Briefing: Engineering foresight from hindsight: why knowledge of the past is essential for designers of the future

Abstract

This briefing is a personal view of the value to be gained by designers of future infrastructure from researching the history of engineering projects. It exhorts current designers to consider past practice as a key field of study. Research of similar projects, and their learning legacies, should be regarded as a key preparatory stage before embarking on new designs. This is advocated as an essential component of project risk mitigation. The briefing describes the network curated by the Institution of Civil Engineers that champions 'engineering foresight from hindsight' and its three pillars – the collection of useful data; the curation of the data; education and outreach that makes use of the data. Recent activities are listed that provide examples of these principles in action, and volunteers are invited to join the community.