Built Environment Research Group

Strategy and Membership

The research group provides innovative engineering solutions for a Sustainable Built and Natural Environment. It facilitates the growing research activities through cohesively focussed national and international collaboration to establish quality research, knowledge transfer and consultancy activities.

Groups’ research activities cover the following areas:

Hydraulics & Environmental Research – Dr Martin Marriott, Dr Ravi Jayaratne, Dr Syed Begun
Soil Structure Interaction Research – Dr John Walsh, Prof Chitral Wijeyesekera
Structures Research – Dr Ana Ruiz-Teran, Dr Anca Ciupala
Sustainability & Alternative Technology – Dr Anca Ciupala; Dr John Walsh; Dr Simon Tucker; Prof Chitral Wijeyesekera

Collaborating instiututions: Chartered Institute of Water and Environmental Management; Plymouth University; University of Hertfordshire; London Queen Mary University; Waseda University, Japan; University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka; University of Jahangirnagar, Bangladesh; Oxford University; City University; Rawell Environmental Ltd.,; Empa, Switzerland; Thames Water utilities; Gdansk University, Poland; Tech. University of Iasi, Romania; University Tun Hussein Malaysia; University castilla la Mancha, Spain; Arenas Y. Associados, Spain.

Key Publications

Ruiz-Teran AM, Aparicio AC. (2008). Structural behaviour and design criteria of under-deck cable-stayed bridges and combined cable-stayed bridges. Part 2: Multi-span bridges. Canadian Journal of Civil Engineering, 35(9): 951-962

Bredmose, H., Hunt-Raby, A., Jayaratne, R., and Bullock, G. (2009). The Ideal Flip-through Impact: Experimental and Numerical Investigation, Journal of Engineering Mathematics, Howell Peregrine Memorial Edition

Wijeyesekera C and Kreft A, (2008) Effect of saline water on the geotechnical properties of bentonite clat products, Proc. 11th Baltic Sea Geotechnical Conference- Geotechnics in Maritime Engineering, Gdansk, Poland, p 895-902, September 2008.

Current Projects

The group’s seeking further collaborative research and industrial consultancy in the areas of:

Mathematical / Physical modelling of Built Environment issues ( Cable stayed bridges; Pipeline bursts; Sediment transport; Structural dynamics; Structural failures and retrofitting)
Analysis and providing solutions to a variety of environmental problems via GIS ( Road Traffic accidents etc.)
Design and fabrication of custom made innovative quality control testing equipment to demonstrate supremacy in performance of customer products in construction.
Development and performance testing of eco-friendly sustainable construction products from recycled waste materials.
Mineralogical and microstructural studies to aid in the product development of new materials using Xray diffraction analysis and low vacuum scanning electron microscopy.
Consultancy in design and modification to existing structures and routine testing of construction materials.