TRACD - Transforming Rail Construction using Data: Digital frameworks for material efficiency and reducing carbon emissions

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

Global warming poses a significant threat to the well-being of people and the planet. The UK government set a legal requirement to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050 and a target for a 78% reduction in emissions by 2035\. Globally, construction is responsible for 11% of emissions, and in the UK capital carbon from construction increased by 60% over the last decade. It is essential that construction reduce its carbon use through data-driven optimisation of its processes. To this end, GCRE (Global Centre for Rail Excellence) aims to achieve operational net zero and reduce embodied carbon through recycled materials and innovative structures.To achieve these aims, enhanced analysis of the life cycle of material use within construction projects is required. This will allow both optimisation of existing material use and pave the way for introduction of novel materials. However, a key challenge in the construction industry is the fragmentation of the process and the resulting difficulty in sharing and integrating data. Currently, disconnected databases and paper-based data collection systems create challenges in accurately tracking cement and concrete use throughout the value chain.This innovation aims to create an integrated data platform to capture and analyse data from across the life cycle of the construction process, with the goal of improving material efficiency and reducing carbon emissions. The project will focus on concrete, a carbon intensive and yet widely used material in rail construction. Inefficient use of concrete results in unnecessary carbon emissions, increased cost and can result in delays. Causes for inefficient use include over ordering, rejected batches, over specification and rework. To address such systemic issues, the project will collaborate closely with GRCE innovation partners and supply chain to streamline data collection processes and develop an overarching data architecture for rail construction. This will improve data coherence and enable data-driven decisions to reduce waste and inefficient use of materials.The developed state of the art framework will have a wider impact on across the UK construction process and will enable the sharing and integration of data across different systems and organisations involved in construction projects to highlight carbon blind spots across the UK value chain.