Project Overview
Local authorities across the UK hit a roadblock in their efforts to decarbonise road infrastructure: how to find vital data on low-carbon materials, which was stuck in silos. Together with North Lanarkshire Council, Amey and the Live Labs 2 programme, we built the ‘Knowledge Bank’, a centralised, Azure-based platform that opens up access to this evidence for everyone, enabling open conversations about materials, collaboration and knowledge sharing with peers. The tool has already attracted nearly 6,700 highly engaged users, smashing down barriers and empowering engineers to make greener decisions nationwide.
The Challenge
The road to Net Zero is paved with… well, that’s exactly the question. For local authorities, finding out which low-carbon materials deliver the performance they need, what they cost, and their environmental impact has been a fragmented, frustrating challenge.
This challenge sits right at the heart of ADEPT Live Labs 2 – a multi-million UK government-funded programme designed to decarbonise the nation’s roads. One of the 4 essential themes of ADEPT Live Labs 2, the Centre of Excellence for Decarbonising Roads, is being tackled in a unique partnership of North Lanarkshire Council, Transport for West Midlands, Amey and Colas. Their mission was ambitious: create a single source of truth, a Knowledge Bank, to help authorities across the country move from isolated trials to business-as-usual adoption of sustainable materials.
Before the Knowledge Bank, information on sustainable road construction was scattered everywhere. One council might run a brilliant trial on new low-carbon asphalt, but that data rarely made it to the engineer in the neighbouring county, let alone nationwide. There was no centralised, evidence-based hub.
But the challenge wasn’t just about data storage, it was about behavioural change.
North Lanarkshire Council and Amey explored their options but found many suppliers focused solely on the data architecture, missing the crucial human element to the project. Engineers are creatures of habit. To get them switching from traditional materials to new, low-carbon alternatives, the solution couldn’t be tucked away in a dry database. It needed to be visually engaging, intuitive, and designed for the human user, not just the IT department.
They needed a partner who understood that technology is the enabler, not the outcome. They needed a platform that engineers actually wanted to use.
The Solution
North Lanarkshire Council and Amey turned to us to pivot the project from a basic data repository to a user-centric experience that actually works.
We didn’t just take a spec sheet and disappear for six months. We worked in a collaborative, iterative way with the Centre of Excellence and the Live Labs stakeholders. This required serious flexibility. With multiple councils and funders involved, requirements evolved in real-time. We moved away from rigid scoping to an open dialogue, helping the team navigate what was actually feasible and effective.
Here’s what we built:
User-Centric Design: We worked with design experts to translate complex trial data into an accessible, visually compelling interface that continues to encourage exploration.
Azure Infrastructure: We built the Knowledge Bank on Microsoft Azure, ensuring the platform remains secure, scalable, and ready for a nationwide rollout.
AI Integration: We laid the groundwork for the future, integrating Azure AI capabilities to provide an intelligent layer for data analysis, with plans for AI chatbots to make querying the data conversational.
“Honestly, what really set Transparity apart for us was how they took the time to get what our people actually needed. Not just another off-the-shelf tool or a basic database. They focused on making it simple, visual, and user-friendly, so our engineers actually want to get stuck in and use it every day.”
Lauren SeBlonka, Innovation Business Partner, Amey
The Impact
The Knowledge Bank launched in October 2025 and has quickly become a vital tool for the sector. It’s not just a repository, it’s a catalyst for change.
By focusing on the user experience rather than just the raw data, we helped create a platform that doesn’t just store information, it is in fact changing how decisions are made.
Elaine Nicol, Road Maintenance Manager at North Lanarkshire Council, highlights, “The Knowledge Bank boasts key features such as a carbon calculator, materials comparison profiles, and advanced search tools, alongside case studies and innovation insights. We are excited to bring this valuable tool to the wider industry.”
Our work didn’t stop at launch day. We were committed to making sure the user experience was seamless from the get-go. Our team was on hand to help iron out bugs and tackle user issues fast, building trust and keeping things running smoothly.
Benefits
Exceptional Engagement
Since the launch, the tool has attracted 6,700 users from local authorities across the country. More importantly, they’re actually engaging with the tool and leveraging the data. The average session time is 7.5 minutes, a massive 211% higher than industry standards, proving that users are finding real value in the content.
Breaking Silos
We successfully centralised data from across the industry, letting local authorities share evidence-based insights and stop reinventing the wheel.
Industry Validation
Feedback from focus groups and industry events like Highways UK has been overwhelmingly positive, with users saying, “this is exactly what the industry needs.”
What’s Next?
We’re not standing still. In a continued partnership with Transparity, the Knowledge Bank is headed for another round of upgrades driven by real user feedback.
On the horizon are personalised dashboards where users can easily find relevant comments, track saved case studies, and tailor the platform to their own workflow. In addition, we’re looking at boosting mapping capabilities with embedded Google Street View, so engineers can see exactly how different low-carbon materials are performing across the UK in real time. It’s all about making sure the Knowledge Bank keeps delivering genuine value for local authorities on the journey to net zero.
Planning a similar platform for your organisation? Talk to our team about turning your data into a tool people actually want to use.
