Teaching Construction IT
The body of knowledge in Construction IT has grown at a very fast pace during the last decade. Similarly, the demand for knowledgeable young people with a graduate degree in this area is growing even faster. Construction companies already have senior personnel who are experts in the traditional fields, such as scheduling and estimating. These experts, however, are usually of some age, with little to no exposure to new technologies in their field. Companies seek to fill this gap with young people who have already been exposed to IT concepts, such as building information models, decision support systems, databases, data collection and analysis, and knowledge discovery, and are willing to champion the effort of integrating these concepts into their employer's business practices and of teaching them to the senior personnel.
Our teaching focuses in conveying the core construction concepts, as well as the modern IT concepts that distinguish our graduates from others. Deep knowledge in both is necessary for a successful career in construction.
Dr. Brilakis is teaching and providing thesis supervision in the Construction Engineering Master's (CEM). This programme is a Master of Studies (MSt) course offered by the Department of Engineering in association with the Judge Business School at the University of Cambridge. It is targeted at those who have had several years professional experience and already attained a leadership role or been identified as potential leaders in their field. The course will enhance their technical knowledge and managerial skills with the expectation that they will return to their respective companies trained as merchants of change who will redefine the way in which the infrastructure of society is created. For more information click here.
Courses @ University of Cambridge
4D4 - Ground Egnineering
To be taught in Lent 2014
4D16 - Construction and Management
To be taught in Michaelmas 2014
GD5 - Engineering Geology and Surveying
To be taught in Easter 2013
This project is intended for students interested in civil engineering, who have already done the Surveying Engineering Area Activity in Part IIA. It covers the fundamentals of engineering geology, basic structural geology analysis and their application to geotechnical design, the fundamentals of environmental impact assessments for offshore and onshore oil and gas projects. This will be followed by some more advanced surveying than was offered in the EAA.
GD6 - Surveying
To be taught in Easter 2013
This project introduces students with no previous surveying experience to the techniques of modern survey under near-realistic conditions.
As well as being essential technical knowledge for any student who has an interest in any area of civil engineering, the course illustrates many of
the problems and issues which are faced by engineers whenever accurate and reliable measurements have to be made under adverse conditions. A basic
introduction to engineering geology is also included in the project.
Those students who have already been introduced to basic surveying through the Engineering Area Activity in Part IIA should choose Project GD5.
S1 - Plastic Collapse lab
Taught in Lent 2013
This is a lab that demonstrates the basic principles behind the theory of plastic collapse. The objectives are to measure the load-deflection response of simply-supported beams of different lengths, up to collapse and to define the plastic moment, corresponding to a plastic hinge. Also, to verify that plastic collapse of a structure occurs when a sufficient number of plastic hinges have formed. Moreover, to set up a work balance, based on the actual collapse mechanism -if it is known- or on a hypothetical collapse mechanism, to relate plastic moment and collapse load and last, to verify that the work balance can provide useful upper bound estimates of the collapse load of a complex structure.
Engineering Area Activity (EAA) - Surveying Course
Taught in Michaelmas 2012 and Lent 2013
Land Surveying (now sometimes called Geomatics) is an important skill for all Civil Engineers, as it ensures that roads, buildings, tunnels and bridge foundations are built in the correct place. It is also a skill that many other engineering students find both interesting and useful. This EAA gives a basic grounding in Surveying. The purpose is to learn how to use surveying instruments and techniques to establish the positions (National Grid co-ordinates and heights) of some existing survey stations, and then to set out some additional ones at predetermined positions. The topics covered are 1) Principles of Surveying, 2) Basics of the Ordnance Survey Grid, 3) Planning and Computing a Traverse, 4) Planning setting out, 5) Use of Theodolite, EDM and level and 6) Fieldwork of traversing, levelling and setting out.