LSBU's Centre for Civil and Building Services Engineering Research (CCiBSE) is a truly integrated research centre within the School of Built Environment and Architecture. The centre draws on over 70 years of academic and applied research experience in Energy, Civil and Building Services Engineering , Built Environment, Modelling and LSBU’s solid and long-standing professional reputation in the construction and property industry.
This unique nexus of expertise positions CCiBSE to provide sustainable solutions for the interdisciplinary challenges facing the Built Environment and to deliver positive impact on strategy, policy and practice within the Built Environment.
The centre is committed to developing research that could minimise the environmental impact and carbon emissions associated with the built environment and energy, as well as developing the industry’s skills and providing pathways between fundamental research, applied research, knowledge transfer and enterprise.
CCiBSE has world leading expertise in Civil and Building services engineering. These disciplines have been brought together collaboratively and constructively with the aim of delivering for society on climate change and sustainability.
The research ethos of the centre are to:
We have had significant success in securing funding for a number of energy and applied research projects, and host a number of match-funded research projects and Green Tech A2I projects funded by the European Union.
The Balanced Energy Network (BEN) is a £4 million project part-funded by Innovate UK. The BEN consortium brings together cross-sector supply chains to deliver integrated energy solutions at different scales to meet the energy systems challenges of achieving a low-carbon economy: secure, affordable, sustainable energy.
This project is the first investigative pilot study in the world that is delivering both physical and digital network knowledge to integrate systems that will enable the balancing of heating, cooling, electricity and carbon to minimise costs – and help combat global warming.
The Home Energy 4 Tomorrow (HE4T) project is an academic and industry collaborative research project funded by innovate UK to develop a dual source heat pump (DSHP), capable of linking with both air and water heat sinks.
Project partner ICAX Ltd. has created a prototype proving the flexibility and efficiency benefits of a DSHP. This research project will take this starting point and develop a heat pump for mass application in both new build and retrofit markets. This solution will offer a more efficient pathway to the electrification of domestic heat. The development work will take place at the laboratories of London South Bank University.
An exciting strand of this project is the development of the potential for water utilities to play a role in accelerating the uptake of electrified heat. HE4T will be looking at how water systems can be connected to the DSHPs to boost efficiency – turning the water utilities into energy carriers. This work is supported by Thames Water and Anglian Water, as part of their ongoing energy innovation work.
A novel research project has been launched to develop a new way of recovering waste heat from industry and decarbonise heating and cooling through new technologies. This research project is led by London South Bank University (LSBU) and CCiBSE and funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC).
The research team in this EPSRC project will investigate new ways of providing heating and cooling from energy intensive industries including steel, glass, paper, food and cement etc.
The new technologies which will be studied include waste heat recovery at various grades, long-distance transport networks to transfer recovered energy more efficiently and advanced heating and cooling systems.
Our centre house the best academic acoustic facilities in the South-East of England, including a full-size reverberant and anechoic chambers, as well as an exceptionally well equipped laboratory, featuring the very latest instrumentation and technology. Our anechoic chamber was featured by UNILAD.
Both chambers can be used for simulating idealised acoustic conditions for researching a number of noise phenomena: sound power determination, binaural recordings, measuring source directivity, the testing of hearing protectors and the demonstration of fundamental acoustic principles.
CEREB is unique resource supporting policy engagement, teaching, research and demonstration of low carbon energy technologies in the built environment.
The environmental chamber is a flexible Climate Simulator used for controlled testing and developing new techniques and systems. It allows us to construct full-scale and scaled environments to better understand climatic influence and be capable of controlling strict environmental conditions.
BIM is an approach to managing and planning every aspect of design and operation in the construction process in a better, more efficient way to improve the basis upon which the construction industry and its clients operate. The BIM Centre acts as a hub for innovation, professional training and networking amongst practice experts in the built environmental sector.
The Strengths of Materials laboratory at London South Bank University offers state-of-the-art testing facilities, capable of performing product qualification testing and aiding knowledge development for structural assemblies and structural and mechanical components.
