National Centre for Infrastructure Materials (Leeds)

据估计，世界建筑环境的价值为218万亿美元，英国的相应数字为3.1万亿美元。到2025年，全球在新经济基础设施上的支出预计将达到约5.3万亿英镑，其中英国计划投资4830亿英镑，大部分基础设施项目都是独一无二的，预计不会持续一代人，而是持续许多人。目前的大部分基础设施都是在过去300年中建造的，其中80%将在2050年存在，届时英国必须实现2008年气候变化法案规定的80%的减排目标。英国每年约有50%的建筑预算用于基础设施的维护和维修，其中大部分是由于材料的降解。降解过程缓慢;现有的基础设施自然会逐渐衰退;社会不能等待50年才能看到一种新材料是否发挥适当的作用;因此需要建立一个国家基础设施材料中心，调查基础设施材料的退化情况。这将涉及用于加速材料样品降解的先进实验室设施;用于加速结构元件老化的大型环境室;用于材料和结构样品长期受控暴露研究的现场;以及用于真实的世界结构的远程检查技术，以现场观察材料降解情况;旨在改善基础设施材料的全寿命性能，开发创新材料，以减少材料使用、货币和能源（碳）成本以及维护要求。

It is estimated that the value of the world's built environment is $218 trillion with the equivalent figure for the UK being $3.1 trillion. Global spend on new economic infrastructure by 2025 is expected to be about £5.3 trillion with £483 billion planned in the UK with most of the infrastructure projects being unique and expected to last not one generation, but for many. Most of the current infrastructure has been built over the last 300 years and 80% of that will exist in 2050, the time by which the UK must meet its 80% emissions reductions, as enshrined in the 2008 Climate Change Act. Some 50% of the UK's annual construction budget is spent on infrastructure maintenance and repair, much of which is due to degradation of materials. Degradation processes are slow; existing infrastructure is naturally in gradual decline; society cannot wait 50 years to see if a new material performs suitably; hence the need for a national centre for infrastructure materials which investigates the degradation of infrastructure materials. This will involve advanced laboratory facilities for accelerated material specimen degradation; large scale environmental chambers for accelerated ageing of structural elements; field site for long-term controlled exposure studies of material and structural specimens; and remote inspection technologies for real world structures to observe material degradation in situ; aimed at improving whole-life infrastructure material performance and developing innovative materials to reduce material use, monetary and energy (carbon) costs and maintenance requirements.