Living and Infrastructure
This theme focuses on enhancing safety and standards in the built environment.
Our vision is to enhance the safety, resilience, and sustainability of buildings and infrastructure. We aim to embed safety considerations throughout the entire lifecycle of the built environment—from design and construction to occupation, maintenance, repurposing, and eventual demolition. By advancing research and innovation, we seek to inform regulatory frameworks and support the development of safer, more sustainable infrastructure for future generations.
Scope
This theme supports cross-disciplinary research that addresses both emerging and long-standing challenges in the built environment. Areas of focus include:
- Innovative design and construction methods, including modular and volumetric construction.
- Use of sustainable and low-carbon materials, including recycled and reusable components.
- Safety and performance of existing infrastructure, including ageing assets and retrofitting (e.g., RAAC).
- Fire and structural safety, particularly in high-risk buildings.
- Integration of digital tools such as AI to enhance design, monitoring, and safety.
- Circular economy principles in construction and infrastructure development.
- Engagement with users and inhabitants to ensure safe and inclusive environments.
- Understanding the commercial and contractual drivers that influence safety outcomes.
Objectives
- To develop a capability to support the construction sector in modern methods of design, construction and retrofitting, such as the digital in relation to a building’s lifecycle and safety levels of modular construction builds.
- To provide support to address net zero and the circular economy in construction through the use of low carbon materials, demountable / reuseable structural components as well as efficient structural design and construction methods.
- Cooperate and collaborate with other TAI platforms and theme leads to contribute to a world class delivery of risk and regulatory research.
Research theme team
- UoM Lead: Meini Su
- HSE Lead: Rachel Cruise
- HSE Strategic Science Adviser: Mike Wardman
- HSE Science Business Partner: Tracy Read
- HSE ERCL lead: TBC