Built environments research

Our researchers are helping cities better balance economic, social and environmental needs, and investigating how to re-engineer urban environments so that they are more liveable and resilient to major challenges. This includes the Institute for Global Innovation’s research on resilient cities and studying the role of arts and humanities in museums and collections. 

Research highlights

• The Power and Infrastructure Research Group carries out cutting-edge research that provides sustainable and resilient solutions to some of the complex engineering issues faced by humanity in the 21st century.
• The National Buried Infrastructure Facility (NBIF) is a unique facility for research, education and training in buried infrastructure-ground interaction, soil stabilisation and improvement, geophysical sensing, pipeline detection and condition assessment, tunnelling and trenchless technologies.
• The Resilient Cities theme within the Institute for Global Innovation draws on research expertise that covers infrastructure, decarbonisation, air quality, physical and mental health, governance, public services and economics.
• Symbiosis is an interdisciplinary network set up to research and develop the role of the arts and the humanities in natural history museums and collections.
• We are working to deliver the world’s smartest campus in a partnership with Siemens, paving the way for how built environments can work in a more sustainable world.