PhD Introductory Talk: Smart Circular Construction Ecosystems
YIFEI YU
PHD STUDENT, UNIVERSITY OF TWENTE.
Facing global environmental challenges, the construction industry is under the pressure because of its significant resource intensity. The prevalent linear economy model can no longer sustain in this wasteful industry while Circular Economy (CE) is viewed as a promising alternative. It aims to decouple economic activities from the consumption of finite natural resources. It entails a systematic shift towards a resilient economic system that is beneficial for business, people, and the environment. However, construction CE is in its infancy. First, CE transition is essentially a multi-dimensional challenge that involves a complex knowledge landscape. Second, the unique characteristics of the construction industry hinder the CE implementation. Innovative solutions are in demand to tackle this challenge. This introductory talk will (1) guide you through the fundamentals of CE implementation in the built environment from a multi-disciplinary perspective, (2) inspire you with the cases of how this challenge is closely related to our daily lives, and (3) provide you with an overview of the PhD project regarding how we aim to accelerate construction CE transition by innovating a Circularity Information Platform.
Yifei Yu is a full-time PhD student at IEBIS. He obtained his Master's degree in Construction Management and Engineering specializing in digital technology design at the Faculty of Engineering Technology in 2020. His current PhD project is supported by BMS Signature PhD Grant aiming to foster inter-disciplinary research collaborations. He investigates the scientific nexus of Circular Economy (CE), Construction Supply Chain Management, Information Systems, and Public Policy. He aims to provide scientific theories for designing a Circularity Information Platform to support CE business- and policy-making in the built environment. Methodologically, he focuses on the integration of Agent-Based Modelling, Building Information Modelling, and Geographic Information Systems, blending with Enterprise Architecture Design. He aims to improve construction resource efficiency and ultimately gravitates a paradigm shift toward Smart Circular Construction Ecosystems.
Unidirectional Hospital Layout Design as an Ideal Candidate?
DR. SHIVA FAEGHI
POST-DOCTORAL RESEARCHER, KARLSRUHE INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY.
Hospitals are complex infrastructures with a large number of functional units. Chaotic and zigzag movements in hospitals not only waste resources but also lead to cross-infections between patients. Therefore, well-designed hospital layout planning is essential for smooth functioning and safe patient care. An effective layout design facilitates the flow of patients, various interactions between the functional units and minimum walking distance between functional departments, and thus, reduces the challenges for patients and healthcare professionals. In this presentation, I will discuss the design of unidirectional movement paths for patient flows as an ideal candidate for an effective hospital layout that reduces chaotic and zigzag movements. The conception of this design is adopted from computer design methods. Therefore, it will be also discussed whether computer design methods can help us to come up with effective layout designs?
Shiva Faeghi is a post-doctoral researcher at the Institute of Technology and Management in Construction at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Karlsruhe, Germany. She finished her PhD studies as a scholarship holder of the German Academic Exchange Service at KIT in the field of operating room planning and management. She is director of the Competence Center Hospital at KIT and Data Science Principal Investigator at the Helmholtz Information and Data Science School for Health (HIDSS4Health). Her main research interests are operations research in healthcare, as well as simulation and optimization of healthcare processes. She pursues interdisciplinary research areas to address research-practice gaps in hospital and healthcare management. Currently, she is one of the leaders of a research project in collaboration with the Leibniz University Hannover in the area of designing flow-oriented and transformable hospitals.