Dr Jennifer Schooling OBE, Director of CSIC discusses infrastructure in all its complexities in an interview published by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) as part of its new Viewpoint series on infrastructure and the economy.
Explaining the ways in which CSIC works to accelerate the development of smart infrastructure solutions and services to real industry challenges and drive sustainable impact in infrastructure – both new and existing – Dr Schooling said: “A beautiful bridge may be spectacular as an engineering feat but really it is just part of this bigger system of providing a service. We are moving away from the idea that we've just got to maintain all these physical assets, to the idea that we've got to provide a service to customers. Making this shift enables you to start to perceive and map the assets and their importance in a slightly different way. That's where the value of understanding the condition of an asset comes in – because it's part of this critical system which provides a service.”
Asked about the importance of infrastructure, Dr Schooling reflects on the critical role infrastructure has in supporting a flourishing and sustainable society and economy: “Infrastructure is only there to serve society. For governments to be successful, and for the societies they run to flourish, they need effective and sustainable infrastructure. And in places where the infrastructure is missing, it's very difficult to meet the UN Sustainable Development Goals around health and poverty, for example.”
Read the full ICAEW interview with Dr Jennifer Schooling here.
• The ICAEW has 158,000 members across 149 countries. For more information see icaew.com