Impact Case Studies

A selection of case studies demonstrating how research can deliver impact to industry across a range of topics - based on research undertaken at the Laing O'Rourke Centre.

The selection of case studies below are based upon research completed at the Centre by students of the Construction Engineering Master's (CEM) programme, PhD students and industry partner collaborations.

Virtual teams: what are the effective leadership attributes for project managers? Benefits to industry: enables organisations to work across geographical and time boundaries; improves responsiveness to projects and clients; and strengthens project management skills to enhance productivity.

Taking note: improving visualisation of data in BIM for better decision making Benefits to industry: improved project communication and decision making higher productivity

Collaboration and interdependency: exploring the relationship between designers and contractors Benefits to industry: enabling collaboration to identify common project goals and deliver improved productivity and cost reduction.

Autonomous vision-based bridge and tunnel strike prevention system for improved safety and more efficient asset management Benefits to industry: improved safety; reduced costs to asset owners; less disruption to travel networks and traffic.

Automated progress monitoring using mixed reality Benefits to industry: improving project control and efficient progress monitoring through modern mobile technology; timely detection of scheduling discrepancies.

Procurement models: is early contractor involvement beneficial to the UK construction industry? Benefits to industry: supports improved team working; boosts innovation and planning to deliver value for money.

The future role of the SME sector in housing supply: a study of the housing market in England Benefits to industry: highlighting barriers for new starters in house building sector; addressing housing supply challenges.

Vision-based construction worker task productivity monitoring Benefits to industry: proactive productivity monitoring of multiple construction workers; project time savings; project cost savings; improved work flow on site; better construction project management.

Going underground: A framework tool for tunnelling close beneath existing tunnels in clay Benefits to industry: tunnelling framework tool for industry; optimisation of design; better-informed safety measures; potential cost savings on temporary works; understanding the risk.

Bridging the gap: why collaboration between industry and academia produces innovation that delivers value to all stakeholders Benefits to industry: innovation whole-life performance monitoring; design optimisation; collaboration delivers value to all stakeholders, including researchers, asset owners and asset managers.

Improving management and communication of health and safety risk to site operatives on UK construction projects Benefits to industry: improved communication to support health and safety aimed at those most at risk (the site operatives); better information to inform risk mitigation decision making.

Taking a digital approach to the dimensional inspection of reinforcement cages to improve efficiency and boost productivity  Benefits to industry: boosting productivity and improving quality; innovating construction; enhancing efficiency; securing competitive edge in international markets.

Understanding workforce motivational factors to incentivise improved productivity in pre-cast concrete construction Benefits to industry: more accurate scheduling of resource and works; less disruption; improved absenteeism; enhanced efficiency and productivity; valuable resource for the improved management of human resources.

Improving construction health and safety through knowledge transfer from the London 2012 Olympic Park Benefits to industry: improved construction health and safety; best practice, valuable learning legacy and knowledge transfer; cross-project learning; enhanced efficiency.