The apparatus available allow for testing of a wide range of components, including slabs, beams, floor joists, roof trusses, wall panels, floor system components, connection details, compression members and struts, both at room temperature and at temperatures up to 1200°C.
Our mechanical loading rigs can test up to 100 kN, 250 kN and 500 kN, respectively, and are adaptable to accommodate a wide range of structural systems in tension, compression, bending and shear. We have previously conducted product qualification and knowledge development testing for modular construction contractors, chipboard manufacturers and CLT manufacturers.
The Centre also has access to other general engineering facilities within the University, including the Engineering and Welding Workshops, the Machine Shop, the Modelling Workshop, plus many other design and soft facilities.
To enquire about our research and facilities, please contact:
Our centre members have an established track record of impactful applied research, working with a wide variety of industrial and academic partners to achieve significant environmental, social and economic benefits to the field. We also have a number of early carrier researchers who have the passion and enthusiasm to link with industry and deliver impactful research.
We have a number of strong research collaborations and partnerships as well as established links with governmental and professional bodies.
The centre through its members has strong links with the various subjects area professional bodies including:
The centre also has reach portfolio of working with industrial partners in research and consultancy. These include:
Past collaborations have also included multidisciplinary research networks and knowledge transfer partnerships. In line with LSBU’s fundamental believes, the centre welcome new academic/industrial collaborations.
We are involved in a range of outreach activities with the aim of promoting, enhancing and enriching research and students’ experience. These include:
The Coastal Hazards Group in CCiBSE specialises in understanding the interaction of extreme seas with the built environment. The research develops an understanding of the forces, sediment scours, and other failure modes at coastal structures, helping engineers to mitigate the effects of extreme coastal inundations. This is achieved through a combination of physical and numerical modelling techniques.
The Group lead is Dr David McGovern Academic Staff
David has expertise in physical modelling of sediment scour, and fluid structure interactions.
Members :
Dr Keith Adams - Academic Staff
Keith researches cascading hazard risk, with focus on storm surge, extreme events, earthquake, landslides and tsunami. Linear infrastructure and heritage structures are of particular interest.
Mr Carlos Gonzalo - Academic staff
Carlos has expertise in fluid mechanics and innovation development.
Dr Sabana Parvin – KTP PDRA
Sabana is the KTP PDRA working on the TSuTwin Project. She has a PhD in Mathematics and expertise in CFD.
Mrs Niki Soleimani - PhD scholar - Research students
Niki is a PGR scholar Jan 2024 – 2027 researching tsunami scour at onshore structures through experimental and numerical methods.
Collaborators:
Professor Rodney Day - Academic staff
Rodney is PVC of Research and Enterprise at LSBU, and has a track record of hydraulic engineering and scour.
Recent Publications from the Laboratory:
2023 AKT269: Tsunami Experimental Study £36k, PI Dr McGovern
2024 - 2026: KTP LSBU HR Wallingford - TsuTWin. £200k PI Dr McGovern, Co-I Mr Carlos Gonzalo
TsuTWin - Tsunami Twin Wave Generation Laboratory
TsuTWin is a £200k Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) with HR Wallingford to develop the world's first physical laboratory for tsunami wave train and return flow generation.
Currently, there is no method to generate the deadly return flow of tsunami - a major cause of destruction. Neither is there any method to generate repeat waves, otherwise known as tsunami wave trains. TsuTWin will change that by developing a laboratory generation system that will be able to generate incoming, returning and multiple tsunami waves. This will lead to better facilities for scientists and engineers to understand how these waves are so destructive and mitigate against them. Ultimately protecting life and property.
The project is funded by Innovate UK, PI Dr David McGovern, and administered by Nil Atmaca. For further information, please contact David McGovern or Nil Atmaca.
Tsunami Scour
Tsunami scour is a major cause of structural failure in events such as the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami and the 2011 Great Eastern Japan Tsunami. Scour is the removal of sediment around the foundations of structures under tsunami attack. Currently one PhD international scholar is using experimental data to develop a numerical model to understand the process fully.
For further information contact Mrs Niki Soleimani
University College London
HR Wallingford Ltd.
University of East London