ICE become latest supporters of Designing Buildings Wiki

Designing Buildings Wiki, the popular open-access knowledge base which is fast becoming the go-to source of construction industry knowledge announces the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) have joined its group of illustrious sponsors.

Designing Buildings Wiki is an industry-wide endeavour to share best practice, promote innovation and break down single-discipline barriers. Anyone can create articles about subjects they know and find articles about subjects they don’t, free of charge.

Its growth has been dramatic and rapid and is a positive example of the construction industry leading the way in online collaboration and knowledge sharing. The site now includes more than 2,400 articles and is used by 170,000 people every month, making it one of the most popular construction industry websites. Described by the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) as, "An indispensable resource for anyone involved in building", it includes articles on subjects ranging from property development and design to construction and facilities management.

Designing Buildings Wiki was created in 2012 with one simple goal: to put all construction industry knowledge in one place, available to everyone for free. Sponsors include; BRE Trust, BSRIA, CIOB, Buro Happold, Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners and Development Securities PLC. ICE’s support is crucial in helping expand the range of articles freely available on the site to include the civil engineering which underpins the built environment.

ICE’s Director of Engineering Knowledge, Nathan Baker, said, “ICE is the world’s oldest engineering institution, established nearly 200 years ago. We have over 86,000 members based in 150 different countries. Our knowledge base is rich and diverse, and as a Learned Society, fostering and sharing this knowledge through a variety of resources sits at the heart of what we do. It encourages innovation and excellence in the industry – and ultimately benefits society.

“Working with Designing Buildings Wiki will help to ensure this knowledge is integrated with other content created by many other disciplines. By collaborating like this we can reach the widest possible audience.”

Designing Buildings Wiki Chairman David Trench CBE said, “ICE are a vital addition to our family of high-profile supporters, helping us become a truly comprehensive knowledge base, representative of the whole construction industry. As industry thought leaders, we would like to encourage ICE’s members to contribute articles to the site. Sharing your knowledge will help break down the barriers that hold back the industry for the benefit of us all.”

Notes

Image: Crossrail’s Bond Street Platform Tunnels - credit ‘Crossrail’.

The Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE www.ice.org.uk) is a charity and international membership organisation established to ‘foster and promote the art and science of civil engineering’. It was founded in 1818 and was granted a royal charter in 1828. Its head office is at One Great George Street in Westminster, and it represents over 86,000 members worldwide. As well as supporting its members to become qualified, it also encourages them to continue their professional development by providing a variety of knowledge resources. These include industry-leading publications and tailored training courses.

Designing Buildings Wiki (www.designingbuildings.co.uk) is an open-access, free-to-use knowledge base for the construction industry. It was created by project manager David Trench CBE FCIOB, architect Dr Gregor Harvie RIBA, construction law solicitor Richard Winward LLB FCIArb FCInst CES and chartered banker and finance director Martin Cantor. It receives more than 16,000 page views a day. Anyone can create an article, and authors can add their profile to articles they write so that readers can find out more about them. All content added to the site is monitored for quality control purposes.

To find out more, go to: www.designingbuildings.co.uk/wiki/Quick_introduction_to_designing_buildings_wiki