Smart Construction and Impact Assessment (SC&IA)
Group Leader(s): Dr Esra Kurul
Contact: ekurul@brookes.ac.uk +44 (0)1865484322
News
Maurizio Sibilla's project “Envisioning Buildings-as-Energy-Services" is now in the Transforming Construction Story Catalogue. This Catalogue is a new UKRI initiative.
Our group leader, Esra Kurul, is one of the co-authors of the working paper on climate change education published by the COP26 Network. The paper can be found here .
Maurizio Sibilla & Esra Kurul published a case study alongside case studies that are associated with the working paper on climate change education published by the COP26 Network.
About us
The SC&IA research group undertakes fundamental and applied research, and engages in knowledge exchange activities with an emphasis on dealing with global challenges and the climate emergency. The pedagogic implications of these challenges for the built environment disciplines is another strong theme.
Our activities cover a wide range of specialist and interdisciplinary areas, including:
- environmental impact assessment
- resilience and adaptive capacity of urban environments
- digitalisation and digital technologies
- retrofit and refurbishment
- distributed and renewable energy systems
Related courses
- Quantity Surveying and Commercial Management (MSc)
- Built Environment (MPhil / PhD / PhD by Published Work)
- Building Information Modelling and Management (MSc)
- Construction Project Management (MSc)
- Conservation Ecology (MSc / PGDip / PGCert)
- Environmental Impact Assessment and Management (MSc)
- Project Management in the Built Environment (MSc)
- Construction Project Management (BSc (Hons))
- Spatial Planning (MSc)
- Geography (BA (Hons) / BSc (Hons))
- Property Development and Planning (BSc (Hons))
- Quantity Surveying and Commercial Management (BSc (Hons))
- Urban Design, Planning and Development (BA (Hons))
Research impact
The central aim of our group’s activities is to provide the industry and policy makers with innovative decision-making tools and solutions for planning, procuring and delivering infrastructure and building projects and services that maximise economic, social and environmental benefits to society. The group has a wealth of expertise in assessing these impacts and benefits for ensuring there is equity and quality of life.
For example, our experts on environmental impact assessment have pioneered research on the local socio-economic impacts of major power station projects. Resultant insights have included:
- increasing focus on socio-economic impacts in the assessments of such projects
- use of associated planning techniques and mitigation measures
- use of the research by a wide range of stakeholders, including developers, local communities, local authorities and various agencies (e.g. health, education, etc).
More recently, a recent study led by Professor John Glasson provided a unique insight into the actual local impacts of the early construction years of the Hinkley Point C Project, currently one of the largest construction projects in Europe.
Leadership
Dr Esra Kurul
Reader in Organisational Studies in the Built Environment