SBEnrc News | October 2022

National Industry Research Workshops (NIRW) series 2022

On the back of the successful hybrid delivery of the CIB World Building Congress in July, hosted by our lead Victorian research partner RMIT University, we’re delighted to report on
the impressive in-person attendance at SBEnrc’s National Industry Research Workshops (NIRW) series held recently.

The purpose of the workshops was to gain industry’s perspective on the built environment’s business challenges and related innovation needs, and for the Centre to continually refresh and refocus its ongoing research program and partners. SBEnrc CEO Professor Keith Hampson and COO Ammar Shemery co-led the workshops, engaging industry and research leaders nationally in the important national consultative process. The commitment shown by our industry, government and research partners in the Australian built environment community reinforces our mantra of being industry-driven and directly relevant to address industry’s current and future challenges.

SBEnrc’s NIRW series is held around Australia every 18 months. This year’s workshops kicked off in Brisbane on 26 September, before moving on to Sydney and Melbourne and concluding in Perth on 29 September.

New research projects will be developed over the next few months to commence in April 2023 – maintaining continuity of our industry research from our current projects due for completion in March 2023.

Participants at the workshop hosted in Sydney by Engineers Australia on 27 September 2022, with SBEnrc Chairman John V McCarthy AO in attendance (third front from left)

NIRW potential research projects for 2023-24

Discussions at the 2022 NIRW workshops are now being contextualised around the dimensions of SBEnrc’s five broad research themes: social housing, future cities and transport, BIM/digital engineering, construction waste, sustainable procurement and future initiatives.

A series of theme-focused development workshops will follow in coming weeks for
participants to shape the Centre’s proposed research focus and develop the scope for the incoming set of projects.

SBEnrc management have already started analysing the potential project ideas, with the initiatives for 2023-24 investment to be considered at the Centre’s final Board meeting for the year on 16 November 2022, ready for detailed development by March 2023.

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SBEnrc CEO Professor Keith Hampson presenting at the Perth workshop on 29 September 2022 hosted by Main Roads Western Australia

It’s an honour: SBEnrc CEO Keith Hampson awarded Honorary Fellowship of Engineers Australia

SBEnrc CEO Professor Keith Hampson has been elevated to Honorary Fellow of Engineers Australia (EA).

Keith accepted the award before 300 guests at the 2022 Engineers Australia Excellence Awards Gala Dinner held in Sydney on Wednesday 5 October.

The occasion also celebrated the winners of the 2022 Engineer of the Year and Sir William Hudson and Recognition awards, and announced the President’s Prize and the Peter Nicol Russell Memorial Medal.

Honorary
Fellow is the highest membership grade of Engineers Australia. The fellowship can only be conferred by the institution’s Board and only on a Fellow of Engineers Australia or a distinguished person whom the Board desires to honour for having rendered conspicuous service to the Australian people or in recognition of outstanding achievement.

The prestigious fellowship is one of only seven awarded nationally this year and capped at 200 Honorary Fellows across Australia at any one
time.

Keith’s honorary fellowship is also an accolade for the work the SBEnrc has undertaken over the past 25 years, including the unique value of its previous national industry partnerships, the Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) for Construction Innovation and the Construction Research Alliance before that. The unbroken commitment to improving Australia’s built environment through collaboration between industry, government and researchers has fundamentally changed the value
proposition for the Australian built environment industry, acknowledging the value that academic leaders can play and welcoming them into boardrooms across the country.

In acknowledging the EA Honorary Fellowship Award, Keith commented, “It’s so satisfying to get out of bed each morning and work with people who want to make a positive change to our industry … and our world. They are the champions! It’s been my absolute privilege to work with our innovation network and play a role driving cultural change in our built environment – linking industry with value-adding researchers in Australia through SBEnrc and internationally, especially through CIB.”

Professor Keith Hampson accepts the Engineers Australia (EA) Honorary Fellowship award from EA National President Dr Nick Fleming and EA Chief Executive Officer Romilly Madew AO

Embracing multimedia to deliver globally recognised research to the world

Participants at the NIRW workshops had the opportunity to view SBEnrc’s latest industry impact video. This consolidated clip summarises each of the Centre’s six core industry research projects completed for 2021-22.

You’ll find the industry impact video on SBEnrc’s dedicated YouTube channel, where you can also access separate clips for each of the Centre’s completed industry research projects, featuring research findings and impact. The videos are also available on individual project websites.

SBEnrc routinely embraces multimedia to distribute research presented by industry and research leaders who highlight the value of our national industry projects in a concise and engaging manner to a global audience. This world-leading initiative elevates our commitment to communicating and connecting with the built environment industry more broadly.

Subscribe to SBEnrc’s YouTube channel here.

Dr Keith Hampson, Chief Executive Officer
Sustainable Built Environment National Research Centre
Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia
k.hampson@sbenrc.com.au

Our challenge is to continue growing the value and impact of our applied research more deeply and broadly across Australia. Australia’s Sustainable Built Environment National Research Centre (SBEnrc) is acknowledged as an excellent example of a CRC that has graduated into an independent organisation delivering unique
industry, government and research collaboration.