Multi-million civil engineering research facility set for University of Birmingham
The University of Birmingham has lodged plans for a multi-million-pound civil engineering research facility.
The university’s School of Engineering plans to build the test and research facility – which is backed by £20m of Government investment – within the Edgbaston campus.
The National Buried Infrastructure Facility (NBIF) will be equipped to test all aspects of buried infrastructure from cables, culverts to barriers at full scale. The state-of-the-art facility will be equipped to test linear infrastructure utilising a strong floor facility.
A £21.7m award has been made to the university as part of a capital investment by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy to the UK Collaboratorium for Research in Infrastructure and Cities (UKCRIC).
The facility will enable researchers, industry professionals and local businesses to collaborate on projects which promise to accelerate the process of research to industrial implementation.
A design brief submitted with the application said the NBIF would be an integral part of the UKCRIC network – a world-class UK-based national infrastructure research community spanning 14 universities.
The facility will accommodate around 25 staff in a designated accommodation block adjacent to the main test hall. The scheme comprises 780m² of space for the main test hall and 830m² over three floors for the accommodation block. The accommodation block comprises a material characterisation laboratory, test preparation area, control room, visualisation suite and research rooms.
The test hall is a triple-height space featuring a 250m² pit which is 6m deep in its central bay.
This central bay (below) is controlled by actuators underneath the floor of the pit allowing for a variety of ground conditions to be simulated. A test rig, test assembly, strong floor, material storage and material preparation areas are located around the pit where specialist equipment is housed and initial tests conducted.
The site of the facility is at the south western area of the Edgbaston campus and is located adjacent to the existing Civil Engineering and Sport & Exercise Sciences building.
The application states the building will be used by the School of Engineering for research and test purposes. The facility will be equipped to test all aspects of buried infrastructure from cables, culverts to barriers at full scale or near full-scale, whether constructed traditionally or using trenchless technology, as well as investigating ground improvement and stabilisation techniques.
Material laboratories, research rooms, a visualisation suite and offices make up the key learning spaces where collaboration and independent research will take place, allowing researchers, academics and industry professionals to exchange ideas in a high quality working environment.
