PhD Study : Digital Construction and the Circular Economy in Building Services

Summary

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The circular economy (CE) seeks to replace the current economic model of take-make-waste, with a more sustainable approach, decoupling economic activity from consumption of finite resources. Building Services is central to the delivery of zero carbon buildings, but if this is not coupled with a new approach to the consumption of materials, then questions will remain about the environmental credentials of the industry.  CE has also been highlighted as aiding building stronger, more resilient, more profitable businesses.

Sometimes in seeking to achieve an low energy building, its useful life has been limited as its design has restricted alternative use – See the Demolition of the UK’s first BREEAM Excellent building – Sainsbury’s Greenwich - https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/row-over-demolition-of-ps13m-supermarket-of-the-future-in-greenwich-9172995.html. Designing buildings so that they can be easily refurbished / reimagined for different uses is essential if we are to reduce embodied carbon/energy.  Also building services is becoming more complex with the requirements to reduce the transmission of airborne disease, maintain health and wellbeing, and zero carbon requirements, while still maintaining comfort conditions, the approaches to design, use and the amount of materials consumed in delivering these services, or required in a refurbishment requires new approaches.

The use of digital construction is possibly a means by which new buildings can be designed, delivered, operated and repositioned (within the real estate market). Increasingly building control systems and sensors are able to collect and store information on the operation of building plant, giving a better indication of performance deterioration/durability. This may allow for items of plant to be identified for reuse as ‘pre-loved’ items.

The proposal is to seek to identify how digital construction (mainly: BIM, IoT, and data analytics) can aid in the development and roll-out of the circular economy in building services, and further raise sustainability and also the economic sustainability of both supply firms and facilities.

The PhD work will adopt CE concept and develop a BIM-based framework for evaluating the Recyclability/Reusability potentials of building services/components. The framework will include quantitative and qualitative properties of services describing value for recovery, reuse, and separability of building components (i.e. Material and Component Passport (MCP). To keep the MCP up-to-date during the operation and maintenance phase, the framework aims also to capture current status of components during building lifecycle thus can provide optimisation strategies for the decision to replace, maintain and/or recycle building components considering their environmental impacts.

Work will be undertaken within the COST Office Network Circular B - https://www.cost.eu/actions/CA21103/

Essential criteria

Applicants should hold, or expect to obtain, a First or Upper Second Class Honours Degree in a subject relevant to the proposed area of study.

We may also consider applications from those who hold equivalent qualifications, for example, a Lower Second Class Honours Degree plus a Master’s Degree with Distinction.

In exceptional circumstances, the University may consider a portfolio of evidence from applicants who have appropriate professional experience which is equivalent to the learning outcomes of an Honours degree in lieu of academic qualifications.

• Clearly defined research proposal detailing background, research questions, aims and methodology

Funding and eligibility

The University offers the following levels of support:

Vice Chancellors Research Studentship (VCRS)

The following scholarship options are available to applicants worldwide:

• Full Award: (full-time tuition fees + £19,000 (tbc))
• Part Award: (full-time tuition fees + £9,500)
• Fees Only Award: (full-time tuition fees)

These scholarships will cover full-time PhD tuition fees for three years (subject to satisfactory academic performance) and will provide a £900 per annum research training support grant (RTSG) to help support the PhD researcher.

Applicants who already hold a doctoral degree or who have been registered on a programme of research leading to the award of a doctoral degree on a full-time basis for more than one year (or part-time equivalent) are NOT eligible to apply for an award.

Please note: you will automatically be entered into the competition for the Full Award, unless you state otherwise in your application.

Department for the Economy (DFE)

The scholarship will cover tuition fees at the Home rate and a maintenance allowance of £19,000 (tbc) per annum for three years (subject to satisfactory academic performance).

This scholarship also comes with £900 per annum for three years as a research training support grant (RTSG) allocation to help support the PhD researcher.

• Candidates with pre-settled or settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme, who also satisfy a three year residency requirement in the UK prior to the start of the course for which a Studentship is held MAY receive a Studentship covering fees and maintenance.
• Republic of Ireland (ROI) nationals who satisfy three years’ residency in the UK prior to the start of the course MAY receive a Studentship covering fees and maintenance (ROI nationals don’t need to have pre-settled or settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme to qualify).
• Other non-ROI EU applicants are ‘International’ are not eligible for this source of funding.
• Applicants who already hold a doctoral degree or who have been registered on a programme of research leading to the award of a doctoral degree on a full-time basis for more than one year (or part-time equivalent) are NOT eligible to apply for an award.

Due consideration should be given to financing your studies. Further information on cost of living