Transforming Construction: an integrating agenda for a fragmented industry

Join us for the launch of a major new UKRI-funded national network to unite and transform the UK construction industry, the Transforming Construction Network Plus (N+).

With £1m to invest in a range of new research projects over the next two years, this network is set to mobilise a new movement in the construction community, bringing together experts from a range of disciplines to tackle the most pressing problems across the digital, energy, construction and manufacturing space.

This interactive lecture and panel discussion will introduce the network and explore its central concerns – how do we transform the way buildings are designed, built, powered, managed and used? And how can we change the construction sector to address productivity, skills and user experiences?

Join senior industry and policy representatives and leading academics to find out how to get involved, how to apply for N+ funding opportunities, and to tell us where the network’s research priorities should lie.

The Transforming Construction Network Plus is funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), an investment supported by the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund. The support of the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) is gratefully acknowledged.

The lecture will begin at 18:30 and will be followed by a networking reception from 19:30.

About our speakers

Professor Jacqui Glass, N+ Principal Investigator, is Chair in Construction Management at The Bartlett School of Construction and Project Management, UCL. She joined UCL in July 2018, following academic posts at Loughborough University and Oxford Brookes University. 

Prof Glass was previously Director of the Centre for Innovative and Collaborative Construction Engineering at Loughborough University, where she developed her specialism in sustainability management in construction – from site to factory. She has a track record in responsible and ethical sourcing, which relates to material and product supply chains.

Professor Jan Godsell, Co-Investigator, is Professor of Operations and Supply Chain Strategy at WMG, at the University of Warwick.

Prof Godsell's research focus is on the way that product, marketing and supply chain strategy align to create a responsive or demand-driven approach to supply chain management. She joined WMGin October 2013 from her prior position of Senior Lecturer at Cranfield University School of Management.

Professor Jennifer Whyte, Co-Investigator, is Laing O'Rourke/RAEng Chair in Systems Integration and Director of the Centre for Systems Engineering and Innovation (CSEI) at Imperial College London.

Prof Whyte's research focus is on systems integration in civil infrastructure. Her research supports the transformation to an advanced manufacturing industry with digital engineering capabilities, with decision-support tools for engineers and managers working on complex engineering projects.

Image: detail from Gray construction crane and water-towers in New York City © Hilly van Eerten

Book now