Innovation and Knowledge Centre for Smart Infrastructure and Construction - Collaborative Programme Tranche 1

基础设施是英国资产基础的重要组成部分，其有效管理和维护对经济和社会至关重要。应用新兴技术对现有关键基础设施资产进行先进的健康监测，有助于更好地量化和确定基础设施老化的程度以及随之而来的剩余设计寿命，从而减少故障风险。新兴技术也有潜力通过一种全生命周期的方法来改变该行业，以综合的方式实现建筑和基础设施的可持续性-设计和调试，施工过程，开发和使用，以及最终的退役。这些新兴技术的关键要素包括将最新的传感器技术、数据管理工具和制造工艺应用于建筑行业，无论是在基础设施建设期间还是在其整个生命周期中。建筑行业，特别是承包商、专业仪器公司和基础设施所有者，对这些技术的利用有着巨大的市场。在本提案中，我们寻求建立智能基础设施和建筑创新与知识中心，该中心汇集了剑桥大学工程和建筑系的领先研究小组，计算机实验室和法官商学院。在合作计划中，这些团体将与工业家和其他重要的利益相关者合作，开展具有挑战性的研究项目，为工业面临的问题提供切实可行的解决方案，并促进有价值的新兴技术的传播和采用。新兴技术的发展和商业化可以为基础设施的建设和管理带来根本性的变化，从而大大提高效率，经济性和适应性。目标是创建具有以下属性的“智能基础设施”：（a）施工期间干扰最小，效率最高，（B）新基础设施的维护最少，现有基础设施的管理最优化，（c）即使在极端事件（火灾，自然灾害，气候变化）中故障最少，（d）生命周期结束时废物最少。该中心侧重于传感器和数据管理方面新兴技术的创新应用（例如光纤、微机电系统、计算机视觉、能量收集、射频识别（RFID）和无线传感器网络）。这些都与新兴的最佳实践相结合，其形式是应用于建筑和基础设施的最新制造和供应链管理方法（例如，用于生命周期适应性设计的智能建筑组件，创新制造流程，集成供应链管理以及从建筑到城市规模的智能管理流程）。它旨在开拓全新的市场，并在业绩上取得突破，为建筑公司以及其他行业如信息技术、电子和材料等创造可观的商机。该中心能够直接和系统地回应从行业伙伴收到的关于解决关键问题所需的投入。通过工业界密切参与技术开发以及在真实的建筑项目中进行示范，新兴技术的商业化活动可以逐步发展到可以向工业界发放许可证的程度。该中心的成果可以为建筑业、基础设施业主和运营商提供手段，以确保能够实现极具挑战性的新绩效目标。此外，突破将使该行业更有效率，从而更有利可图。它们还可以使英国公司在日益全球化的建筑市场中获得竞争优势。

Infrastructure represents a large part of the UK's asset base, and its efficient management and maintenance are vital to the economy and society. The application of emerging technologies to advanced health monitoring of existing critical infrastructure assets can help to better quantify and define the extent of ageing and the consequent remaining design life of infrastructure, thereby reducing the risk of failure. Emerging technologies also have the potential to transform the industry through a whole-life approach to achieving sustainability in construction and infrastructure in an integrated way - design and commissioning, the construction process, exploitation and use, and eventual de-commissioning. Crucial elements of these emerging technologies include the application of the latest sensor technologies, data management tools and manufacturing processes to the construction industry, both during infrastructure construction and throughout its life. There is a substantial market for exploitation of these technologies by the construction industry, particularly contractors, specialist instrumentation companies and owners of infrastructure.In this proposal, we seek to build on the creation of the Innovation and Knowledge Centre for Smart Infrastructure and Construction which brings together leading research groups in the University of Cambridge Departments of Engineering and Architecture, Computer Laboratory and Judge Business School. The Collaborative Programme will see these groups working with industrialists and other critical stakeholders on challenging research projects which deliver practical solutions to the problems that industry faces and which promote the dissemination and adoption of valuable emerging technologies.The development and commercialisation of emerging technologies can provide radical changes in the construction and management of infrastructure, leading to considerably enhanced efficiencies, economies and adaptability. The objective is to create 'Smart Infrastructure' with the following attributes: (a) minimal disturbance and maximum efficiency during construction, (b) minimal maintenance for new infrastructure and optimum management of existing infrastructure, (c) minimal failures even during extreme events (fire, natural hazards, climate change), and (d) minimal waste materials at the end of the life cycle. The Centre focuses on the innovative use of emerging technologies in sensor and data management (e.g. fibre optics, MEMS, computer vision, power harvesting, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), and Wireless Sensor Networks). These are coupled with emerging best practice in the form of the latest manufacturing and supply chain management approaches applied to construction and infrastructure (e.g. smart building components for life-cycle adaptive design, innovative manufacturing processes, integrated supply chain management, and smart management processes from building to city scales). It aims to develop completely new markets and to achieve breakthroughs in performance.Considerable business opportunities will be created for construction companies, and for other industries such as IT, electronics and materials. The Centre is able to respond directly and systematically to the input received from industry partners on what is required to address critical issues. Through the close involvement of industry in technical development as well as in demonstrations in real construction projects, the commercialisation activities of emerging technologies can be progressed to a point where they can be licensed to industry.The outputs of the Centre can provide the construction industry, infrastructure owners and operators with the means to ensure that very challenging new performance targets can be met. Furthermore breakthroughs will make the industry more efficient and hence more profitable. They can also give UK companies a competitive advantage in the increasingly global construction market.