New multimedia hub explores future of engineering

The Future of Engineering, a multimedia online hub featuring films, interviews and more, was launched at the ICE HQ, One Great George Street in London, last night.

The initiative, developed by media and communications specialists St James’s House in association with the ICE, premiered with the trailers of two documentaries: Putting the Smart into Cities and Inspiring Future Generations.

Putting the Smart into Cities explores how technology and infrastructure can come together to make environments more liveable and sustainable.

It covers the opportunities and challenges of all aspects of urban living, from transport and buildings to work and leisure.

Inspiring Future Generations investigates how to nurture the next generation of engineers.

Featuring interviews with industry leaders, it offers insight for those who want to begin a career as engineers, and those who are more established.

The documentaries and other related content are available to watch on the hub.

“We’re thrilled to be launching this important initiative at the global home of civil engineering,” said Richard Freed, founder of St James’s House.

“The thought leaders and engineering pioneers featured across The Future of Engineering campaign are the driving force behind addressing the most pressing challenges of today and tomorrow,” Freed said.

Visit the hub

The future of engineering at the ICE

ICE Vice President and trustee David Porter attended the launch, noting the benefit of coming together across industries to create the smart cities of the future.

Porter highlighted the alignment between the Future of Engineering initiative and the ICE’s own purpose of helping create a more sustainable world.

During a Q&A, Porter spoke about the ICE’s role in the context of global challenges.

By providing qualifications – now including Chartered Infrastructure Engineer – producing knowledge, and influencing decision making, the ICE ensures the world has the engineering capacity and infrastructure systems it needs to thrive.

When asked about the biggest challenges to creating resilient, smart cities, Porter said there was a need to “get our head around carbon”, especially with the 2030 and 2050 deadlines looming on the horizon.

He referred to PAS 2080, a publicly available standard that provides a framework to manage carbon in the built environment.

He encouraged the audience to think about carbon not just in terms of individual assets but in the network of systems that is infrastructure.

Future engineers

The Q&A also touched on the topic of attracting young people to civil engineering.

Porter spoke of the need to embrace digital technology and show that the industry is technology-led.

He also said the industry had to make a conscious effort to remove stereotypes and foster diversity and inclusion.

For Porter, the key is to show that civil engineers are dealing with the big issues of our time.

To demonstrate that, he emphasised the importance of continual professional development (CPD) and best practice sharing through initiatives like the ICE Carbon and Resilience Champions.