Research group Building Future Cities
Lines of research within the research group
This research topic is aimed at finding effective and efficient ways of using building materials and raw materials, as well as smart recycling and upcycling of construction and demolition waste. The construction sector uses a huge amount of raw materials. It therefore has both the duty and opportunity to reduce this demand and to reuse existing materials.
Projects
- Interreg Europe: REthinking Sustainable Development in European Regions by Using Circular Economy Business ModelS
Thirty percent of the traffic in cities is related to construction. To relieve the strain on infrastructure and to reduce the negative impact on air quality in cities, construction companies and transport companies need to find logistical and IT solutions.
We are researching collaboration in and innovative area development of urban projects. The skills and ambitions of people and organisations are changing. This means that urban projects are composed of a different variety of people than they were in the past. In order to realise neighbourhood and urban real estate projects, public and private parties increasingly need to work with private individuals. How should we interpret these new forms of collaboration and steer them in the right direction?
Projects
- Flexible,bottom-up urbanism: new opportunities for co-creating future cities?
- Designing curricula to develop relevant competences for project management in higher education.
How can we apply data to reuse construction materials more often and more efficiently? To this end, we are looking for ways to promote smart logistical management in cities. IT tools and city modelling derived from big data is needed to determine both the quantity and value of potentially reusable construction and demolition waste.
Projects
- Sensor-based motion, health and safety monitoring on construction sites
LOKET - Logistic chain management for inner-city construction
ProjectLOKET Logistic chain management for inner-city construction
Increasing construction labour productivity using prefabrication
ProjectIn this study we forecast the labour productivity of prefabricated building parts and compare them with onsite construction.
Education
In this research group, lecturers function as researchers in research projects. These lecturer-researchers also involve their students in these research projects. The research group works to formulate student assignments and to contribute to the development and quality of education. Another of its tasks is to develop and teach certain educational modules.
“Under pressure to create sustainable and healthy urban environments, governments, market players, and social organizations collaborate in the development of smart solutions to make cities future-proof.”
Ruben Vrijhoef Professor of Building Future Cities
Collaboration
The research group works together with other knowledge institutions and with organisations and companies from professional practice. Together, we work to convert issues and questions into innovative project proposals and research grant applications. The research is jointly conducted by our researchers, students and the parties we collaborate with.
Our professors and researchers
