Contractor sets up construction research centre with university

Laing O’Rourke has teamed up with Oxford University to create a centre for research on the future of construction.

The Laing O’Rourke Centre for Construction Engineering will carry out research to improve construction methods and processes, the company said.

The centre will create two new positions: the Laing O’Rourke professor of automation in construction, and the centre’s director.

The company said that they will focus on areas including control, automation and construction materials alongside other University departments, including the department of materials.

Ray O’Rourke, chairman and chief executive, said: “The global trends influencing the built environment over the next 25 years will demand new and radical approaches to how we engineer and construct buildings and infrastructure in the future.

“This collaboration with University of Oxford will play a vital role in the research and development of viable and sustainable solutions to meet this challenge, advancing Laing O’Rourke’s already well-established manufacturing and assembly capabilities.”