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A group of Year 12 and Year 13 A-Level Physics students went on a site visit to tour a modern construction project around the corner in Honor Oak Park, built by Beam Development.

We were given a tour by Daniel Grimshaw, an award-winning design and construction specialist who has worked on premium residential projects for over 15 years in and around London.

After making sure we were safe by putting on our hi-vis and hard hats, Daniel gave a tour of the building site and explained how the building was designed using modern and eco-friendly construction techniques and technologies.

The green project had a ground source heat pump which is an efficient way to store energy to heat and cool the building. He told us it works like a reverse fridge that takes the energy from the ground and then compresses it and decompresses it to create heat.

Conserving energy was a real focus of the building and Daniel told us about passive houses which require no heating or cooling. The building had a system that recovers heat from the air as it leaves the house through ventilation which is then stored as energy that can be used to heat the house at other times. Ventilation is required for nearly all new houses because they are so well sealed that ventilation is needed for fresh air and that “fresh air feeling”.

After the tour was finished, we had a chance to ask Daniel questions including questions about soundproofing, soils, foundations, and solar panels on the roof. It was interesting how lots of sectors and science disciplines come together to innovate in the construction industry and the amount of engineering and mechanics which happens behind things that we take for granted in modern construction.

There are a lot of career paths in modern construction, engineering, and design; no matter how small an innovation or part, there are loads of opportunities that are derived from construction and design. Overall, we gained a new understanding of how construction and materials have been evolving into a more eco-friendly sector and the impact of new technologies on the health of our environment. Modern construction is about a multitude of different diverse people who come together to create an interesting structure and many of us were interested in what career opportunities construction might have to offer in the future.

After the trip, Leon in Year 12 wrote: 'From the short trip, my understanding of building work has developed significantly, from how to produce an eco-friendly building to the idea of moments and seeing how the physics is applied in real life - for example how to make sure the mass of the property isn't overcome by the overhung section of the house.'

Wesley, Year 13, Physics Subject Ambassador

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