerance of knowledge.

Figure 2
A second approach to evidence creation
for uncertainty.)
Early render of canopy design
is to use a mix of physical mock-ups,

example, reduce project duration, the costs of As an example, using a novel material in calculations, software and knowledge of first-
construction, or improve health and safety on a structure will require the engineer to gain principles physical properties to demonstrate
site, the delivery team is likely to be motivated confidence that it has suitable structural the suitability of a particular solution, but

to consider new approaches to construction. performance and lifespan, and demonstrate without the expense of exhaustive full-
Other stakeholder aspirations to reduce the appropriate acoustic, fire, thermal and scale experimental testing. This relies on

impact of the delivery process – e.g. waste, sustainability performance. Where the many years of prior learning in the industry
carbon dioxide, noise or dust – may also evidence of this performance already exists, about material properties, application of the
become a stimulus for innovation. attention can be turned immediately to the latest techniques in engineering computing,
direct impacts on the project delivery. Should and is likely to involve applying a known
Innovation and risk the evidence not yet exist, it will need to be base material/constituent part in a new
By definition, the creative process is about found or created before the material can be configuration (rather than, say, a new material

breaking new ground, challenging what has recommended for adoption. This evidencing chemistry). From a whole-project perspective,
gone before. There are many ways in which process takes both time and money: it is not these are relatively cost- and time-efficient

creativity can manifest. Table 1 presents for nothing that pursuit of innovation and approaches to evidence production, and are
classes of creativity that we’ve encountered novelty is called an investment. used in many practices to deliver structural

in writing this article, broadly in descending The tests which are used to create this designs (although cost-effectiveness for the
order of our views of the level of disruption to evidence fall into three broad categories. structural engineer clearly depends on scope

existing processes. These are not mutually The first, and least disruptive, approach is definition, cf. typically out-of-scope physical
exclusive or exhaustive categories. to attempt to use either tried-and-tested testing options).
As one breaks new ground, previous techniques of construction, or techniques Our third category of evidencing
knowledge and experience become which have a large body of precedents, but performance is through the formal testing

unreliable, and the fear of new unknowns in different project contexts. Supply chains of materials, perhaps through the use
leads to perceptions of risk and uncertainty: will already exist to deliver these construction of coupons, scale models, prototyping
the innovation might not perform as required solutions. However, requirements for or representative construction modules.

and it might be difficult to work with. precedent buildings mean that the timeline These tests are generally used when there

Research suggests that the likelihood for innovation and testing can become are specific performance functions which
of adoption is driven by five factors (after exceptionally long, perhaps longer than is aren’t already evidenced, e.g. fire and

1
Rogers ): available. acoustic qualities. They take longer to plan
 compatibility: the degree to which the Some organisations seek their exemplars and execute, and require further costs to
innovation is consistent with existing
processes and technologies
 complexity: how easily the innovation can TABLE 1: CLASSES OF CREATIVITY IN DESCENDING ORDER
be understood and used OF LEVEL OF DISRUPTION TO EXISTING PROCESSES
 observability: whether the results of the
innovation can be seen by others Class of creativity Description
 trialability: the degree to which the
innovation can be tested on a limited basis, Construction paradigm A completely new building system to deliver a new building
i.e. with minimum risk typology
 relative advantage: the way in which the Design solution A new way of solving a new or existing problem
proposed innovation satisfies the drivers for

innovation described earlier. Material Using a new material to deliver functions previously delivered
by typical materials

The first four of these relate to the likely Production techniques New ways of producing the material solution
impact on the project delivery caused by Deployment techniques, connections New site practices or ways of combining typical solutions
adopting an innovation. The final factor and configurations

addresses the stakeholders’ aspirations for Contexts Delivering solutions in new contexts
the project.
Adopting innovation can have two types of Limits Delivering solutions to technical limits which have not been

effect: tested previously
16 January 2017 | TheStructuralEngineer
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TSE61_14-21 Feature-Innovation in Structural Engineering.indd 16 15/12/2016 10:43