David Beadman, ByrneLooby London, attended the Institution of Civil Engineer’s Annual Reviewer’s Conference on the 26th of January, which provides an ideal networking opportunity with fellow Reviewers as well as some thought-provoking lectures.
The current President of the Institution, Professor Lord Robert Mair addressed the gathering and challenged us to consider how Civil Engineers were likely to need to adapt in the future. He referred back to his Presidential address and discussed the introduction of ‘Digital Twins’ for infrastructure; a life-time computer model. The idea is that sensors are built in to report back on the condition of the asset, to inform the need for maintenance and provide data for future design, potentially using artificial intelligence to assess the data and improve design methods. The subsequent discussion concentrated on the attributes needed by future Engineers.
The key themes were the need for Engineers to be adaptable in the workplace, whilst maintaining a clear understanding of basic engineering principles to carry out simple design checks and reviews.