Sep 27 2010
Loughborough University today (Monday 27 September) welcomes a special delegation of visitors from the National University of Civil Engineering (NUCE) in Hanoi, Vietnam.
The four visitors will be staying in Loughborough for five days as part of a new British Council funded partnership with the University to look at sustainability in the UK’s construction industry with a view to implementing best practice in teaching and research at NUCE.
The three year knowledge sharing project also incorporates the University of Liverpool and this visit to Loughborough is the first of several to be held. The party consists of Dr Le Van Thanh, Vice Chancellor at NUCE; Associate Professor, Dr Pham Huu Hann, Head of Building Materials; Dr Bui Danh Dai, Head of Laboratory and Associate Professor, Dr Do Huu Thanh, Head of International Development.
Dr Chris Goodier, from the Civil and Building Engineering Department at Loughborough University comments: “In Vietnam they have one university per discipline area so NUCE has 15,000 students which makes it the country’s leading authority on civil engineering, construction and sustainability issues. As Vietnam is currently being seriously influenced by climate change issues, the NUCE is keen to respond as it has thousands of students who will soon play key roles in the country’s construction industry.
“Our visitors will be looking at the knowledge and expertise held by both Loughborough University and the University of Liverpool in sustainable construction to work towards creating a greener future for the industry in Vietnam.”
A number of seminars have been organised during the visit and these will also include representation from Aggregate Industries and Responsible Solutions Ltd, which is based in Loughborough University’s Innovation Centre. The Vietnamese delegation will also be visiting the University of Liverpool’s Department of Engineering, the Lang O’Rourke Explore factory in Steetley, Nottinghamshire, which is the biggest pre-cast concrete factory in the UK; the Hockerton housing development, the UK’s first earth sheltered, self-sufficient ecological housing development as well as key engineering projects such as Wembley and Heathrow’s Terminal 5 building.
A return visit to Vietnam is being planned for six months time with the Vietnamese delegation returning to Liverpool next September.
Dr Goodier adds: “Sustainability in the construction industry is taken very seriously in the UK and we are always looking at ways we can improve. This collaboration with NUCE will help enable us to take the next step and have a greater influence and impact at an international level. I am looking forward to seeing how the NUCE team will be taking forward the ideas and solutions that they pick up whilst on their visit here in the UK.”